[p_bear]

I just received a new band saw for Christmas. I have never used one before. All of my previous carvings have been made from roughouts. It came with a 3/8" blade, 7 teeth per inch. Is this the blade I want to use to cut roughouts with. Thanks for your help. p_bear

[Anthony Filetti]

...well, most new equipment comes with general utility blades, in other words...a middle of the road blade, both when it comes to quality and as to its cutting ability. Since you will be using the saw for roughouts it should work just fine. You would want more TPI if you were doing more exacting work but since in carving the rough out lines are obliterated it does not matter. What is crucial when cutting roughouts is the speed in which you attempt to cut the wood, if you try and cut too fast it will cause the blade to arc thus losing the straight lines you would desire in a blank...


...congrats on the new tool!!!

Tony

[AlArchie]

That blade will serve for a short time, but I'd suggest you purchase a top of the line blade soon! They are more expensive but will do a much better job, have less drift (you'll learn about that soon enough) and last a lot longer than the cheaper ones. Wolf brand from Woodcraft is one of the best, but there are others around. Make sure you keep the tension set to prolong your blade life, and keep the guides adjusted.

I believe the Woodcraft catalog also has a chart showing the tooth configuration for various blades and a guide to selection.

Rockler has a similar area in their catalog if memory serves me right.

Al

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Echo what AlArchie said. As you become accustomed to your saw and start doing cutouts, you will want to get a better blade. Something along the lines of 1/8" skip tooth (the skip tooth will clean the sawdust out of the kerf better) blade. If you are going to do a lot of scroll work opt for a blade with more teeth per inch. If you are going to do any resawing, get the widest blade you saw will handle. A premium blade will set you back roughly double the price of a "regular, off the shelf item." One example of a premium blade is the "Timber Wolf." I can't never remember who I order them from, but the number is 1-800-939-4414. Premium blades run cooler, with less tension, track better, etc. etc. Now that your totally confused, I'll run off.

[Nancy_G]

I have a 14" Delta, purchased in '88. For years people have been telling me to buy Timber Wolf blades and I could not understand how an expensive blade could make any difference.... I was just going to break it anyhow. Finally, about a year ago, a friend GAVE me a Timber Wolf blade and the difference is very obvious.
Getting the correct blade of any brand is, for me, difficult because I'm going to try to make tight cuts in very thick wood to make my rough outs.
I make the "relief" cuts, cut into the wood, back out. and all that, but I still don't know what size, tooth, etc., blades to buy.
WCI needs to do an article on that. Bob D, are you listening?

[AlArchie]

Yep, Timber Wolf, not Wolf! Thanks, Nancy, I'm asleep at the switch here this AM. One thing with a bandsaw, they really are NOT designed to allow you to back out of a cut as comfortably as a jigsaw or scrollsaw, as the blade tends to back out of the guides when you do. Raises hod with both the blade and the guides, but it's a move you sometimes simply have to make. Every tool seems to have it's compromises that have to be made, and ya gotta learn the quirks of each.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

the "timberwolf" brand is an outstanding blade and if you go straight to www.suffolkmachinery.com and order from them, on their site they have a tutorial on adjustments , tension , types of blades etc etc..and I think if I remember right, the blade was about 14.00 which is not high at all for a very good blade! (personally I like a 1/4 inch blade most of the time, a 3/8 is a pretty good general purpose and a 1/2 is good for resawing....saw a program that said 4 teeth per inch for resawing on a 1/2 blade...haven't tried that yet...I also got some stuff called "tool saver" that has a blade cleaner and something called "opticut" that keeps the blade clean longer..good investment I think. The gullets of the teeth fill with sawdust, then the blade doesn't cut well, burns the wood a lot and smells etc etc..so keep the blade clean!

[will8989]

and nothing, I mean nothing, ruins a blade faster than if you back out and the blade pulls out with the wood and hits the metal guide spinning at all those RPMs! Gee, wonder how I know that?

[Hugh]

Just love all the information on the band saw blades . I have been using a band saw for most of my life, worked as a butcher for 9 yrs and woodworking for a lot longer than I care to mention. Still have lots of things to learn. Just put a new blade in my saw the other day, and cut off a nail. Needless to say it isn't sharp anymore. I'm going to try the blades you people recommend, I know they won't cut nails. I cut a lot of big blocks, and a good blade is essential to keep a straight cut. A tip that might help, I replaced the metal table insert on my band saw with one I made from Oak. Thanks

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Hugh, mine is made from aluminum..on my scrollsaw I made a zero clearance out of a piece of white plastic sheet. On the bandsaw, I got a 75.00 check for offering the tip to put blue painters tape on either side of the bandsaw or scrollsaw to stop small items from falling thru when cut..