band saw blade question

[John Pohja]

Trying to educate myself about band saw blades, as i'm upgrading from a 14" Cast Iron unit to the 19" Grizzly G0514x2. I ordered a 1/2" Lenox Diemaster 6TPI .025 thickness. I won't be doing any scroll work; mostly resawing,ripping and some crosscutting.

I think i picked the right blade except i couldn't find much info regarding blade thickness. This blade is also available in .035 thickness. The seller's site said use the thinnest blade possible and said to use the .025 for 'light work" (wood as opposed to metal?).

Does anyone use the thicker blade, and why? Would also appreciate any advice on what owner's of the larger saws use for a blade, in general. Thanks, John

[Neil Brooks]

I'd start here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=149862

[John Pohja]

I'd start here:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=149862

Hi Neil, I had read that very informative post but i didn't see where it addressed the choice of blade thickness on the larger band saws where tensioning generally is not a problem.
It does,however, advise to use a thinner kerf if given a choice, but only makes that point in referring to band saws 16" and smaller. John

[Van Huskey]

A thicker (heavier gauge) blade has the potential for more beam strength assuming the given saw can apply enough absolute pressure to get the blade up to the proper tension. In that case the blade will be less likely to deflect in a cut. It is important to consider that a thicker blade properly tensioned adds wear to bearings etc.

There are rules of thumb that suggest thicker bands (.032 and above) only be on 20 or 22 inch plus wheels, mainly for fatigue issues. The thick band bending around tight wheels is "bad" for the metal. The reality is most everyone breaks these "rules" and in a hobby environment aren't much of an issue.

With you mid-sized saw I would look at it this way, I would be fine putting on bands up to .035" BUT if using a .035" band especially if it was bi-metal or carbide tipped then I would tension one size up on the tension scale so I would stay one size lower than the recommended maximum width for the saw so I could get proper tension.

The area you lose in with a thicker band is waste, since kerf is more or less directly proportional to gauge a thick band will give more waste.

Quite frankly there is not a lot of blades we use that you have a choice of gauge, The Diemaster is one of them. My general rule is if it is for contour cutting get the thinner band, if for resaw/ripping get the thicker band as long as it is resonable for the saw.

Clear as mud?