06-30-2010, 1:48 AM #5 For me BS blades have gotten simple, for Carbide resaw blades the Laguna RK, for bi-metal and carbon blades 1/4″ or larger Lenox, for smaller than 1/4″ Starrett. Nothing wrong with a lot of the other blades I just see no reason to pay more when Lenox and Starrett are just as good or better and can be had cheaper. Also will the Craftsman take other lengths of blades – cannon find common store that sells 70 1/2″ blades.
Yes, the Starrett blades are fine quality, like anything Starrett makes. A 72″ 1/2″ x 3 or 4 tpi blade will cost you about $11. I get my bandsaw blades from Carbide.com, a small grind shop in Oxnard, CA. They are only 22 miles from me, but they have a nice web site and mail order business. McMasters has bandsaw blades, but they usually aren’t Lennox, and they are a little more expensive.
In contrast, if I wanted a blade for curves, which I don’t , it would most likely be used on 1 inch stock or less, and so it would get 12 times less wear than a resaw blade cutting a 12 inch deep cut. If you are confident you can tension a 1″ blade that’s 0.035″ thick, then that’s a great blade to consider. For the questionable wood I don’t want to risk ruining the Resaw King blade so am considering using either a less expensive blade that can be considered expendable, or a bi-metal blade with a slightly moderate tooth count that may be able to survive inadvertent contact with metal.
Blade Tension Timber Wolf® Silicon steel blades are very stable at low tension or lower tension than what is normally recommended by most saw manufacturers and other blade manufacturers. If a specific cutting application requires that more tension be applied to the blade, such as when resawing large material or cutting green logs, the recommended force for these blades can be increased by as much as 20%. To apply the exact same blade tension each time saws would require a very expensive hydraulic or air strain tensioning system to create a repeatable tensioning method. Timber Wolf® blades from 1/8″ to 2-1/8″ for every cutting application; scroll cutting, curve cutting, ripping, cross-cutting,resawing, milling, metal cutting and Urethane Band Saw Tires.
starrett vs timberwolf bandsaw blades Related Question:
Where are Starrett saw blades made?
airy, USa Manufactures band saw blades, other saw products and precision ground flat stock. Starrett-Webber Gage Cleveland, USa Manufactures gage blocks/standards and Starrett M-1® All Purpose Lubricant. Corporate headquarters athol, USa Manufactures the complete line of precision tools.
How long should a bandsaw blade last?
On average your bandsaw blade should last 6 months to as long as a few years depending on what your cutting with it. Make sure to match your blade strength and quality to the project and material your cutting.
Is a wider bandsaw blade better?
The wider blades are stiffer overall (more metal) and tend to track better on the band wheels than narrow blades. When cutting thicker material, the wider blade has less ability to deviate because the back end, when in the cut, helps steer the front of the blade, especially if the side clearance is not excessive.
Are Starrett tools Made in USA?
Starrett has been making tools in the United States since the beginning. We were founded in Athol, Massachusetts in 1880, where our headquarters still remains. Since then, we’ve expanded to include other facilities in the states where we manufacture a variety of American-made products.
Is more TPI better?
Woodworkers quickly learn that the number of teeth-per-inch (TPI) on the blade has a big impact on the quality of a cut. The general rule of thumb is “the more TPI, the smoother the cut.” The true answer, however, is just a little more complicated than that, as you’ll learn once you understand how saw teeth work.
What are the three main types of bandsaw blades?
There are three basic tooth styles in bandsaw blades: regular, skip and hook. Regular tooth blades have proportionally spaced teeth and are ideally suited for general-purpose cutting and contour sawing. Regular blades are ideal for cutting thin materials with a fine finish.
How many times can a bandsaw blade be sharpened?
It often makes sense to replace a dull blade with a new one, but you can sometimes get the best value out of merely sharpening an old blade instead of replacing it altogether. You should typically be able to get two to three sharpenings before you need to change your blade completely.
Are bandsaw blades worth sharpening?
Since a carbide-tipped bandsaw blade will cost well over $100, spending a third of the cost of the blade (or more) to get it sharp and working like new again can make financial sense. However the majority of bandsaw blades, the Wood Slicer included, are not worth spending money to have sharpened.
How many times can you sharpen a sawmill blade?
You should be able to sharpen your blade two or three times before needing to replace it, but sometimes breakage happens. Blade breakage can result from a range of situations. Common causes of blade breakage include: Dull teeth.
What type of bandsaw blade is best for resawing?
Resawing involves making rip cuts in the face of a wide board. So just like you would on the table saw, you’ll want to select a blade with fewer teeth per inch (TPI) than the blades you use for crosscutting or cutting curves. For most 14″ band saws, a 1 ⁄ 2 “-wide blade with 2-3 TPI is a good choice.
What size blade does a Milwaukee band saw?
Milwaukee Standard / Deep Cut Portable Band Saw Blades are designed to maximize performance of any portable band saw that takes a 44-7/8″ blade.
Is Starrett a good brand?
Starrett is not the only very good and extremely accurate and trustworthy measuring instrument company in existence but they are the best known to most woodworkers and probably most machinists.
Where are Starrett tools manufactured?
Starrett’s headquarters is in Athol, Massachusetts with other facilities throughout the world including our manufacturing location in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
How much tension should a bandsaw blade be?
For carbon steel toothed blades (cutting blades) this is typically 15,000 to 25,000 PSI. Slitting type blades typically are tensioned in the range of 12,000 to 20,000 PSI. In general bandsaw blades are never tensioned past 35,000 psi.
What does TPI mean on a bandsaw blade?
You must select the correct Teeth Per Inch (TPI) for the thickness of material you are cutting.