Bandsaw frustrations

[Brandon Hanley]

I have had a 14-inch grizzly g0555lanv with riser block for a few years now.
It gets very little use because it seems like every time I want to use it, I need to change the blade and reset the guides and everything for the different blade. So it seems like it takes me an hour and a half to get this all ready to use for what seems like 2 minutes.

What am I missing? I can't imagine that everyone else deals with the same thing and yet the bandsaw is still as popular as it is. It makes me wonder if everyone else just picks one blade to do everything from cutting shapes in thin stock to ripping through 6in of hardwood just to avoid changing the whole set up for a different blade. Do they just practice blade changes with a stopwatch to try to be the woodworking equivalent of a NASCAR pit crew?

I'm at a loss torn between just giving up on ever getting any use out of the bandsaw or going out and buying a second bigger version just to leave one setup for ripping thick stock and the other for cutting shapes in thin stock. I'm short on space and not liking the idea of spending more money so it is seeming more and more like the first option.

[Nick Decker]

Brandon, here's a recent thread that might help:

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?269478-Best-general-purpose-14-quot-bandsaw-blade

[Van Huskey]

First, you have discovered the impetus to have 2 saws, or in some of our cases, 1 saw for each blade we use.

Second, the more you change blades the quicker you become. Also, you get the feel of what is good enough in terms of setting up the guides etc. Keep a record of where you determine the correct tension to be on the saw scale for an individual blade. The thing is if you constantly avoid changing blades you will never get faster and develop more and more dread of doing it.

If you decide to throw up your hands just get a 3/8 x 4tpi blade (6tpi if is cut more 3/4" stock than thicker stock)* and you can get most cuts done although thick stock and resawing will be slow(er). I am not a fan of one blade to rule them all on a bandsaw but I would much rather someone use one blade and actually use their saw. BTW chances are if it is taking you even close to an hour to switch blades you are fussing too much trying to get things way to exact.

My personal choice would probably be a 1/4" blade instead of a 3/8" if I was stuck with just one period but if you are willing to change when you need tighter cuts a 3/8" is less of a compromise with thicker stuck.

[Jim Andrew]

Not familiar with your saw, but my MM16 is easy to adjust. Only takes a short time to adjust guides and tracking. Maybe this sounds arrogant, but as long as I buy good blades, life is good.

[James A. Brown]

I have a Craftsman 12" band saw and use Timberwolf blades, 1/4 to 1/2 inch and followed the instructions from Timberwolf to set up the blades. I marked the tension guage for each size and now just go back to that setting. Center the blade on the wheel and I am ready to cut. The guides I just keep backed off where they are not even close to the blade. Now I am gentle with how fast I try to feed stock but I get good straight cuts this way. Maybe I am just the luckiest person in the world but this is what works for me. Jim.

[Julie Moriarty]

Brandon, I empathize with you. There are times I find another way to cut something just because I don't want "the hassle" of changing the bandsaw blade. I put "hassle" in quotes because that's how I perceive it at the time. But it's really not a hassle at all. It's maybe a 15 minute job, at worst. It's overcoming the mental block that adds another hour to the job. It's just something you have to force yourself to do if you want to get the most out of your bandsaw. And in time you will get much faster at it.

[David Justice]

I use my bandsaw a lot, probably every time I'm in my shop. I usually use a 3/8 6TPI blade for just about everything, so not many blade changes. Sometimes I use a 1/2 3 TPI blade if I have a lot of resawing to do, but if it's just 1 or 2 pieces, the 3/8 blade does just fine. I couldn't work without my bandsaw!

[Robert Engel]

If its taking you that long, you need to rethink your work flow.

I think if you develop a system it will speed up the process. For example, back off the guides before installing, get the tracking right, and then reset the guides.

You might also consider a carbide blade. They will last much longer. (Santa is coming).

That said, I don't particularly like changing blades, either. I keep a 3/4" blade in my 18" saw which I use for resawing and rough ripping lumber for milling. I keep a 3/8" blade in my 12" saw.

I picked up the second machine (Jet) at an estate sale for $125.

[glenn bradley]

Two bandsaws are a blessing but, something is very wrong here. My larger saw does not have tool less guides and I can change blades and be back to work in under 5 or 6 minutes. Is the fussing around due to guide adjustment or tracking?

[Dave Cav]

When I was teaching I got to where I could change the blades in a Powermatic 141 in about three minutes, five if a student was helping. If I had to change from a 3/8 to a 1/2 because I ran out of 3/8, add a minute or two at the most to adjust the guides. I normally just left a 3/8, 4TPI ( or so ) blade in all the saws most of the time.

I have two saws in my shop now, a MM20 for resaw, rip and tenon work, and an older Grizzly 14" steel "industrial" saw for scroll work. I generally keep a 1" WM CT in the MM, and a 3/16 or 1/4" 4 to 6 tooth blade in the Grizzly. Normally I can pull the 1" blade off the MM and put another blade on it in about five minutes, and those big blades aren't a lot of fun to rassle with.

Long term suggestion- get a 17 or 19" saw for the heavy stuff, take the riser block off the 14" saw and keep a smaller blade in it. Short term suggestion- practice, and don't obsess over getting it exactly perfect.

[David Ragan]

Not familiar with your saw, but my MM16 is easy to adjust. Only takes a short time to adjust guides and tracking. Maybe this sounds arrogant, but as long as I buy good blades, life is good.

Yup

I’m not excited to change blades, but do it

I also have a little 10” junker Craftsman w a 1/4” blade I use most of the time

[Brandon Hanley]

I fully believe it is more of a mental thing than physical. I have OCD like tendencies and have trouble accepting "good enough"

most of my time spent on blade changes is on the guides. It seems like i get it right where i think it is supposed to be and as soon as i start tightening it down with the allen key the guide moves.

As for blades i have only used timberwolf and currently have

Timber Wolf 31610RK 105 - 105" x 3/16" x .025" x 10 TPI Raker

Timber Wolf 1203AS 105 - 105" x 1/2" x .032" x 3 TPI AS

I am not sure if those qualify as good or not. I've never been impressed with the way my bandsaw cut and always wonder if maybe i ruined the blades super fast or if i was just expecting too much. Those doubts have kept me from getting into spendy blades or upgrades. Ive wanted a resaw king since i got the saw but its a lot of money if i screw it up.

Ideally i would like to be able to use the same saw and be able to cut guitar body shapes and split 7in maple in half to make bookmatched tops by changing blades and possibly fences. I realize that most likely wont happen though due to my limited skill and the limitations of this hobby grade bandsaw. If I'd actually start to like using this one i wouldn't have much trouble convincing myself to get a 17" grizzly to do the thick ripping and other tasks that are more up its alley.

[Dave Cav]

Go to Bandsawbladesdirect dot com and order some 1/4 or 3/8 Flex Back, 4 to 6 tooth blades. They're relatively inexpensive, industrial quality blades. Get four or five of them, then make a bunch of bandsaw boxes for practice. If you break a blade, no big deal, change it and move on. I have had a couple of Timberwolf blades and I didn't think they were anything special, so now I just order three or four Lennox blades at one time. Your 3/16 x 10 blade is way too fine for anything but very thin stock.

I had a Grizzly G0513X2 for a number of years, loved it. My next door neighbor liked it so much he bought one, too, and my current next door neighbor bought my Grizzly when I got my Minimax. I ran a 1" Woodmaster CT on it, although a 3/4" would have been better as the 1" is really at the top of the range of what the saw can tension.

[Brandon Hanley]

I think the blades are part of the reason I am not liking the bandsaw at all. I stumbled across this video today where the guy compares the Timberwolf blade to a wood slicer blade and the timber wolf blade cut so slow that everyone in the comments pretty much says he is fixing the results or the Timberwolf blade was already old and dull while the wood slicer was brand new. My brand new Timberwolf blade cut exactly like that.

https://youtu.be/d29Tg6WPKUo

[Nick Decker]

I see reviews of Timberwolf blades that go both ways, love or hate. I've never used one, so I dunno. I can tell you that a 1/2" Woodslicer is my go-to blade for resawing on my 14" Rikon. Love it.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I haven't tried a Woodslicer blade but I've mostly been happy with Timber Wolf. I was buying them at a discount off eBay for a while, but then I got one that was dull, it was stored in a plastic sleeve and a lot of the points had poked through. It looked like it might have had something dragged across it where it was stored which had dulled it. I used a 1/2" 3 TPI blade in a Jet 18" bandsaw for a few years for almost everything, but then this spring I got a Rikon 10-305 and keep a 1/4" blade in it, can't remember the TPI. Now instead of having to decide if it's worth the 5 minutes to swap blades in the big saw I can just walk back and forth from one saw to the other and I like it a lot better. I build mainly banjos but have made a few guitars too. With practice you can get a lot faster at adjusting the guides, it can be hard to get them to stay put while you tighten the screw but you'll figure out the way that works best for you. I had to learn that when adjusting the bearings on the band saw mill, and the same principle applies to shop bandsaws, but on a smaller scale.
Zach

[Kevin Lauck]

I bought my first Timerwolf blade a few weeks back when they were on sale. Followed the instructions for tensioning it and SNAP! Broke at the weld a week later. Was able to exchange it and my new blade cuts so much slower than the first one. Both 1/2" 3TPI.

[glenn bradley]

I wanted to chime back in. I just swapped from a 5/16" factory blade to a 3/16" blade on my little 10" Rikon and it took a closer to 12 minutes. Same basic guides as the G0513X only smaller bearings, same wrench size even. I didn't realize how much more fuss the smaller guides were and wanted to give a valid report ;-)

[Doug Garson]

There was a time when I felt the same way about changing blades on my table saw, after a few dozen blade changes I rarely make a cut without ensuring I have the correct blade installed. I can switch out blades in about a minute. I'm not there yet on my bandsaw, (blade changes do take longer) but as others have said the more times you change blades, the easier it gets and the less likely you are to use the wrong blade just because of the effort required to change blades.