Band Saw Blades

[philm63]

Used to have our cars cut at the local hardware store (free for scouts) - last time I had this done it was rough and uneven, and took a bit of sanding to straighten it out which made the car thinner than I had planned. You know what they say - if you don't like the way someone does it, do it yourself.

To avoid this issue going forward, I am looking at small benchtop band saws and have pretty much decided 9" is suitable for my needs. There are a few that I'm considering but they all come with a rough cut blade - 6 TPI with Hook Teeth. The TPI is fine but I'd like to stick with a bit less aggressive tooth, but certainly don't want to sit there for half an hour cutting my block so a regular tooth blade is not an option. Skip tooth seems to split the uprights nicely.

I'm looking for y'alls thoughts on band saw blades for cutting the block. Mostly straight cuts, maybe some very gradual curved shapes in the future but no aggressive curves. I plan on running a 3/8" width and the saws I'm looking at run a 59.5" length blade.

So I'm looking for input on what experiences you all have had with various band saw blades, and if you think a 4-6 TPI Skip Tooth blade would be best for cutting blocks.

[FatSebastian]

...what experiences you all have had with various band saw blades, and if you think a 4-6 TPI Skip Tooth blade would be best for cutting blocks.

Hi philm63 - you ask good questions.

We currently run an inexpensive, 9" benchtop bandsaw for workshops, upgraded with Olson Cool-Blocks, an adjustable fence, and a vacuum port. Although ours takes a 62" blade (its a few years old now), I suspect most of these 9" bandsaws of various brands come from the same Chinese factory, as they look almost the same and seem to have interchangeable parts. We use this small bandsaw mostly with a table fence for ripping planks from blocks, or making straight or mildly curved cuts... it is probably not as good as a table saw for resizing, but we have limited space for power tools.

I have no expertise on saw blades, so I read a lot about optimal bandsaw blade specifications for resizing / ripping wood and straight cuts. Those recommendations probably work great on an industrial-sized machine, but I found out that they did not work well on our low-powered (< 3 Amp) benchtop hobbyist saw. I purchased several Olson blades of various widths, teeth, and pitch, trying to figure out what worked best.

One day I was wandering around a local Harbor Freight, looking to use up a 25%-off coupon for any single item under $20. (This gets harder every time because I have just about everything I would want from HF.) I saw their SuperCut "The Three Wheeler" 62" x 1/4" 14-TPI Band Saw Blade (SKU #5395) for about $12, this being the only 62" blade HF carries. It is a narrow, high TPI, short raker-tooth blade - the opposite of every other blade I had tried or seen recommended for slicing wood.

After I installed this blade to cut a piece of PVC pipe, I tried it on some pinewood. I was surprised that it seemed to work at least as good - I would say better - than any other blade I used so far for derby purposes. Not perfect, and it does cut more slowly, but it cuts smoothly and doesn't wander and flex as much as some of the wider blades I've tried. My sense is that the blade guides on these small saws are only about 1/4" wide, so a blade that is much wider than the guide is free to "wag" and the cuts aren't always as straight. Being a narrow blade, it can make curved cuts too without a blade change.

If anyone has a blade that works well for you on a 9" saw, let's here it!

[philm63]

Thanks, FS - appreciate the kind words.

Looks like you've already done the footwork on this one, at least regarding smaller benchtop units. I'd really only be using it for pinewood derby cars and that would not be very often so I really don't want to lay out a bunch of dough for something that's rarely used. I don't do a lot of woodwork - wish I had the time but it's not in the cards just yet.

The one's I'm looking at are in the range of 150-200 clams, but for another hundred or so I could land a nice 10-incher with guide bearings, nice ripping fence, provision for up to a 1/2" wide blade, and more power so I may consider it - perhaps an early Father's Day present. At any rate, I like to get good things - ones that will last and perform well - so I can be sure my money is well spent so I reckon I'll keep looking and get something a little better than the baseline units, and then I can start practicing with different blades to see what works the best for PWD. I'll provide a full report, of course.

[exoray]

As a general generic rule for wood cutting you want anywhere from 3-24 teeth engaged with the wood, wood thickness and hardness all factors into this and it becomes more a personal preference based on experience and the finish you are happy with...

I would suggest you aim in the middle, thus for the rough out of a full block you probably want something around a 12 TPI, you might then want to switch to a finer TPI once the block is thinned down if you are doing some detailing...

[FatSebastian]

I really don't want to lay out a bunch of dough for something that's rarely used.

Same! Another consideration for us was portability.

The one's I'm looking at are in the range of 150-200 clams...

Sounds like what we ended up with. Before we acquired it, I compared a lot of the 9" units only to discover they were almost all rebranded duplicates. For example, IIRC, at the time, a visual inspection of the Ryobi 9" model from Home Depot and the Harbor Freight Central Machinery 9" model revealed that they were essentially identical, except for their prices and plastic covers, so why not get the less-expensive one?

[exoray]

I'd really only be using it for pinewood derby cars and that would not be very often so I really don't want to lay out a bunch of dough for something that's rarely used. I don't do a lot of woodwork - wish I had the time but it's not in the cards just yet.

Check out Craigslist, Facebook marketplace and the like, you can find a lot of used tools on the cheap, although some might not be in turnkey working order... I regularly see 10" an 12" tabletop bandsaws for under $100, and some appear to be like new...

Just one word of advice, before you grab a used bandsaw make sure you can get the replacement blades easily and source parts, you can get any length blade you need if you try, but it's nice to be able to source them without hassle... That said if you know anyone that has a machine shop, a lot of times they will have a built in bandsaw welder on the side of their bandsaw, this can make quick work if you need to just buy a bigger blade and cut it down, or you can silver solder them, but that is an even bigger hassle, much easier to just get a saw where blades are readily available

[FatSebastian]

Check out Craigslist, Facebook marketplace and the like, you can find a lot of used tools on the cheap...

Perhaps a bit off topic, but before the advent of Internet for the masses, I would sometimes find excellent tools at pawn shops. Most reputable shops don't deal in junk or broken stuff, or accept or resale stolen goods. You need to be willing to haggle though, and know the true value of used merchandise (easier now than it used to be), as the sticker prices are often highly inflated.

[whodathunkit]

I'm looking for y'alls thoughts on band saw blades for cutting the block. Mostly straight cuts, maybe some very gradual curved shapes in the future but no aggressive curves. I plan on running a 3/8" width and the saws I'm looking at run a 59.5" length blade.

So I'm looking for input on what experiences you all have had with various band saw blades, and if you think a 4-6 TPI Skip Tooth blade would be best for cutting blocks.

My go to bandsaw blades for my 59.5 RYOBI BS 903 bandsaw are the Timberwolf brand by PS wood that are made from high silicon ,low carbon steel.
I use 3/8 3 TPI and the 6 TPI pc series for cutting up to 4 inch thick. however my saws cutting capacity is 3 1/2"
The 3 TPI will cut quick with a rough finish the 6 TPI will be a little bit slower with a smoother finish.
They are a thin kerf blade and do seem to run cooler plus they last longer and will run under a low tension requiring less horse power.

https://www.woodline.com/products/59-5- ... DkEALw_wcB

My 2nd blade brand choice would be the Olsen brand blades..
However I've had better luck with the Timberwolf blades but have to order them in.. over the Olsen blades that i can at my local hardware store if I'm in need of a blade in a pinch.

Here is a topic on bandsaw blades as well... where FRIENZE shared with me his Timberwolf go to blade.
https://www.derbytalk.com/viewtopic.php ... des#p64761

[exoray]

You need to be willing to haggle though, and know the true value of used merchandise (easier now than it used to be), as the sticker prices are often highly inflated.

To add to this, as a general rule, pawn shops have about half of what they are asking for the item, how close to getting half off will depend on how long it's been collecting dust and how motivated the owner is to clear the shelf for something new...

I would not recommend my current band saw to others as it's bulky and can be temperamental with breaking blades far more frequently than others, but it's a 1940s 12" three-wheel that I picked up for $20 and will outlast me...

[whodathunkit]

The one's I'm looking at are in the range of 150-200 clams, but for another hundred or so I could land a nice 10-incher with guide bearings, nice ripping fence, provision for up to a 1/2" wide blade, and more power so I may consider it - perhaps an early Father's Day present. At any rate, I like to get good things - ones that will last and perform well - so I can be sure my money is well spent so I reckon I'll keep looking and get something a little better than the baseline units, and then I can start practicing with different blades to see what works the best for PWD. I'll provide a full report, of course.

How far are you from Columbus ? 27 min or so.. Might make for a nice Fathers day trip to check out.. OHIO power tool.
To look at the #3 top rated bench top band saw by SKIL. 2.8 amp 2 speed 59.5 blade model BW9501-00 $ 199.99
https://www.ohiopowertool.com/skil-bw95 ... 3QEALw_wcB

[philm63]

Thanks for all the tips guys - much appreciated. Ok, so I'm digging myself in deeper and deeper here in search of my perfect band saw to use these blades we're looking for, and one of the biggest gripes I'm seeing in reading dozens of reviews from various sites on various 9" and 10" band saws is power - the saw's ability to cut thicknesses greater than an inch or so without struggling.

Most of the lower priced versions sport a 1/3 hp motor and are typically rated around 2.8A (most of the 9" and some of the 10" saws have this rating) and then I see a jump up to the 1/2 hp motors which are typically rated right around 3.5 A, many of the 10" saws have this rating.

Also in the 10" offerings I see the ability to run a wider blade if desired, three bearings used for the blade guide system, most come with a rip fence, many come with a light, just more available accessories along with slightly greater power.

Seems if I am going to target a 3/8" blade width, or possibly even a 1/4" for finer curves if/when desired, having these guide features and increased power would be beneficial for cutting a 1.75" piece of pine with accuracy and smoothness.

Of course we're talking about jumping from a couple hundred for the lower powered units up to just over 300 bones for more powerful units. Not really a huge jump, but in the world of cutting PWD blocks, would this represent that extra 100 being well spent?

[exoray]

I would say that yes, when you are dealing with these low end import models motor size is going to be something to consider, especially since they are fixed motors that can't be swapped out...

Over the years (especially with import models) motor ratings have become quite exaggerated... A new cheap import 1/4 HP motor probably only produces that under optimal conditions, not continuous, the continuous power is probably less... On the other hand a vintage motor (let's say a pre-80s motor) was probably conservatively rated, meaning that 1/4 HP pre-80s motor was/is probably closer to what today would be a 3/8 HP

[FatSebastian]

Ok, so I'm digging myself in deeper and deeper here in search of my perfect band saw... but in the world of cutting PWD blocks, would this represent that extra 100 being well spent?

If one spends more than $100 worth of one's time researching whether an upgraded model is worth the extra $, then why not buy the +$100 more expensive, upgraded model sooner and save money! But seriously...

Our first bandsaw for derby purposes was a 10" Craftsman (Hitachi rebrand), probably MSRP in the ~$400 range after adjusting for inflation since (but almost certainly purchased on sale for less). It was sold off during our derby hiatus, and it was eventually replaced with a ~$100 on-sale 9" Harbor Freight unit. So why the "downgrade"?

• We desired portability and easy stowage. The 9" models with plastic doors are usually the simplest, lightest and smallest. You very much notice lack of portability as you get older! We are using it almost exclusively for cutting up a few dozen pinewood derby blocks at most once a year; that task is not terribly demanding in terms of horsepower requirements.
• We greatly prefer a "cheap" lightweight aluminum table instead of a heavier iron or steel table that rusts. For a tool that is used only seasonally, rust maintenance is an annoyance.
• A benchtop saw is going to require tweaks no matter what model you get. We wanted a model that seemed commonplace (or commonly cloned), so we could get parts and recommendations regarding useful upgrades and adjustments. Blades are also usually easier to find off-the-shelf for common, rebranded clones. We learned this the hard way with our earlier 10" model, which in hindsight was a bit of an odd-ball (despite being Craftsman / Hitachi) and had some apparently unique parts.
• We weren't convinced that all of the "extras" that get bundled with the more expensive "step-up" saws were suitable, so we just wanted a unit with minimal extras and added needed accessories and upgrades from reputable sources after the sale. If a model is commonly cloned, finding recommended accessories that fit is possible.
• We were content with using primitive block blade guides (upgraded to Olson Cool Blocks) instead of rolling bearings. Blade-guide bearings are very fast-moving parts that develop squealing and need occasional replacement, especially if they get contaminated with sawdust; I am not convinced that the sealed guide bearings that come with smaller bandsaws are of the best quality (we've seen them go bad).
• We wanted something new, purchased locally, so if there was a problem we could return or exchange it.
• If our cheapo saw didn't work out after the return period, we weren't going to be out as much money initially, and could also recoup some of that investment by resale via Craigslist, etc., so it seemed financially less-risky.

Now, others will have different priorities than us, and that's okay! I'll only add that re: the quest for that “perfect” bandsaw, whatever you end up with, it will be unsatisfactory in some way you didn't expect and you will then learn what you really needed / wanted. Our preferences evolved over our derby career and with experience, after which we decided than an enhanced and suitably maintained 9" benchtop bandsaw was still a reasonable choice for our seasonal cutting of pine blocks (although sometimes I still wish we also had a table saw for cutting planks).

Whatever you decide, along with replacement blades, you will also need to budget a dust port attachment and a source of vacuum to collect the dust, if you don’t already have one. We are reminded of this every time we forget to turn on the vacuum and the case starts filling with sawdust.

Again... you ask very good (thought-provoking) questions!