Bandsaw blades im confused!

[Bud Duffy]

Now i am confused i just read the article in Fine Woodworking and all i hear on here is Timberwolf, well they say that there are at least 5 or 6 others that are better and one from BC Blades sells for $10 is supposed to be the best of the bunch. Soooo i am confused . I will try to scan the chart and post it here in a little while. Bud

[Stefan Antwarg]

I read that article too and I immediately looked to see how timberwolf faired. Yes, considering how much hype the timberwolf gets around here, I was surprised.

Timberwolf, like most companies, have their marketing machine fine tuned and I guess we all bought into it. But, I realize we are not just a bunch of robots that fall for marketing ploys. Plenty of people have used timberwolf blades and like them. I guess we should all be open minded and be willing to try others - especially ones that are so cheap.

Stefan

[Tom Hintz]

I'm not sure how much individual practices impact tests like this, or how our machines may skew our own results. I have tried several brands of BS blades over the years and keep going back to Timber Wolf because for me they cut straighter and longer than anything else I have used. As long as these blades last I am not overly concerned with price, and wouldn't be with another brand if it out-performed the timber Wolf in my shop.
We never will all have the same brand table saws in our shops and I suspect the same trend will continue with BS blades.

[Ted Shrader]

Brad -

Interesting. Several years ago straight router bits were tested with a CNC router and constant feed rate. Caused a bunch of furor at the time with the test methods and material used. Besides a lot of critical discussion, it caused a design change in one of the manufacturers bits.
The upshot of it all was that handheld routers and table mounted routers all are fed in different styles and rates. Audible and tactile feedback to the user was the most critical aspect of a good cut. Therefore, proper user training was the key to top quality cuts.

Went back and looked at the bandsaw blade test again. Again they have removed the human element as much as possible.

Speaking as a tester, each of the tests we conduct at work has the human factor as an important part. We audit the training provided the operator. This is written into each test plan - after all, who will operate and maintain the tested object in the end?

Unfortunately (or fortunately) all of us have different levels of training. Forums such as this are certainly a big part of open discussion and therefore provide additional information which ultimately results in more knowledgeable operators.

Regards,
Ted

[Dennis McDonaugh]

There's a lot of contradictory information and ideas about bandsaws and blades everywhere.

Here are some of my thoughts.

How can Suffolk machinery develop a secret metal for bandsaw blades that allow them to run at lower tension than blades from other manufacturers? Well, the answer is they probably can't. If it could be done, I'm sure other manufacturers would do it too.

So, why will a Timberwolfe blade operate at lower tensiion than other blades and cut well? Don't know.

What happens if you apply lots of tension to a Timberwolfe blade. I adjusted a Timberwolfe blade per their instructions and it came out to 8000 lbs of tension. I cranked it up to 30,000 lbs and the blade cut the same as before.

Personally, I like Woodslicers from Highland Hardware. I can get a thinner, straighter cut with a 1/2 inch woodslicer than a 1/2, 3/4 or 1" Timberwolfe.

I am going to try some of the other brands too. I guess it comes down to how you are going to use the blade, what your going to mount it on, and what you're going to cut with it.

[Ken Garlock]

Hi Bud. The TW blade folks claim that their blade is special since it uses Swedish steel, at least as I read it. I spent about an hour searching Google for Swedish Steel and saw blades. The only thing I found was that Sandvik Steel makes band saw stock.

The long and short of it is that steel is steel, and it is well understood. Just ask any graduate engineer who had to learn the Iron-Carbon diagram in an engineering materials class. The amount of carbon in the iron will determine the characteristics of the resulting steel. The addition of trace elements will make additional changes. The point is that there is no secrets in the science of steel making.

I recommend that you call Ittura Designs and get a copy of their catalog. The catalog is an education in itself. I learned more about band saw blades in 30 minutes reading the catalog, then in any other source I have found. They do not have a website, but you can find their 800 number in their ads in the back of most WW magazines. While you are at it, you might pickup a tension gauge, and a couple Lenox bi-metal blades....

[Lee Schierer]

When I bought my Fast Track fence a while back, the guy selling it provided a 1/2" blade with it for resawing. It is a Tuff Tooth blade. It cuts straight....no drift.....Maybe itwas just luck, maybe I don't resaw enough wood, but it does cut well and straight. It is also made of "Swedish silicone steel". I know the price was right and the performance was good.

[Michael Perata]

Soooo i am confused .
Bud

When I got my MiniMax 16 last year it came with Olson blades. I mounted a 1" blade and it resawed <1/16" slices off everythng I tried but it wore out quickly.

I replaced the Olson blade with a 1" with a TimberWolf blade and it did NOT cut as well as the Olson initially, but then it hasn't worn out yet - and I've pushed some nasty wood through it.

In order to get the same quality cut as the Olson blade, I need to crank the TimberWolf PSI up over 25,000 - contrary to what Sufflolk reccommends.

BTW: Admitting to being confused is the sign of a sharp and inquisitive mind. ;)

[nic obie]

I recommend that you call Ittura Designs and get a copy of their catalog. The catalog is an education in itself. I learned more about band saw blades in 30 minutes reading the catalog, then in any other source I have found. They do not have a website, but you can find their 800 number in their ads in the back of most WW magazines. While you are at it, you might pickup a tension gauge, and a couple Lenox bi-metal blades....


Hi Ken,

That's a good answer. I'm in total agreement with you, especially about the bi-metal blades.

[Stan Smith]

Can someone please tell me what's the story on bimetal blades. I've heard some swear by them and others say they are too dangerous to use. So what's the real story?

Stan

[Perry Schmidt]

Yup -saw the article too. And I did like most everyone else - when I got my bandsaw went and got some TW blades. But I saw nothing in the article that I thought was inaccurate. It said the TW blades cut very straight but the cuts were rough. That's the exact problem I had. I had a cheap Grizzly blade in before. Cut a lot smoother but couldn't hold a line worth a hoot.

So I thought the article was fairly accurate from what I've seen of TW blades. Cuts very straight, but when I put some hard wood through (Pecan) it was very rough cut. When slicing thin I'd also like smooth, so thinking of ordering a Wood Slicer - they claim a smooth cut w/ this. We'll see.

Perry

[Ken Garlock]

Can someone please tell me what's the story on bimetal blades. I've heard some swear by them and others say they are too dangerous to use. So what's the real story?

Stan

Stan, I first heard of bimetal blades when David Marks was giving a show on the "care and feeding" of your band saw. David uses bimetal on both of his band saws. Hummm, I said to myself, self, if David recommends them, they must be good.

Then when I got my Ittura catalog I found these comments regarding the Lenox "Diemaster" bimetal blade:

Quote:
PRO-MASTER II (DIEMASTER)
These are bimetal blades which are recommended for cutting hardwoods such as oak, maple, walnut and cherry. For production cutting applications. Lasts up to 10 times as long as carbon bands. *Bimetal blades were originally developed to cut metal and are produced by laminating a piece of high speed cobalt steel to a carbon blade body to form the teeth of the blade. It can withstand much higher temperatures than carbon blades which translates into longer blade life. If you are a serious woodworker that wants the best but must consider cost, this is the blade made for you. To coin an expression, "this is where you get the most bang for your buck". The ability of this blade to withstand higher cutting temperatures makes it ideal for re-sawing thick stock where temperatures can easily dull a carbon steel blade. The blade teeth on the majority of these blades are milled, but a select few of the larger widths actually have ground teeth profiles which have razor sharp tooth.
End Quote.

Hope this helps....

[Stan Smith]

Thanks, Ken, that was most informative. A friend is getting a carbide tipped blade that is just coming out for the MM16 so I'm waiting to see how he likes it. Sounds like the bimetal from Iturra is a good choice.

Stan

[nic obie]

Thanks, Ken, that was most informative. A friend is getting a carbide tipped blade that is just coming out for the MM16 so I'm waiting to see how he likes it. Sounds like the bimetal from Iturra is a good choice.

Stan


I find them cost effective.

Iturra has good prices. Check out carbide.com as a reference. Both are very good.