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best band saw blades & vendor??

Joined
Oct 6, 2012
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Location
Amarillo, Texas
I find that my old bs blade seems to be getting dull. I have a powermatic with riser block installed and uses a 106 inch blade.
I would prefer to get as good a blade as possible and have the capability of blank cutting and bowl blank, waste block, circle cutting from small to large.

I have a good blade I use for re-sawing etc.....

I have seen so many ads for blades they all seem to run together.......

sizes (Width), tpi and vendors please.



Thank you all in advance.
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
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Location
VA
I use Lenox, 1/2", 3S .035 bi-metal Diemaster from bandsawbladesdirect.com . I have gotten excellent service from both the blade and the vendor. I used to use Suffolk, but after changing to the Lenox years ago, have never wavered...........

You'll get a lot of different suggestions. Try one of each if you can.

Rich
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
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Another vote for the Lennox. I have a local distributor who makes them up for me. If you live in a larger city, you might find some one local. Lennox does have a web site that points you to distributors, but I had an awful time trying to navigate it. Call your local saw shops. These blades cut straight and stay sharp a long time. I take mine in for sharpening to a saw shop that does an excellent job, far better than I can do. I don't think I have ever sharpened one down to nothing. I am kind of rough on them, and they generally break first.

robo hippy
 
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Amarillo, Texas
Thank you

Just don't make the mistake that I did. I bought a Lennox carbide tipped blade and then found out that it should not be used to cut wet wood. A $200 lesson learned.

I have a carbide tip re-swaw blade, that I have not yet used. I will try to store that kernel of well learned lesson away in the dusty cobwebs of my memory.
I actually had intended to try to re-saw some huge walnut that was harvested a few months ago.

I will now either take it to a mill or wait.

Thanks for the input.
BTW I am a big fan.........
 
Joined
Oct 6, 2012
Messages
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Location
Amarillo, Texas
I use Lenox, 1/2", 3S .035 bi-metal Diemaster from bandsawbladesdirect.com . I have gotten excellent service from both the blade and the vendor. I used to use Suffolk, but after changing to the Lenox years ago, have never wavered...........

You'll get a lot of different suggestions. Try one of each if you can.

Rich

When I look that blade up it indicates it is a metal cutting blade????
 
Joined
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Eugene, OR
Bimetal is used both for cutting wood and metal. Different tooth set for wood and metal. They do stay sharper.

For the carbide tipped blades, my guy said that they are for cutting veneers. I tried one out anyway. The carbide tips are so tiny that they can not be sharpened.

robo hippy
 
Joined
Oct 29, 2005
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Location
wetter washington
Website
www.ralphandellen.us
I find a 1/2 inch to be a little tough to cut circles and prefer a 3/8 3-tooth.
Wide set (large kerf) helps with wet wood.
 

odie

TOTW Team
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Panning for Montana gold, with Betsy, the mule!
I don't remember who it was, but someone on this forum mentioned carbide.com for BS blades. Since then I've purchased from them several times. The service is quick, and the blades are good. Here's their site:

http://www.carbide.com/catalog/band-top.cfm

ooc
 

john lucas

AAW Forum Expert
Joined
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Cookeville, TN
For cutting green wood I use the cheapest blade I can that's decent. It's just too easy to bend one if the wood isn't properly supported on the table. After ruining 2 $30 dollar fancy blades that were supposed to be good at cutting green wood I went with $6 blades I get from my local saw sharpener. They are 1/2" 3 TPI. A 105" blade is $6. I get many many more cuts with these before the blade either gets dull or breaks than I did with the $30 blades. And if I do bend one or it gets dull I don't try to sharpen it I just toss it. I now have a new bandsaw with 153" blades and he charged me $9 for those.
When I purchase a blade for this saw that I will use only for resawing dry wood I will buy one of the expensive ones because it will probably cut cleaner and with less chatter. However chatter marks don't matter on green bowl blanks.
 
Joined
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Well, when it comes down to prepping bowl blanks from logs, the better your cuts are, the less roughing you have to do. Getting my 16HD Laguna bandsaw was huge. You can get blanks with parallel sides. No problems any more with blanks tipping while I am cutting out the circle and having to replace blades, or having to chisel and saw them out because they are stuck in the blank. Drawing a plumb line on the log, and parallel lines with plywood strips and making notches on the back side of the log section, then following the plumb line with the chainsaw is another big step. Next step will be figuring out how to make this into a chop saw:

http://www.haddontools.com/lumbermaker.html

It really is amazing how much time you can save when your blanks have parallel sides. Half of your roughing time at least.

robo hippy
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2009
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Lummi Island, WA
a couple of years ago I got wind of the Woodturner's blades from Highland Tools - I switched and have been delighted with their performance, cost and long life. I've just got a 14" Grizzley with riser blocks, but these blades make it perform better than it has in the five years I've had it. They're 3TPI, hooked gullet, alternate set, raker tooth blades, only 3/8" wide, but cut really well.
Since I only rarely use the BS for anything other than cutting blanks, I just leave it in place for everything. To my surprise, when I wanted to resaw a small amount of walnut, it really performed well even with the wider kerf from the alternate set teeth.
Not the most exotic of blades, but a great performer. No, I'm not affilliated - just a happy customer.
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodturners-bandsawblade.aspx
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
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Brandon, MS
tension can help too

a couple of years ago I got wind of the Woodturner's blades from Highland Tools - I switched and have been delighted with their performance, cost and long life. I've just got a 14" Grizzley with riser blocks, but these blades make it perform better than it has in the five years I've had it. They're 3TPI, hooked gullet, alternate set, raker tooth blades, only 3/8" wide, but cut really well.
Since I only rarely use the BS for anything other than cutting blanks, I just leave it in place for everything. To my surprise, when I wanted to resaw a small amount of walnut, it really performed well even with the wider kerf from the alternate set teeth.
Not the most exotic of blades, but a great performer. No, I'm not affilliated - just a happy customer.
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodturners-bandsawblade.aspx

I use this blade also . I switched to the Carter demo method of tensioning about the same time and seems like my Grizzley G0555 with riser is a new saw.
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
Messages
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Location
VA
I tried that Woodslicer blade once. Then I found the Lenox.

Haven't tried the Woodturner blade.

There was some speculation a few years back that Lenox made the blades for HH, but having used them both, I doubted that with great exuberance...... :)
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
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Location
Apopka, FL
Website
www.docwks.com
I also like the Lenox blades, I get mine from Carbide.com, the price is reasonable and I can configure the teeth like I want, i.e. how many, set and type of hook. I have a 16†bandsaw and the blades before shipping are around $17.00, I don’t do much resawing most of my work is dimensioning wood for the lathe. I use mostly ½†blades at about 28,000 psi. I have ¼, ¾ and 1†blades but the ½†with 2 ½ to 3 TPI works about the best for the wet wood I work with.
 
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