What general purpose bandsaw blade should I buy ?

[dennis thompson]

I got a new 14” bandsaw.
Highland woodworking sells a 3/8”. 4TPI skip tooth blade which they say was the highest recommended among 19 blades tested by Fine Woodworking as a general purpose blade. It costs $25.
Your thoughts on this blade and recommendations on any others will be appreciated.
Thanks

[Paul F Franklin]

I use their 1/2" 3tpi blade as my general purpose blade. If you mostly make straight cuts I suggest the 1/2", but 3/8 is a reasonable compromise for straight and curved work. I'm happy with the results from the Highland GP blades and they stay sharp a long time unless you are cutting a lot of mdf or other abrasive material. I've probably only gone through a half dozen or so but I've not had a bad weld or have one break.

[Edward Weber]

This is one of those "depends' questions.
I can't comment on that particular blade but in general there are several questions that usually need to be answered.
What do you cut most? Wet, dry, thickness, straight, curves.
What species, normal domestics or hard exotics, etc.
What type of cut finish are you looking for?

General purpose often means doing many things to an "average" level.
Purpose specific blades usually excel in one or two types of cuts.

One blade isn't always the best answer but you can sometimes find a good balance depending on the answers to the above queries.

[dennis thompson]

This is one of those "depends' questions.
I can't comment on that particular blade but in general there are several questions that usually need to be answered.
What do you cut most? Wet, dry, thickness, straight, curves.
What species, normal domestics or hard exotics, etc.
What type of cut finish are you looking for?

General purpose often means doing many things to an "average" level.
Purpose specific blades usually excel in one or two types of cuts.

One blade isn't always the best answer but you can sometimes find a good balance depending on the answers to the above queries.

I only will use it to makes straight cuts.
I mostly cut dry Poplar and Mahogany, up to 1 1/2" thick, but usually 3/4".
I guess as smooth a finish as is reasonable with a bandsaw.

[Bruce Wrenn]

The blade on my saw is a 1/4", 6TPI, hook pattern bi-metal blade. It's my does everything blade. The brand is Lennox Dimaster

[Edward Weber]

I only will use it to makes straight cuts.
I mostly cut dry Poplar and Mahogany, up to 1 1/2" thick, but usually 3/4".
I guess as smooth a finish as is reasonable with a bandsaw.

I think you could get away with a 6 tpi blade if you want a better finish. A 4 tpi blade in dry wood can be a bit rough.
If it's only straight cuts, you could also move up to a 1/2 blade.

I have a 1/2" 4-tpi blade on my 14" saw, I can go cut some poplar and take a picture if you want.

[Mike Cutler]

Dennis

Unfortunately, there really isn't an answer. I have an 18 year old, Rikon, 18" bandsaw that has never seen anything but a 1", 2/3 varipitch, TriMaster blade, or a 3TPI Starrett blade, also 1" wide, but I have a 14" Jet bandsaw that has seen many different blades. There are probably a 1/2 dozen blades hanging oonwine corks on the wall next to the Jet.
You will end up with an assortment of blades, in different tooth configurations. There really isn't a "general purpose" blade that I have ever found. It would be nice if there were. Get comfortable changing blades on your bandsaw.

[Jim Becker]

I have to agree with Mike ^^ ... there's no one answer, even for all straight cutting because material thickness comes into play. I tend to keep a .5" 3 tpi band on my bandsaw for my own general purpose, but for a 14" saw, a .375" or even .25" band might be more appropriate, with the wider one with less teeth better for thicker stock and the narrower band with more teeth better for thinner stock.

[Richard Coers]

That's a good recommendation. With a little slower feed, you could even resaw with that blade.

[dennis thompson]

Thanks for the advice, I went with a Carter blade, 3/8", 4 TPI.