What are your 2 most used BS blades?

[Tim Reagan]

I received my new 0513p bandsaw 2 days ago and wanted to get some timberwolf blades. I found someone to split the buy 3 get one free deal with, so I will get 2. It sounds like a 1/2 3tpi is very popular, but for the second would you recommend a second 1/2", a 1/4", or a 3/4". I will be doing some of everthing with it, but not a ton a resaw or fine work exclusively. Seems like a lot of saw for $717 delivered with Bing cashback!
thanks.

[Nathan Palenski]

I have 3 resaw king blades and a couple others that came with the saw. I haven't used anything but a resaw king since I got it.

[Steve Bracken]

I received my new 0513p bandsaw 2 days ago and wanted to get some timberwolf blades. I found someone to split the buy 3 get one free deal with, so I will get 2. It sounds like a 1/2 3tpi is very popular, but for the second would you recommend a second 1/2", a 1/4", or a 3/4". I will be doing some of everthing with it, but not a ton a resaw or fine work exclusively. Seems like a lot of saw for $717 delivered with Bing cashback!
thanks.

I just ordered a TimberWolf 1/4 6 to go with my 513P

I need that now, and figured it would do most of what I need.

[glenn bradley]

I've been running 3/4", 2-3T for resaw and 1/4", 6 or 7T(?) for just about everything else. I used to run a wider array of sizes but these two do just about everything for me on the larger saw. The smaller saw still runs everything from 1/8" to 3/8" in a variety of tooth counts.

Most bandsaw blades are consumables, like sandpaper. I don't know that I would bother splitting the buy 3 get 1 free deal. Your buddy may or may not be ready for "refills" at the same time you are ;-)

[Cody Colston]

For everyday use, I keep a Lenox 3/8" 4tpi blade on mine now...I recently switched from a Timberwolf 1/2". The Lenox bi-metal blades stay sharp longer in my experience. Also, since I do quite a bit of turning, I can use the 3/8" blade to cut out turning blanks, plus do pretty tight turns when needed for scrolling work.

For re-sawing, I use a 3/4" Highland blade which I really like. I also have 1/4" and even 1/8" blades for when they are needed but usually just swap between the two mentioned above.

[Van Huskey]

Well, it does depend on what you plan to do but generally if I was going to get two blades for that saw one would be a 3/4" 3-4TPI variable pitch blade for resawing and a 1/4" 6 or 10 TPI regular tooth for curves.

While the Timberwolf bands are OK, I prefer Lenox bands. If you check Spectrum Supply and look at the Flex back blades for general use and the Kerfmaster (like the woodslicer from Highland) you will see they are cheaper than Timber Wolf as well. The standard Flexback blades from 1/4-1/2" will be ~$14 for your saw and the Kerfmaster about $19 and you can get a sample back of 4 Kerfmasters for less than $64. They offer free UPS ground shipping. Usually 1/2" blades from Suffolk are around $25 for this size.


PS I was answering for the 513 not really my favorite blades because I didn't think you wanted suggestions for carbide blades or Bi-metal blades

[Peter Quinn]

Timberwolf has a great chart on their site (suffolk machine.com) that explains which blade widths can make which radii, and which tooth configurations are best for which stock type and thickness. I feel the two blades I use most may be irrelevant to you as we may do different things. Its best you review the chart and order two blades that best match your needs. I prefer to buy my timberwolf blades directly from suffolk rather than a third party. They can talk you through the blade decision process if you call and explain what you'd like to cut. I recently bought four timberwolf blades, most valuable to me are the 1/2" 3T and the 3/8" 6T.

[jerry nazard]

I run 1/2 -3 tpi and 3/16 -4 tpi Highland Hardware blades on my 513. Love the blades from Highland!

[Tim Reagan]

just the info I was looking for, thanks. Will check into spectrum for lenox blades. Should I be looking at starting with bimetal blades?

[Van Huskey]

just the info I was looking for, thanks. Will check into spectrum for lenox blades. Should I be looking at starting with bimetal blades?

I would NOT start with bi-metal. They can be a good value in that they usually run 3-4 times the cost of a carbon blade BUT last 8-10 times as long. I would suggest getting a good array of carbon blades so you can decide which blades work best for what you do. If it is your first bandsaw it is hard to know what things you will actually do the most. Once you decide what blades work for you AND the ones you use enough to justify the costs then move up to bi-metal and or carbide tipped blades. Two caveats, I am not a big fan of carbide blades on saws with smaller than 20" wheels HOWEVER there are lots of people that get good results even with 14" wheels. Second, bimetal and carbide blades need more tension than a carbon blade 25,000 psi vs about 15,000 psi so I suggest never going up to the full blade width capacity of a saw with bi-metal or carbide blades (unless it is an overbuilt BS designed primarily with resaw in mind). For a saw rated for a 1 inch blade I wouldn't use larger than a 3/4" blade and tension it up near the 1" mark to get closer to its required tension, this is especially true once the blade begins to dull.

[Bill LaPointe]

Just received 4 blades from Suffolk (Timberwolf). They say that their most popular blade is 3/8 6tpi. I ordered 2 1" 3tpi and 2 3/8 6tpi.

[John Thompson]

I run a Lennox 3/4" 3 tpi on my 18" for resaw... a 1/4" 6 tpi carbon for curves on my 14". That has proved to be the only two I need for many years. I do have a special 3/8" blade for green wood but seldom do I cut green logs up anymore so it just hangs for when I do.

If you do little resaw and not much fine.. I would get a 3/4" 3 tpi and two 1/4" 6 tpi in your shoes. The carbon blades dull much quicker and having a back-up on hand saves much time and frustration when the one on the machine goes dull. There is no digital warning meter to tell you when that happens.. only tip-off signs.

[bob hertle]

I'm one of those guys who is not a big fan of Timberwolf. At 4 for 3, they are still expensive instead of obscenely expensive. To give the devil his due, here's what Timberwolf (Suffolk) has going for it:
-Great advice for what blade is appropriate
-Good heat resistance and long flex life. (the forte of silicon steels)
-Great geometry. The PC with 6.5 degree hook, and modified raker set is a great blade geometry for wood. It leaves a nice finish--for as long as it stays sharp, which leads us to the negatives:
-Dulls real fast. The silicon steel does not have the hardness or carbon content to stay sharp very long.
-Overpriced for a blade that doesn't last very long.
-IMHO, "Low tension" is sales hype. Flutter tensioning will give a very low tension value; and like it or not, blade beam strength is directly related to tension. The only Timberwolf blade I still have, gets tensioned to about 18,000 psi--about three times what T'wolf recommends.
-My experience (4 blades) has been poorly aligned welds. This is not unique to T'wolf, but I've seen that other posters on this and other forums have had the same experience. 3 out of four of the T'wolf blades I bought were so poorly aligned, they pulsed fore and aft on the machine in use.

Enough on Timberwolf. I think in the short term (learning curve if you are new to the bandsaw) I would agree with Van H. and recommend a good Lenox or Starrett carbon flexback blade. 3/4-3H for heavy ripping and resawing. 1/4-6H for contour cutting. Get a feel for the machine and the process, make your disastrous mistakes on relatively cheap blades, then graduate to bi-metal. Lenox classic 3/4-3H for resaw, and 1/4-6H for contouring. These blades will stay sharp forever (well, almost), as long as you don't cut any nails or screws. Lately, I've become quite fond of 1/2-6/10VP in the Lenox diemaster 2 as a "general purpose blade". Makes very smooth albeit slow rips up to an inch thick, and very slick crosscuts. This is a 0 degree hook, 5 or 7 tooth set pattern. If you want to avoid the more laborious blade changes, it's nice to have a 1/2-3H for resaw and rip. It will give you as good a results as the 3/4 blade and a no hassle switch from the 1/2-6/10VP. Unfortunately, Lenox doesn't make that configuration in an .025 thick blade but the Olson MVP 1/2-3H is a great blade. For Lenox bimetal you might try http://www.kci2.com (http://www.kci2.com/) as they've got by far the best prices I've found.

In the end, you will need to buy blades to match the kind of work you are doing. My needs probably aren't the same as yours. I will tell you though, that I probably have close to 50 bandsaw blades in stock, ranging from 1/16 to 3/4 wide, with tooth counts from 1.5tpi to 24tpi. You can't unlock the potential of the bandsaw with 2 or three blades!

Regards
Bob

[Myk Rian]

1/2" 3tpi timberwolf and 1/4" 6tpi olsen on my 14"/riser Delta.

[Tim Reagan]

Thanks everyone. I decided to give lenow blades a try. Per Vans suggestion I ordered 3 blades from spectrum supply: 1/4 10tpi flexback, 1/2 3tpi (flexback), and 3/4 3tpi kerfmaster. Free shipping must be on the value pack as it was about $15 but still cheaper than timberwolves. Look forward to firing up my first bandsaw next week. I hope I don't regret not getting the x2, but the extra 200$ was not justifiable at my stage as this is a first bandsaw.

[Nelson Howe]

Having just bought a used 20" bandsaw, I'm following this thread with interest. As I read the catalog information from Kaufman and Spectrum supply for the Classic bimetal I don't see any mention of cutting wood. They seem to be targeted toward cutting metal. Do I understand correctly that you folks with experience with them like them because they cut well and stay sharp longer than, say, a woodslicer? This would be a good alternative to the higher dollar carbide-tipped blades?

On that subject, I know the Laguna carbide tipped blades can be resharpened, although I spent as much to resharpen one as it would have cost to buy a new woodslicer. Is the trimaster resharpenable? Any opinions on the cost effectiveness of these blades for a hobbiest like me?

Thanks,

Nelson

[Van Huskey]

Having just bought a used 20" bandsaw, I'm following this thread with interest. As I read the catalog information from Kaufman and Spectrum supply for the Classic bimetal I don't see any mention of cutting wood. They seem to be targeted toward cutting metal. Do I understand correctly that you folks with experience with them like them because they cut well and stay sharp longer than, say, a woodslicer? This would be a good alternative to the higher dollar carbide-tipped blades?

On that subject, I know the Laguna carbide tipped blades can be resharpened, although I spent as much to resharpen one as it would have cost to buy a new woodslicer. Is the trimaster resharpenable? Any opinions on the cost effectiveness of these blades for a hobbiest like me?

Thanks,

Nelson

For bi-metal either the Diemaster 2 or the classic work fine. A bi-metal band will stay sharp 8-10 times as long as a carbon band and thus outlast a Woodslicer 8-10 times. BUT the kerf is wider, when you want to be really stingy with the wood or want better bookmatches the woodslicer, blade runner (Iturra) or the Kerfmaster make more sense though they are carbon.

A good carbide tipped blade should last about 15-25 times as long as a carbon blade so the Laguna RK even at full price is cost effective in the long run, depending on how often you use it determines how quickly or if ever you get on top. Trimaster resharpening is a bit of a mystery I have seen no one VERIFY it can be done. I have a number somewhere to a sharpening company in/around Dallas that MAY be able to do it but have never tracked it down.

For me as a hobbyists I like to have one carbide resaw blade and a number of carbon bands for everything else. I use too many different blades to make bi-metal cost effective for ME.

On the carbide resaw blade you want the widest blade possible and suggest gong down one size below what your saw recommends as max width UNLESS it is a very heavy saw built with resaw in mind and tensioning it close to 1 blade size higher, the tensioning suggestion carries over to all bi-metal and carbide blades. This is because a carbide/bi-metal blades needs 25,000psi vs 10,000psi for carbon.