Please share your wealth of.......

[bill simonsen]

Bandsaw experience. I have a Delta 14" that was purchased from a metalworker who converted it to a 12 speed tool. Will it help for wood cutting? More, please. What experience have you to share about blade quality,compositions,brands,tooth style,etc., for resawing, hardwoods, dry/green, etc. I suppose that is too much to answer in this small space & time. I will appreciate any and all, though. bill s.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I would not think that you would need 12 speeds for woodworking. Having a few of them may come in handy from time to time, but I doubt you would use all 12 :)

As far as the rest goes, there are many posts in the archives that can help. I don't have much experience on the bandsaw so I can't help with blades, etc.

[Rick Lizek]

Use the fastest speed for wood. Get Duginske's book on Mastering the Bandsaw and you will get all you need to know.

[Mark Singer]

That is an unusuall saw...for wood 2800 to 3800 rpm is normal, with about 3400 being a good average. A good overall blade for that saw is a 1/2" 4 tpi Timberwolf. That would do for resaw and general cutting. I also like a 10 tpi 1/2" .025 kerf joint blade, good for tenons, dovetails etc. If you are making tight radii...a 1/4" blade comes in handy.

[Mike Cutler]

For Resawing I'd use a 1/2", 3 TPI WoodSlicer from Highland Hardware or a 1/2", 3 TPI Lennox Tri Master or Bi-Metal. The Tri- Master would be my 1st choice. For general use I'd have some T-wolf's or Olson's in 3/8"10-14 TPI hanging around, and a 1/2", 6-10 TPI. If you get into some really fine work an 1/8" blade would be nice, the teeth and set will need to be more project specific, you may also have to change your guides depending on what you currently have.
A bandsaw usually runs at about 3000-3500 feet per minute. In Louis Ittura's catalog he writes about "supercharging" the 14" Delta to get it to 4000 feet per minute
If you can get a hold of Louis Ittura's new 2005 catalog. It is full of info and he is very partial to the Delta 14" BS. Mark Duginski also has a good book on bandsaw basics and blade selection, along with tips, projects and jigs.
Louis Ittura can be reached at; Iturra Designs 888-722-7078. If you own a Delta 14" you really should have this catalog/ bandsaw primer

[Stephen Dixon]

Becareful, you need to check blade speed, which should be 2800 to 3400 feet per minute, not rpm. RPM on a 14" bandsaw should be approximatly 800 RPM.
Steve