Band saw blade poll

[Noskills]

I have read the posts on band saws. Little info on the blade suggestions. Will be going shopping soon so I was hoping for some suggestions before buying.
Thanks.
Seth

[whodathunkit]

Seth,
Wood slicer, or Timberwolf (brands) bandsaw blades would be a good start.

[drathbun]

When I was researching band saws Timberwolf was the overwhelming #1 suggestion for blades.

[Noskills]

How about width and tooth count for working on pine wood cars mostly?
Seth

[BallBoy]

When looking at bandsaw blades where cutting derby cars out of pine is the main purpose you will want to pay attention to two things: width of the blade and teeth per inch (TPI). Blades for the typical homeowner-grade bandsaw come in widths from 1/8" to 1/2". The width of the blade has a great affect on the radius of the cut. The smaller the width, the tigher the radius. If you plan to put relatively smaller curves in your cars then you will want to avoid the larger width blades. TPI determines the smoothness of the cut. The higher the TPI the smoother the cut and consequently less rough-sanding. A 1/4" wide 4 TPI blade will have a much rougher cut than a 1/4" wide 14 TPI blade.

As far as brands go, blades from a home center (e.g. Home Depot, Lowes or Sears) are adequate. Blades from a woodworking tool supplier, such as the Timberwolf brand, are a much higher quality, are considerably sharper and last much longer. I would go with a home center blade in a pinch, but I have a 1/4", 14 TPI blade on my bandsaw and rarely change it out for another one.

[Speedster]

I have a Craftsman 10", 1/3 horsepower bandsaw I bought in 1985. Blades are 56 7/8" long X 1/8" or 1/4" wide. The saw came with 2 blades, 1/4" wide, 6 teeth per inch and 1/8" wide, 15 teeth per inch. I put the 1/4" blade in the saw when I bought it and broke it once. Probably my fault. The 1/8" blade is still in the package. I have to make cuts from different directions on tight curves but there is always a solution. If I'm making a 90 degree turn I simply drill a hole big enough for the blade to make the curve. I use an Autobody Repairer's DA sander with 80 grit and then 150 grit paper to sand the rough area and that only takes a couple of minutes. If you are building cars with very intricate shapes, possibly sanding by hand, then the 1/8" width, 15 tooth blade would be preferable. BallBoy has already explained this in detail. Make certain the distance between the blade and the saw is deep enough to work on a 7" piece of wood comfortably. Good Luck Seth.

[FatSebastian]

How about width and tooth count for working on pine wood cars mostly?

Good info from BallBoy and Speedster. I'll echo that choice of TPI and blade width may certainly depend on the kind of work being done. For example, sometimes we have ripped the standard block into several ~1/4" or ~5/16" planks; and then cut planks to shape. This tends to be the only time we change blades, because such milling tends to go faster with a wider blade having lower TPI. The extent of my (limited) knowledge on that was posted here, which you might have already stumbled upon.

FWIW, I can now recommend upgrading hobbyist band saws to Cool Blocks blade guides to promote longevity of new blades. Blades stretch and break when overheated; we have not had a blade break after installing Cool Blocks. They keep the blades from getting hot and are quite forgiving of improper adjustments, which was helpful for us as we found blade-guide adjustment to be trickiest part of maintaining the bandsaw blades.

Because we only use our saw seasonally, I can also recommend using a blade wax to help preserve the teeth (when operating with Cool Blocks, you should only use wax on teeth tips and not the sides of the blade).

[Noskills]

Picked up the Craftsman 10 in drill press and bandsaw tonight. Going to Woodcraft this weekend for the Timberwolf 1/4 in 10 TPI blade and any other goodies they talk me into. Is there a 12 step program for pineheads?
Seth

[Speedster]

I would recommend reading the instructions very carefully in setting the blade guides on the band saw. The tolerances are quite close.
Enjoy your new toys.

[drathbun]

I would recommend reading the instructions very carefully in setting the blade guides on the band saw.

I second this. Once you get everything set, it should last quite a while. But it's definitely worth taking the several hours to tweak everything and get the blade tracking just right. And yes, I said "several hours" to get it done. Mine took half of an afternoon, but I have not had to adjust it since, even with changing blades. And it's not just the blade guides but the wheel alignment as well. The two wheels of the band saw need to be aligned to each other. When it's right, the blade should track right on the middle of each wheel without wandering back and forth. Since there are lots of moving parts it can be a challenge! The wheel can move in and out, and the wheel can tilt back and forth, and there are two wheels...

[whodathunkit]

Picked up the Craftsman 10 in drill press and bandsaw tonight. Going to Woodcraft this weekend for the Timberwolf 1/4 in 10 TPI blade and any other goodies they talk me into. Is there a 12 step program for pineheads?
Seth

Seth it sounds like you're on your way to making alot of cars as well as things around the house.

If you do end up going with the Timber wolf brand band saw blades..
Their blades are thin kerf, low tension, and made of swedish silicon steel.
So it's easier for your saw to push a thin kerf blade through a cut then a standard kerf blade.
At .025", Timber wolf blades are 25% narrower then most other band saw blades.

So they cut using a much lower tension then the "standard" band saw blades.

The benefits are: more power, because the saw is not working as hard, less wear & tear on your saw,
tighter radii with a given blade, and longer lasting blades.

And the blades are milled not stamped which provides a keener cutting edge.
And they can be custom made to any length you need and they are also warranted at the weld.

Good luck to you Seth, and Happy Band Sawing!

Mark.

[Noskills]

Well I have had the band saw up and going for a few weeks now and I still have all 10 fingers. Could not get the timberwolf as the smalleest they come is 80 in and the Craftsman 10 in has a 70 in blade. The out of the box blade is working well thus far and I can upgrade as my skills improve. Just realized one cool thing about making thin cars, you can get a few cars per block. Bonus. Will post some photos of my first cuts.
Noskills

[whodathunkit]

Seth,
If your still looking for that 70in Timber Wolf band saw blade.
55 in is the smallest length and 264 in is the longest i have found on some web sites.

I have a Ryobi that uses a 55 1/4" - 55 1/2" blades,
so far it's been working good running the TW blade in it.
Can't wait to see what you saw Seth.
Mark.

[FIRENZE]

Timber Wolf blade width of 3/16", 10 teeth per inch, thin Kerf (.025") is the preferred choice for cutting all of my pinewood derby cars. The width is versatile for cutting all types of wheel well, fenders, and spoilers.

[drathbun]

I believe that's what I use as well.