Can some suggest a lasting blade for cutting bowl blanks? I have a Grizzley 14" band saw and have used their blade but it dulls fast. I cut a lot of 6" blocks and need a longlasting blade. Thanks.
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bandsaw blade for green wood cutting
- Thread starter Gary Chapman
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odie
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Hello Gary.......
Out of curiosity, what blade are you using now?
I'm far from being that knowledgeable about band saw blades, but for the purpose of cutting thick chunks of wood for lathe turning, I've found that less teeth per inch seems to work better for me. Overall, it's a little rougher cut, but it seems to plow through thick wood much easier.
The one I use most, is 4 teeth per inch and 1" wide. This isn't capable of very tight circles, but really cuts fast........
ooc
Out of curiosity, what blade are you using now?
I'm far from being that knowledgeable about band saw blades, but for the purpose of cutting thick chunks of wood for lathe turning, I've found that less teeth per inch seems to work better for me. Overall, it's a little rougher cut, but it seems to plow through thick wood much easier.
The one I use most, is 4 teeth per inch and 1" wide. This isn't capable of very tight circles, but really cuts fast........
ooc
Funny you should ask. In the past I used Timberwolf 1/2x3 AS green wood blades on my 14" bandsaw. Unlike most, my blades dulled very quickly. A few months ago, I got a 19" bandsaw and bought a few bimetal blades.
One was the Lennox Woodmaster. It's a 1" .35 tpi (yeah, less then 1 tooth per inch) and cuts aggressively. Unfortunately, it is not suitable for cutting round things unless they are very, very large round things. So, I mounted a Timberwolf 1/2x2 AS. Cut great. For a while.
I may next try a Diemaster 2 with a 3 tpi hook with the hope that it will last a little longer then a few days. When I go into blank mode, that's all I do for a few days. My current run has me going through about 700# of ash, oak, maple, birch and a few mystery logs. I still have maple logs, freshly cut cherry, catalpa and a few more mystery logs. My 1/2x2 wont cut Crisco at this point but I still have a few 1/2x3 Timberwolf blades ready.
Robo Hippy has some interesting thoughts on this subject and I hope he will chime in here.
Burt
One was the Lennox Woodmaster. It's a 1" .35 tpi (yeah, less then 1 tooth per inch) and cuts aggressively. Unfortunately, it is not suitable for cutting round things unless they are very, very large round things. So, I mounted a Timberwolf 1/2x2 AS. Cut great. For a while.
I may next try a Diemaster 2 with a 3 tpi hook with the hope that it will last a little longer then a few days. When I go into blank mode, that's all I do for a few days. My current run has me going through about 700# of ash, oak, maple, birch and a few mystery logs. I still have maple logs, freshly cut cherry, catalpa and a few more mystery logs. My 1/2x2 wont cut Crisco at this point but I still have a few 1/2x3 Timberwolf blades ready.
Robo Hippy has some interesting thoughts on this subject and I hope he will chime in here.
Burt
For utility work and rough cutting I have had good success for a long time with bimetalic metal cutting bandsaw blades. Lennox sells them - they cost about 3 times the cost of a regular spring steel blade, and last about 5 times as long. I will take a dremel and resharpen them sometimes (when I am lookning for a mindless task for a few minutes). They resharpen to about 80% of new effectiveness.
They are high speed steel tips on a spring steel back. They cut brass and aluminum bar nicely too. Common nails do not cause great problems, but big rocks will cause sparks and the need for the dremel.
I use better blades for fine resawing, but for roughing wood, dry or green, these keep cutting.
They are high speed steel tips on a spring steel back. They cut brass and aluminum bar nicely too. Common nails do not cause great problems, but big rocks will cause sparks and the need for the dremel.
I use better blades for fine resawing, but for roughing wood, dry or green, these keep cutting.
KenV,
Can you give us specific make and model numbers? I, for one, am very interested.
Thanks,
Burt
Can you give us specific make and model numbers? I, for one, am very interested.
Thanks,
Burt
Gary:
I do cutting on a lot of wet-wood blanks, and have found the "Woodturners blade" (3/8" x 3 tpi with some tooth set) sold by Highland Woodworking (in Atlanta) works very well for me.
The specs for this blade can be found HERE.
You might also consider sharpening your present blades using a diamond bur meant for sharpening chainsaws (I use a 5/32" diameter) and a Dremel tool. Once I started touching up my band saw blades, I found I could get a lot more "mileage" out of them.
Good Luck!
Rob Wallace
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I second the motion for the Highland Woodturners blade. It works better for green wood than anything else I tried.
I recommended it to a friend who thought it was too much trouble to order one so asked for advice at Woodcraft and was sold a Timber Wolf blade. It did not look right to me as we were about to install so we called Timber Wolf and they confirmed that that particular blade was not suitable for green wood. I recommended someone else to the Highland blade and he did not take my advice either. He called Iturra Design and got a blade that does not appear to cut green wood as well as the Highland blade. My first one snapped at the weld after I had used for a while and Highland cheerfully replaced it. Highland - Excellent service and the right blade.
I recommended it to a friend who thought it was too much trouble to order one so asked for advice at Woodcraft and was sold a Timber Wolf blade. It did not look right to me as we were about to install so we called Timber Wolf and they confirmed that that particular blade was not suitable for green wood. I recommended someone else to the Highland blade and he did not take my advice either. He called Iturra Design and got a blade that does not appear to cut green wood as well as the Highland blade. My first one snapped at the weld after I had used for a while and Highland cheerfully replaced it. Highland - Excellent service and the right blade.
The Timberwolf green wood blades cut very well. Problem is, they don't last. At those prices, I don't feel like I want to throw more money into them. I'd just as soon mount my Woodmaster and just nip the square ends of blanks and get a better roughing tool.
I don't enjoy spending all that time making blanks then dealing with the cut-offs.
I don't enjoy spending all that time making blanks then dealing with the cut-offs.
I have 2 bandsaws, an industrial PM that cuts 6 inches high (cast iron top and bottom, cast iron wheels, and 1hp motor), and a Laguna 16HD (4.5 hp). When I got the first one, a woodworking friend told me to 'go see ole Duke at Oregon Industrial Supply, he will tell you what you need and make it for you.' Best bandsaw advice I ever got. For cutting out bowl blanks and rough resawing, you want a bimetal blade (the blade is a softer metal, and a harder tooth metal is fused or some how put on one side of it, and then the teeth are cut out of that harder steel). They make a number of styles, but generally a bit thicker and with more set than standard blades. The blade that comes with your saw is junk. For the little saw, a woodmaster 1/2 inch by 3 tpi. Great for cutting round blanks. If you get to less than 6 inch diameter, you have to nibble at the edges a bit rather than try to cut a perfect circle. For the big saw, a woodmaster 1 1/4 with teeth about 3/4 inch apart. Sorry I don't have model #, they have me in their files and I just call and tell them I need another blade. This is the same blade that the protable bandsaw mills use. Bimetal will handle nails with little trouble, and not be ruined by hitting a few, or even dulled up much. They can be resharpened. I found a little hole in the wall saw shop that will resharpen my blades. Last time in, 5 of my 150 inch blades, and 1 of my 96 inch blades cost me $30. I think they are way cheap. Another place cost me $10 per 150 inch blade. If a blade breaks at the weld, that is a faulty weld. Other than that, if they break, usually there are a lot of stress cracks else where in the blade. Mostly from the gullet towards the back of the blade. This comes from not having the thrust bearings properly set (not lined up with each other), and not lowering the guide to just above what you are cutting.
The Carbide tipped blades are for cutting veneers, and fancy resawing of boards that you want to bookmatch for flat work. The Lennox ones can not be sharpened. Laguna has them which are acutally Stellite (I think, and that is what the cutter on the Woodcut bowl saver is) and they can be sharpened a few times. Cost:150 inch bimetal, about $75, Diemaster carbide $180, Laguna about $240 or so.
I have one friend who is a production turner, who after hearing my ranting about my blades tried one. He now uses them exclusively. I believe he was using the Timberwolf blades before.
Why aren't bandsaws models sold like lathes? As in a 3520 PM is 35 inches between centers, and 20 inch diameter max. A bandsaw would be 6-14 or 6 inch height, 14 inch throat.
Oh, one other thing. For some reason, maybe the acid in the wood, wet black walnut really seems to dull the saws quickly. Bark can carry a lot of dirt, rock, sand and other gritty materials that can also do a number on your blades.
www.gooregonindustrial.com
robo hippy
The Carbide tipped blades are for cutting veneers, and fancy resawing of boards that you want to bookmatch for flat work. The Lennox ones can not be sharpened. Laguna has them which are acutally Stellite (I think, and that is what the cutter on the Woodcut bowl saver is) and they can be sharpened a few times. Cost:150 inch bimetal, about $75, Diemaster carbide $180, Laguna about $240 or so.
I have one friend who is a production turner, who after hearing my ranting about my blades tried one. He now uses them exclusively. I believe he was using the Timberwolf blades before.
Why aren't bandsaws models sold like lathes? As in a 3520 PM is 35 inches between centers, and 20 inch diameter max. A bandsaw would be 6-14 or 6 inch height, 14 inch throat.
Oh, one other thing. For some reason, maybe the acid in the wood, wet black walnut really seems to dull the saws quickly. Bark can carry a lot of dirt, rock, sand and other gritty materials that can also do a number on your blades.
www.gooregonindustrial.com
robo hippy
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You can make ANY blade last longer by knocking the bark and the dirt in it off your blank prior to sawing. You should also clean and oil it after sawing wet woods, especially acid woods. Corrosion will dull the teeth, and can exacerbate the microcracks that form as you heat and work-harden your blade behind the harder teeth. I use the Suffolk blades, and they last well enough so that I'm spending maybe 15 cents per blank. That's peanuts compared to the price of sanding the same piece. I was clumsy enough to kink my two and only bimetallic blades, and haven't gone back.
Steve Worcester
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Proper adjustment of the guides will make a blade last considerably longer. The biggest issue for turners is usually allowing the blade to go back too far before they hit the back guides.
When the side of the blades hits the guides it will take the set out and the blade is trashed.
Additionally the amount of teeth per inch is related to depth, wet wood, 3 TPI is good for about 6" deep, 2 or less for 12", and then less than 1/inch for more.
I have used the Laguna "Swedish silicon" blades and the Timberwolfs, and they are about the same. Another I have used and like is from Spence Distributors in Canada
www.spencedistributors.com
I use a 3/4" 3TPI .032 blade with good results, but at $27 for the blade I use (200") they are disposables but hard to part with some times. I should probably go to a 2 TPI as a universal blade, but have used the 3 TPI on softer hardwoods un to 24" deep. Who needs a chainsaw when you can saw 24" deep:cool2:? (Yes I still have and use a chainsaw.)
Most of the saws should be able to take a 3/4" no problem, bigger than that, say 1", may take some more HP. But them again, going through 12" of wet wood takes some power anyway.
When the side of the blades hits the guides it will take the set out and the blade is trashed.
Additionally the amount of teeth per inch is related to depth, wet wood, 3 TPI is good for about 6" deep, 2 or less for 12", and then less than 1/inch for more.
I have used the Laguna "Swedish silicon" blades and the Timberwolfs, and they are about the same. Another I have used and like is from Spence Distributors in Canada
www.spencedistributors.com
I use a 3/4" 3TPI .032 blade with good results, but at $27 for the blade I use (200") they are disposables but hard to part with some times. I should probably go to a 2 TPI as a universal blade, but have used the 3 TPI on softer hardwoods un to 24" deep. Who needs a chainsaw when you can saw 24" deep:cool2:? (Yes I still have and use a chainsaw.)
Most of the saws should be able to take a 3/4" no problem, bigger than that, say 1", may take some more HP. But them again, going through 12" of wet wood takes some power anyway.
i use timberwolf AS 3 tpi with long lasting results and as mentioned i resharpen several times. touch up each tip withd diamond wheel in dreml. takes about as long as changing blades.. i had terrible results with highland woodworking. first one poor weld ..not useable second one broke.. third one poor weld..sent them back at my expense.. no reply...they still have my money. was a good company when highland hardware..
I am using a blade from Grizzley, it works but dulls quickly Thanks
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I agree with your advice on bandsaw blades -- it is pretty thorough. I have not really given much of a try on Timberwolf blades for green wood, but they seem to have pretty good blades for flat work.
I discovered last week that sometimes green wet walnut can be really hard on any tools. I had a piece last week in a turning class that would dull any tool in less than ten seconds.
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i agree on the turners blade
i couldnt agree more about the woodturners blade from highland best blade i ever used on green wood. i turn a lot of green wood blanks up to 6 to 8" thick on my 14 " grizzly bandsaw with the rtiser kit. cuts like butter you wont be dissapointed and reasonable price too .
i couldnt agree more about the woodturners blade from highland best blade i ever used on green wood. i turn a lot of green wood blanks up to 6 to 8" thick on my 14 " grizzly bandsaw with the rtiser kit. cuts like butter you wont be dissapointed and reasonable price too .
I cut a lot of gnarly stuff like mesqiute and desert ironwood. I've tried about all the blades and always go back to lennox, best bang for the buck. Lennox carbon last quite a bit longer than timberwolf, and cost half as much, and lennox bimetal last much longer. One note; Lennox bi-metal only come in .035 thickness. That's kind of thick to wrap around a 14" wheel, and the blade may eventually break from fatigue, usually not a problem for me since I'll wear out a bi-metal in one day of cutting ironwood. Same for the Trimaster, an expensive lesson for me. I think a 14" wheel is just too small for these blades.
I just started cutting up some maple and cherry yesterday with two new woodturners bandsaw blades from Woodworkers Hardware, bought last April and hanging in the shop since then. The wood had bark on but was clean. Cuts were about 8" high at most. Each blade cut for about 10-15 minutes before starting to wander. Saw was properly adjusted. In the past, I've gotten hours from these blades in similar conditions so I'm assuming they must have found a cheaper supplier/manufacturer. Another thing that I found odd was that one of the blades was inside out. Obviously not difficult to change but I've never had a blade delivered that way before. Since this is an old thread, would anyone like to add new reviews? I will probably try to sharpen them. I have a chainsaw dremel bit. Should I be doing the gullet and the top of the tips? Larry