A Rookie with Grizzly gO555 enroute

[Steve Riess]

I am excited after exhaustive reviews and watching these forums to be expecting my first real woodworking power tool a Grizzly g0555. I am submitting my first post seeking the wisdom of the many experts. I have seen in many places that I should discard the stock blade with this band saw and order a better one. But looking on Grizzly's site and others the options seem unending. I just have some small oak boards (3-4 inches wide) that I might resaw for small starting out projects. Beyond that just a lot standard cuts. What widths, brands and types should I order to have on hand for my newby shop.

Thanks any and all for your help.

[mark kosse]

You bought a decent saw. Congrats. As far as blades I have 3, 14" bandsaws and the 2 standard ones get .25" and the one with the riser gets .5" although I've considered getting .25's for it also.

Brand is your pick. I don't have a favorite. They all seem to last about the same.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Steve, I'd start with a 1/4" 6TPI blade and a 1/2" 3 TPI blade for ripping and re-sawing.

Don't buy retail blades, find an industrial saw supplier in your area and order custom made blades for your saw.

They will be cut to length and welded for you.

In addition to providing a much better selection of blade material, tooth profile and pitch, they will be less expensive and better than pre-packaged retail blades.

Have fun with your new saw............Regards, Rod.

[Steve Riess]

Thanks Mark!
I really am going to show my ignorance here but by .25 and .50 can I assume you are saying 1/4 and 1/2 inch "wide"? All the sites for selling blades also have multiple teeth configurations. Is there a standard fare?

[Aaron Wingert]

The two brands to look at are Timberwolf and Wood Slicer. I've always used the Timberwolf brand and have no complaints. They're light years ahead of the blade that came with your saw. You can get them from Grizzly, Woodcraft, other retailers or even the manufacturer, Suffolk Machinery.

1/4" is a good all-around size. Something with about 4 TPI I'd say.

You can resaw with just about any blade if it is tensioned right, but I'd look at a 1/2" 3 TPI for that. That saw won't be able to properly tension a 3/4" blade in my experience. Get something with hook teeth that'll clear the sawdust down out of the cut in a hurry.

The best money you can spend aside from a good blade is to get a book on bandsaws. There is so much you can do with them, but if they don't work right (usually user's fault) they'll frustrate you endlessly. I have Lonnie Bird's book and it is a good one.

You chose a good saw.

[Steve Riess]

Thanks Rod, regrettably I do not have an industrial saw suppliers in my area (eastern Iowa) that I am aware of. Any on line that I could use? Would those on Grizzly site be recommended ( I realize these would not be custom).


Hi Steve, I'd start with a 1/4" 6TPI blade and a 1/2" 3 TPI blade for ripping and re-sawing.

Don't buy retail blades, find an industrial saw supplier in your area and order custom made blades for your saw.

They will be cut to length and welded for you.

In addition to providing a much better selection of blade material, tooth profile and pitch, they will be less expensive and better than pre-packaged retail blades.

Have fun with your new saw............Regards, Rod.

[Curt Harms]

If you're planning to add a riser block but don't have it yet, I wouldn't buy too many blades. The stock saw takes 93"(?) blades, with the riser block it's 105". I agree with the 1/4" & 1/2" blades for general use. Sorry if I missed anything.

[Steve Riess]

Yes I have seen recommendations on that book and it is ordered. Thanks so much!


The two brands to look at are Timberwolf and Wood Slicer. I've always used the Timberwolf brand and have no complaints. They're light years ahead of the blade that came with your saw. You can get them from Grizzly, Woodcraft, other retailers or even the manufacturer, Suffolk Machinery.

1/4" is a good all-around size. Something with about 4 TPI I'd say.

You can resaw with just about any blade if it is tensioned right, but I'd look at a 1/2" 3 TPI for that. That saw won't be able to properly tension a 3/4" blade in my experience. Get something with hook teeth that'll clear the sawdust down out of the cut in a hurry.

The best money you can spend aside from a good blade is to get a book on bandsaws. There is so much you can do with them, but if they don't work right (usually user's fault) they'll frustrate you endlessly. I have Lonnie Bird's book and it is a good one.

You chose a good saw.

[Jesse Wilson]

I just got some Lenox Dimaster's for my new 555. I ended up getting the:

.5" X 105" 3H
.25" X 105" 6H
.25" X 105" 10/14


Nice little assortment from general use to detail work.

http://www.woodcraftbands.com/index.htm

[Cody Colston]

Steve,

Make this easy on yourself. Call Suffolk Machinery http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/ tell them what band saw you have and what you are intending to do and they will recommend a blade(s). They also have the buy 3 get one free deal going.

Suffolk will also keep your order on file if you want to duplicate it in the future. They are good, knowledgeable folks there.

There are good, knowledgeable folks here, too, but you will get so many different and varied options that you will probably just be confused. ;)

[Paul Johnstone]

I'm kind of disappointed.. I saw the "thumbs down" icon and thought I was going to be able to read a good rant. :)

Good luck with your new saw. I use Timberwolf blades, and I am happy with them.

[Victor Robinson]

This is a helpful video for getting acquainted with the bandsaw.

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/bandsaw-setup-tuneup/

I got the same model bandsaw a few months back and have been enjoying it. I'd recommend getting a blade honing stone and removing the burrs on the back of your blades. This reduces much of the burning of the stock blade and actually makes it usable - at least for practice purposes.

[Paul Ryan]

Steve you bought a nice saw. I have had one for about a year and 1/2 and it has done everything I need it too. I will suggest buying a 5/8" sheer force blade from laguna for resawing. It is hands down better than any other blade I have used for that purpose. I have used a 3/4 from suffolk that they recomended and the woodslicer from highland. I don't think you will find a better steel blade than the laguna. The only reason I tried it was the special they had BOGO about a year ago. Sufflok makes some decent blades for general work but laguna has the market cornered when it comes to resaw blades for 14" saws if you ask me. Good luck with the saw.

[Mike OMelia]

Just remember... carbide tipped blades and 14" BS is ok, carbide blades and 14" bandsaw, no good. But, if you call a place (like suffolk) they will steer you correctly.

[Steve Riess]

So sorry about that. I am so new at this and punched in the wrong icon. Worried then I would insulting someone. Thanks for recommendation. Looking now for a local source for Timberwolf.


I'm kind of disappointed.. I saw the "thumbs down" icon and thought I was going to be able to read a good rant. :)

Good luck with your new saw. I use Timberwolf blades, and I am happy with them.

[Steve Riess]

Wow, learning so much gentlemen! Thanks alot!


Just remember... carbide tipped blades and 14" BS is ok, carbide blades and 14" bandsaw, no good. But, if you call a place (like suffolk) they will steer you correctly.

[Mike OMelia]

So sorry about that. I am so new at this and punched in the wrong icon. Worried then I would insulting someone. Thanks for recommendation. Looking now for a local source for Timberwolf.

Not sure where u live, but most things I need I have to order. No wood stores around here except big box borgs. Another thing, even if you had a local source, you still want to get one "off a roll" where they weld the blade to your specs. Finding one on a shelf somewhere is not very likely (but I did not say impossible). I only buy blades like that for my small, cheapo bandsaws I use for small work. But even then, if I am doing detailed work on the small saws, I order quality, hand welded blades. I am not sure, but I am guessing that even for 14" bandsaws, blade length will vary from one maker to another. Look on line for suppliers who have Lenox, Woodslicer, Timberwolf, Laguna... In the Deals & Discounts forum, Tim Lory (from Laguna) makes great offers a lot of the time (for creekers)

[Mike OMelia]

Wow, learning so much gentlemen! Thanks alot!

This ought not be an issue for a customer oriented company. When I knew nothing about blades, I actually had a supplier send me a carbide blade for a small 3 wheel saw. Never got a chance to break the blade cause I could never get it on the saw!! Min recommended diameter is 18" for carbide blades.

This is why I like dealing with Tim Lory. He asks a lot of questions, and gets the right blade to you.

Mike

[Howard Acheson]

The first thing to do is to order Lonnie Bird's Band Saw Book or Mark Duginske's The New Complete Guide to the Band Saw. Amazon will have both. Both are excellent and will tell you how to set up and align your saw. They will then go into the types of blades you need for various cuts.

Do not attempt to resaw any wood with the suppled 3/8" blade. It's not a resaw blade and will not work well at all. Unlike a table saw, there is no one "all purpose" blade. You need a specific and dedicated blade for resawing.

Either of these books will go into more detail about the types of cuts you can make and how to best maintain your saw.

Good luck with it. I've been very pleased with mine.

[Steve Riess]

Sorry if I missed this earlier but how do I access Tim Lory?


This ought not be an issue for a customer oriented company. When I knew nothing about blades, I actually had a supplier send me a carbide blade for a small 3 wheel saw. Never got a chance to break the blade cause I could never get it on the saw!! Min recommended diameter is 18" for carbide blades.

This is why I like dealing with Tim Lory. He asks a lot of questions, and gets the right blade to you.

Mike

[Steve Riess]

So just how do I access Tim Lory?


This ought not be an issue for a customer oriented company. When I knew nothing about blades, I actually had a supplier send me a carbide blade for a small 3 wheel saw. Never got a chance to break the blade cause I could never get it on the saw!! Min recommended diameter is 18" for carbide blades.

This is why I like dealing with Tim Lory. He asks a lot of questions, and gets the right blade to you.

Mike

[Zach England]

Take the time to check the wheels for co-planar alignment. Mine were nto co-planar and this caused me endless tracking problems.

[Chuck Isaacson]

I will suggest buying a 5/8" sheer force blade from laguna for resawing. It is hands down better than any other blade I have used for that purpose.


Right when I had made up my mind about getting the Woodslicer from Highland you had to throw this in the mix... I admit, this is the first time that I have heard of this blade. I like the sounds of it because of its width. But I have also heard people saw that you should put more than a 1/2" blade on a 14" saw. And the price difference is nothing to fuss about. If you dont mind me asking, what didnt you like about the Woodslicer? I have heard great reviews about it. Thanks.

CHuck

[David Helm]

I find it hard to believe that there isn't a saw shop near you. Where do contractors go to get their blades sharpened? Check with someone local and you may find that you can get blades custom made for you.