grsjax Posted July 1, 2015 Share #1 Posted July 1, 2015 Recently read an article about bandsaw blades and it mentioned using bimetal blades for woodworking. The reasoning seemed sound and the article mentioned good results. Anyone here using bimetal blades? Also what brand of blade is preferred? I have been using a no name blade that came with my bandsaw and a Delta blade I picked up on sale. Both seem adequate but I am sure there are better ones out there. GLakie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLakie Posted July 1, 2015 Share #2 Posted July 1, 2015 Can't say I'm familiar with those yet, but they sound like the advantage to bi-metal would be in better heat dissipation. What kind of cutting are you doing? Scroll, re-saw, ect.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsjax Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted July 2, 2015 Can't say I'm familiar with those yet, but they sound like the advantage to bi-metal would be in better heat dissipation. What kind of cutting are you doing? Scroll, re-saw, ect.? A bit of both. I presently mostly use a 3/8" 8 tooth blade for general cutting. Thinking of getting a 1/2" blade for serious resawing and a 1/8" 15 tooth blade for fine scroll work. Would like to know what experiance others have had with different brands. GLakie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaager Posted July 2, 2015 Share #4 Posted July 2, 2015 If you have a full size band saw, I don't think you can do better than a WoodSlicer blade for serious resawing. It is a quality steel and has a thin kerf. It really does not break easily. The teeth have almost no set, so the finish is smooth. It is only for resawing however. For scroll cutting, adding a Carter Products blade Stabilizer with an 1/8 inch blade allows for acute turns and the blade is much less likely to bind and snap. For milling billets from green logs and branches ( fixing a log to carrier board that rides against the fence, keeps the log from rolling and allows the plane of the cut to be determined - is a good thing to do - right angle metal braces for 2x4 have holes for screws and are low cost) I think that buying a 100 ft coil of a 3 tooth basic grade saw blade and having a local shop weld the lot into however many blades you can get is probably the most cost effective way to go. Green wood is hard on a blade - they want to break and dull too quickly. But breaking a $4 blade is less painful and losing a $25 blade that might only last twice as long as the cheap one. GLakie and tasmanian 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahuna Posted July 2, 2015 Share #5 Posted July 2, 2015 I agree on the Woodslicer. I have a 14" Rockwell (over 60 yrs old) and keep the 1/2" Woodslicer blade on it. GLakie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLakie Posted July 2, 2015 Share #6 Posted July 2, 2015 Ditto on the Wood Slicer! I haven't had this band saw long enough to do much other cutting, but I've used this blade for some re-saw tests, and can say it works great and I'll be buying a couple more for spares. http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer12resawbandsawblades705to137.aspx Canute 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsjax Posted July 5, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted July 5, 2015 Couldn't find a woodslicer locally but I did get a Starrett bimetal 1/2" blade for a good price. Starrett has a good reputation. Will give it a try and let you know how it works. GLakie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.