Who makes a good bandsaw blade?

[Rob Luter]

Who's the "go to" for resaw blades? The 3/4 blade that came on my new Rikon leaves much to be desired. It cuts OK but is really loud. I think it took a set in shipping. The weld is pretty bad too. It makes the saw sound like a threshing machine even after lots of tweaking. I put on a 3/8" Olsen and it's quiet as a mouse by comparison.

[Erik Loza]

People mention spotty QC on Timberwolf blades but I always had really good results with them. If you want a Lenox blade, bandsawblades-direct-dot-com is a good vendor. Best of luck,

Erik

[Mike Kees]

Rob look in the forum sticky threads at top of page. There is a thread by Van Huskey on bandsaw blades that will tell you everything you will ever need to know on this subject.

[Tim Derr]

Going to follow up to Erik's comment and side on the side of Lenox blades. They've all I've been recommended and all I have recommended to clients. Have not heard a single negative thing about them. I've also heard that Laguna makes a solid band saw blade as well.

[John K Jordan]

Who's the "go to" for resaw blades? The 3/4 blade that came on my new Rikon leaves much to be desired. It cuts OK but is really loud. I think it took a set in shipping. The weld is pretty bad too. It makes the saw sound like a threshing machine even after lots of tweaking. I put on a 3/8" Olsen and it's quiet as a mouse by comparison.

I use Lenox blades on my 18" Rikon, usually 1/2" flexback at 3tpi and 4tpi, plus carbide 3tpi. I use the saw primarily for processing green log sections up to 12"' thick and for cutting turning blanks - a blade with more teeth per inch would be better (smoother cut) for thinner work. A local bandsaw blade shop makes the standard blades to order at good prices.

You can often smooth a weld with a Dremel using a stone or a small sanding drum. But the blades that came with my two wood cutting bandsaws seemed cheap.

JKJ

[ChrisA Edwards]

Rob look in the forum sticky threads at top of page. There is a thread by Van Huskey on bandsaw blades that will tell you everything you will ever need to know on this subject.

Here's the link to that thread
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?149862-Lets-talk-bandsaw-blades!

[Clark Hussey]

I like the the Highland woodslicer 3/4”. Works great for me.

[Rob Luter]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

[Jeff Bartley]

I'll also give praise to Lenox. But they're no match for a nail......be careful what you cut!

[Pete Staehling]

I have flip flopped a lot on what I like. I in the past have become infatuated by how nice a new blade of a particular brand worked vs another and then realized it didn't last well enough to justify it's cost. Then I fell out of love with it.

Lately I have been torn between using fairly low end Olson blades and replacing them often and using a bit higher ned blade and using it longer. The higher end blades I have been using are re-saw blades from Highland and Infinity. Neither is super expensive and both are pretty good blades. Based on my most recent results I lean towards Highland.

I used to really like the Timberwolf blades, but I realized that I went through way more blades even if I used them until they were pretty bad.

[Bill Dufour]

Starrett makes blades under the "woodpecker" name and some use their "carcass cutter" blades for wood not meat.
Bill D

[Mike O'Keefe]

I've had good luck with Lennox.

[Ben Rivel]

Lenox is all I use for any style bandsaw blade. Very nice blades.

[Jared Sankovich]

Lennox user here. I like the diemaster 2 for a smaller width bimetal and the woodmastet ct for ripping/resawing.

[Mike Wilkins]

For resewing purposes try the Woodslicer from Highland Hardware. I use Starrett blades on my Laguna LT18 and the smaller Rikon, and they cut like a hot knife through butter. Olson also makes a good quality blade, although I have never use them.

[michael langman]

I have used the better Olsen blades on ny 14" saw and they are longerlasting and better then their cheaper blade. If I could only stop hitting metal with them.
I have resharpened one once already, and need to do it again because I hit metal again.
I bought a ceramic tristone for sharpening the teeth after touching up with a diamond file.

[Jason Lester]

Which Lennox blades should I be looking at for a smaller 14" saw? It seems like all of their wood blades start at 1" and go wider, which is more than a 14" can handle.

I've been using the Timberwolf blades from Suffolk Machinery on my Rikon 10-325. They're reasonably priced and seem to last much longer than the Woodslicer blades I've tried. I use the bandsaw almost exclusively for resawing and other straight cutting tasks that my tablesaw can't do.

[Pete Staehling]

Which Lennox blades should I be looking at for a smaller 14" saw? It seems like all of their wood blades start at 1" and go wider, which is more than a 14" can handle.

I've been using the Timberwolf blades from Suffolk Machinery on my Rikon 10-325. They're reasonably priced and seem to last much longer than the Woodslicer blades I've tried. I use the bandsaw almost exclusively for re sawing and other straight cutting tasks that my tablesaw can't do.
I have read claims that various other blades in smaller sizes were actually rebadged Lennox blades. I won't give specifics because I don't know that for sure and don't want to spread info that I do not know to be correct, but maybe someone with better info will comment and verify or debunk. That or maybe you can find more info on other threads here or elsewhere.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Contact John over at Woodcraft Bands. He builds blades from coil stock, plus he will help you choose the right blades. A very happy customer for years now.

[Andrew Seemann]

I usually use the Olson blades from Menards. They look to be the same ones that Woodcraft sells, but less expensive. They have always worked well for me. Plus, it seems that I tend to hit nails or have one of my kids (or fellow woodworkers) jump the blade into the guard often enough to not want use anything more expensive.

[Yonak Hawkins]

I believe John is retired and works on his own schedule, which tugs at my own heartstrings as I operate the same way.

[John K Jordan]

Which Lennox blades should I be looking at for a smaller 14" saw? It seems like all of their wood blades start at 1" and go wider, which is more than a 14" can handle.


It depends on what you want to cut and how much you want to pay.

In this message I mentioned the blades I prefer for what I usually cut: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?275892-Who-makes-a-good-bandsaw-blade&p=2942444#post2942444

I think the specific blade I get is named Flex Back, made from carbon steel, inexpensive ao I usually buy 8 at a time. I have also used this blade on my 14" Delta with a riser, also for up to 12" cuts. Worked well.

I also use a 1/2" 3tpi carbide Lenox blade called the Trimaster, more expensive at about $160 for an 11'10" blade but a smoother cut and supposedly lasts 40 times longer. I haven't tried one of these on my 14" saw.

JKJ

[Scott T Smith]

I have a Grizzly 16” 30hp horizontal resaw that came factory with Lennox Tri-master bands. While they work very well, I’ve found that Laguna Resaw Kings - after they have been resharpened - provide an extraordinarily fine surface.

The Grizzly will maintain tolerances of 003 - .005 across the face of a sheet of veneer with the Resaw Kings. Additionally, there is less than .015 of kerf marks to be sanded out.

We have literally produced thousands of linear feet of veneer using these bands, and they are great.

[Donn Ward]

There is a gentleman in North Carolina that makes quality blades at a fair price, check Woodcraft Bands.