Best Bandsaw Blade for Cutting Cabriole Leg

[Braden Nichols]

I am starting to cut cabriole legs on my 14" Delta bandsaw. My old blade (standard 1/4" blade that came with saw) needs to be replaced anyway. What is the best blade to use for cutting these curves in 2 3/4" thick walnut legs?

[Frank Drew]

Braden

I think you'd be fine getting another standard 3/16" or 1/4" blade; nothing special is needed, just don't get a blade too wide to make the turns.

You probably know this already, but one method that works well with curved legs is to draw the pattern on two adjoining faces and make your cuts on one face but not all the way through; that is, leave the offcuts attached by a small amount (like 1/16" or 1/8", backing the blade out of the cut) so that when you turn your piece to cut the next face you can still see the pattern and there's still a flat surface for the work to ride on. You could also tape the offcuts back on to accomplish the same end.

[Cody Colston]

I recently built two end tables and a coffee table with cabriole legs out of Walnut. I'd recommend a 3/8", 6 tpi blade. It is narrow enough to easily make the turns required while still allowing you to stay on a fairly straight line when necessary. A 1/4" blade would also work but tends to drift a bit more. You don't want too coarse a blade because it will leave deeper saw marks that have to be removed. The more care you take when roughing out the shape on the bandsaw, the less work there will be for the rasp and spokeshave.

[Richard McComas]

I use a 1/4 in blade for those legs. For the straight cuts I use a larger band saw with a 1'' blade or cut as much as I can on the table saw. I did a blog on "How I make Cabriole legs" at the link below.

http://community.woodmagazine.com/t5/Info-Sharing/How-I-make-Cabriole-Legs/m-p/100138#U100138

[Frank Drew]

Nice photo tutorial, Richard; one picture = thousand words, and all that.

I like to round most cabriole legs in section, from slightly radiused (shallow convex curves) on the outer two faces up near the knee to not quite but almost circular in section down near the ankle. I think it softens the appearance and gives a bit of a naturalistic look and feel.

You've got a well-equipped shop (I saw the pictures of your shaper); I assume this is your work, right?

[Van Huskey]

I would probably use a 1/4" unless a 3/8" blade happen to be on the bandsaw at the time. Since you have to buy a new blade I suggest you get a 1/4" blade since it is one of the workhorses on most peoples saws. I would suggest getting a bi-metal blade since it may be a little more money it will outlast a carbon blade by 8-10 times and like I said it is one of the most used blades for most people. Something like a Lenox Die Master II in 1/4" 6 TPI skip or hook would be right in the sweet spot. Note bimetal blades need a more tension than a carbon blade which will also help it track better in taller cuts so you may have to experiment but I would start out tensioning it at right below the 3/8" mark on your tension scale.

[Richard McComas]

Nice photo tutorial, Richard; one picture = thousand words, and all that.

I like to round most cabriole legs in section, from slightly radiused (shallow convex curves) on the outer two faces up near the knee to not quite but almost circular in section down near the ankle. I think it softens the appearance and gives a bit of a naturalistic look and feel.

You've got a well-equipped shop (I saw the pictures of your shaper); I assume this is your work, right?

Yes it' my work. The tutorial was aimed at those who are first time leg makers and kept it very basic.

[Braden Nichols]

Is the 1/4" 6 TPI Timber Wolf blade good for general use or just mainly resawing. When reading the Manufacturers info they seem to push the resawing more than anything.

[Van Huskey]

Is the 1/4" 6 TPI Timber Wolf blade good for general use or just mainly resawing. When reading the Manufacturers info they seem to push the resawing more than anything.

There is a lot of basic BS blade info in this thread:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?149862-Lets-talk-bandsaw-blades!&highlight=bandsaw


The biggest negative to Timberwolf and other silicon steel blades is they dull fairly quickly, faster than carbon steel and tend to cost more. You can get a bimetal 1/4" Lenox Diemaster II from places like spectrumsupply.com (an plenty of other industrial supply houses, maybe even locally) for about $35 for your saw and it will outlast a silicon or carbon steel blade MANY times.