Band Saw Blade: The Tooth, the Whole Tooth and...

[Pat Germain]

I could use some help with my band saw blade. I'm not sure if it's the right kind for making band saw boxes.

I'm going to make some band saw boxes per instructions from Lois Keener Venura's book "Building Beautiful Boxes with Your Band Saw". Lois recommends using a 3/16", 10 TPI blade. I have such a blade which I ordered from Suffolk Machinery last Spring. (It's a Timberwolf.)

I mounted the blade, adjusted the guides and made some test cuts in order to practice for the boxes. When I looked at my cuts, the gap seemed that it might be too large for the boxes.

Inspection of the blade revealed it's the type where the teeth are offset. That is, one tooth is skewed left, the next right, etc. What type of blade is this? Are most 3/16" blades this type? And, most importantly, is it the right kind to make band saw boxes? It cuts very well. I'm just concerned about the gap, which may not be a legitimate concern.

[Tom Esh]

It's completely normal (crucial in fact) for the teeth to have an alternate "set" like you describe. It creates clearance for the flat part of the blade. Without it, the blade would tend to bind and overheat rapidly.
I suspect your boxes will turn out just fine, however here's a couple tips I've learned for making the entrance for the internal cut.
1) Make the entrance cut on the end grain and parallel to it.
2) You'll get a better fit and less noticeable glue line if the entrance cut is as straight as possible. If the box has a straight side I'll even use the fence for the first 1/2" or so.

[Pat Germain]

Thanks, Tom. Good to know I don't have the wrong blade. And thank you also for the extra box making tips.

Right now I'm making a "learner" box from a 2"x10" I had in the shop. I know a hardwood box will be a different experience, but I'm still learning much by cutting the pine.

After cutting the back off the box, I'm wondering if using the 3/16" blade for the whole project, as Lois suggests, is a good idea. I'm concerned I may be doing some serious dulling of the teeth each time I do this. I might just switch to a bigger blade for sawing the back off the hardwood boxes; no big deal.

[Tom Esh]

After cutting the back off the box, I'm wondering if using the 3/16" blade for the whole project, as Lois suggests, is a good idea. I'm concerned I may be doing some serious dulling of the teeth each time I do this. I might just switch to a bigger blade for sawing the back off the hardwood boxes; no big deal.

I agree with her. For most changing BS blades, especially adjusting guides for different sizes, is not one of the tool's attractions. I've got it down to 5 or 10 mins, but I still try to minimize blade changes for a project. For BS boxes I usually mount the narrowest blade I'll need and stick with it the whole project. Makes for a few more saw marks to sand out, but that's what power sanders are for.:D Speaking of which, there's a lot of sanding with BS boxes and it's a great excuse to get yourself a bench or stationary belt sander of some sort. I have one I'd only used once and kicked myself for buying ...until I got a bandsaw.

[Loren Hedahl]

Seems like someone once said, "You just cannot have too many routers."

Maybe that should apply to band saws too!

After I upgraded from my old 12 Inch Craftsman to a nice new Delta 14 with several 'Made in America' stickers, I relegated the old Craftsman to a shed in the back 40.

A couple of years later I saw the poor thing, dusty, rusty, etc., etc., and felt a pang of pity. So I brought it back into the shop and spent a rainy day on it. Turns out, I use it now more than the Delta. It's never going to be the re-saw king, but it cuts nice and smooth for small stuff.

Just the other day I was looking at a small bench-top band saw at the borg. It was nicely outfitted with roller bearing guides and all for around a hundred bucks. Might just be a good place to drop a c note!

[Pat Germain]

I hear you on the sanding. That's why I just ponied up for a Ridgid oscillating sander. It came so highly recommended on another thread, I gave it a try. So far, it's a rocking little machine.

My band saw is a Grizzly G0513x2. I went with a 17" for my first band saw and I'm very glad I did. That's another rocking machine and I highly recommend it.

My fellow 'Creekers have been a wealth of information.