Best general purpose 14" bandsaw blade?

[Erik Oerter]

I usually keep a 1/4" 6 TPI blade on my Delta 14" bandsaw because I thought it seemed to work fine for most general purpose tasks I do with the saw. Today I was ripping down some redwood 2x4 material for a fence project and it was real slow going. Probably dull blade as I haven't changed it out in a long time.

I tend towards just using whatever blade is on there for whatever job I have, as I am too lazy to change the blade, especially to just get a quick job done. My bandsaw easily sees the most use of any stationary tool in my shop. I have the 1/4" on there for the times I want to cut a radius, which isnt all that much actually.

I am thinking of going to a 3/8" 4 TPI for general use. What size blade do you all run and do you change blades very often?

What are the best blades around these days? I was thinking of even going with a carbide tipped blade just to have it on there and not worry about it for the next few years.

[Andrew Hughes]

I like Olsen blades for 14 inch bandsaw. I usually get 3/8 4t skip. Or whatever’s close to that at Rockler.
check them out they have a good selection.General use, pro and MVP are the most expensive
.025 thick bands are easy for our small saws to tension

[Bill Dindner]

I don’t do allot of tight curves, so I leave a Laguna Resaw King in my 14” bandsaw. If I have a really tight curve I’ll usually use my Jigsaw. Great blade stays sharp for a really long time.

[John K Jordan]

I think "best" is hard to answer. Best value? Best for staying sharp the longest? Best for the wallet? I think what's best for one person really depends on what they do.

For me the best blades are the 1/2" 3 tpi made locally from Lennox stock. I can drive down the road and get all I want the same day. They are not expensive and when they get dull I resharpen several times. When I run out of 1/2" 3 tpi I switch to one from my 1/2" 4 tpi until I can get back to the blade shop for another stack. (I generally buy 5 to 10 at a time so I don't go often.)

Those are perfect for me since a lot of my bandsaw use is to prep woodturning blanks from green wood up to 12" thick and from dry wood, everything from basswood to cocobolo.

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The smoothness of the cut for woodturning doesn't matter at all, and doesn't matter even when resawing thin pieces for glue ups (1/8" or so) since I always run them through the drum sander. The precision is fine for the jigs and tools I make from wood and brass. After the lathes the bandsaw is the second most used tool in my shop.

BTW, I usually use 1/2" blades for curves even for hacking out tight curves on things like this since the surface off the saw doesn't matter much when carving either:

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1/2" is not so good for a good surface off the saw when cutting tight curves. On the rare occasions I need better tight curves I use a scroll saw or a second bandsaw so what I say about changing blades doesn't apply to your situation. I do know it's a pain to reset the guides when changing blade sizes so I avoid it when possible. Otherwise I don't change until I've sharpened one all I care to.

BTW2, when I used to buy blades online before I got the second bandsaw I generally bought Olson, 105" for 14" with riser, also 1/2", 3 or 4 tpi.

For someone mostly cutting 2" or smaller stock for furniture or resawing 12" boards into thin veneer the "best" blade would undoubtedly be different than the best for me.

JKJ



I usually keep a 1/4" 6 TPI blade on my Delta 14" bandsaw because I thought it seemed to work fine for most general purpose tasks I do with the saw. Today I was ripping down some redwood 2x4 material for a fence project and it was real slow going. Probably dull blade as I haven't changed it out in a long time.

I tend towards just using whatever blade is on there for whatever job I have, as I am too lazy to change the blade, especially to just get a quick job done. My bandsaw easily sees the most use of any stationary tool in my shop. I have the 1/4" on there for the times I want to cut a radius, which isnt all that much actually.

I am thinking of going to a 3/8" 4 TPI for general use. What size blade do you all run and do you change blades very often?

What are the best blades around these days? I was thinking of even going with a carbide tipped blade just to have it on there and not worry about it for the next few years.

[Van Huskey]

I generally only run one blade on a bandsaw, but having 8 bandsaws makes that pretty easy.

I am on record saying there is no universal blade for a bandsaw but that doesn't mean you can't do most work with one blade, though it may be sub-optimal most of the time.

If I was absolutely stuck with one blade it would always be a 1/4" 6tpi blade as you have. That said a 3/8" 4tpi blade would be OK as a GP bandsaw blade as well just requiring changes for tight cuts or thin stock. I might suggest instead getting a 1/2" 3tpi blade for when you need to rip or resaw and get used to switching blades for contour cutting and keep a 1/4" 6tpi blade.

For both blades I suggest a Lenox Flexback.

I suggest working away from single blades, it only limits what the saw will do. Even with 8 blade configurations ready to go at any time I still find myself changing blades on occasion to ensure I have the exact blade for the task. One may counter that they get along fine with one blade on their table saw but a table saw is not capable of making the wide variety of cuts a bandsaw is.

[Jack Frederick]

I'm in John's camp on the local folks making up Lennox stock of assorted sizes for my Laguna 14 BX. I've pretty much settled on the 1/4" and 1/2 x 3 blades for the saw. I'd like to take a run at the Resaw King, but I just can't deal with the cost. I guess it depends upon what you are cutting. I think the Lennox blades are a good value and do a good job...as long as I do my part.

[Tom M King]

I don't remember the last time I had anything but a 3/8"-4 on the 14", Woodmaster 1" on the 24", and 3/16" something on the 10 ".

[Art Tripp]

I like the bi-metal Lenox Diemaster 2 blades for their cut quality, value and overall durability. My primary go-to blade that I leave on the saw is 1/4" 6tpi, and my secondary blade is 1/2" 4tpi, each from bandsawbladesdirect.com . For resaw, I have the Laguna Resaw King (1") purchased direct from Laguna. My bandsaw is the Laguna 18BX.

[Edwin Santos]

I generally only run one blade on a bandsaw, but having 8 bandsaws makes that pretty easy.

I am on record saying there is no universal blade for a bandsaw but that doesn't mean you can't do most work with one blade, though it may be sub-optimal most of the time.

If I was absolutely stuck with one blade it would always be a 1/4" 6tpi blade as you have. That said a 3/8" 4tpi blade would be OK as a GP bandsaw blade as well just requiring changes for tight cuts or thin stock. I might suggest instead getting a 1/2" 3tpi blade for when you need to rip or resaw and get used to switching blades for contour cutting and keep a 1/4" 6tpi blade.

For both blades I suggest a Lenox Flexback.

I suggest working away from single blades, it only limits what the saw will do. Even with 8 blade configurations ready to go at any time I still find myself changing blades on occasion to ensure I have the exact blade for the task. One may counter that they get along fine with one blade on their table saw but a table saw is not capable of making the wide variety of cuts a bandsaw is.

+1 on this advice. Lenox Flexbacks are comparatively inexpensive carbon steel blades, and if welded properly they do a nice job. Having the correct blade for the task at hand on both a table saw and a band saw is good practice in woodworking. If I had to consider one bandsaw blade to be an all-rounder the 3/8" 4tpi would be up there followed right behind by the 1/2" 3tpi.

Edwin

[Erik Oerter]

Thanks for all of the great advice and info!

[Art Mann]

I have two bandsaws, in part because there is no such thing as a general purpose blade and I still swap out blades from time to time. If you want to cut tight curves, you can forget re-sawing with that blade and vice versa.

[Bob Vaughan]

Years back I asked Chuck Olson of Olson saw what the best all around blade was for a 14" band saw. Without hesitation, he said, "Quarter inch six tooth skip." I've followed that over the years and have never been disappointed. Sure, I've used bigger blades with fewer teeth for specialized applications, but for general 14" band saw use, I'll go with Chuck's advice.
Clearly, if there was one best all around blade for all applications, that configuration would be the only one for sale.

[Van Huskey]

Years back I asked Chuck Olson of Olson saw what the best all around blade was for a 14" band saw. Without hesitation, he said, "Quarter inch six tooth skip."

The reasoning is pretty simple, it allows you to cut fairly tight curves in down to 3/4" stock but it will also handle straight cuts in fairly thick stock just slowly. A wider blade just doesn't have the range of cuts.

[Andrew Hughes]

I really like Olsen’s blades all of my woodworking projects have been touched by a Olsen blade. I’m a bit lucky for I have a Rockler store nearby. I take the coiled blade out and eyeball the weld before I plop in on the counter.
Next time I’m there I’ll look for the 1/4 -6t skip.
Thanks for sharing Bob.