best bandsaw blade for briar??

[timothy thorpe]

hey guys,

not sure why i am asking this 6 years later!! anyways i have a 9 inch skill bandsaw. there are so many blades etc which one is best for briar?

thanks

[KurtHuhn]

I prefer the supposed "metal cutting" blades - they've got really fine teeth like a hack saw, but won't do crap on metal at the speeds these 9" badsaws run. The one's I prefer are 3/8" wide and I feel like the smaller teeth makes it flex less. Of course, that could be complete bullshit, but it's what I use.

[wmolaw]

I prefer the supposed "metal cutting" blades - they've got really fine teeth like a hack saw, but won't do crap on metal at the speeds these 9" badsaws run. The one's I prefer are 3/8" wide and I feel like the smaller teeth makes it flex less. Of course, that could be complete bullshit, but it's what I use.

That's strange, I used a 3/8 10tpi on mine, and it didn't seem to cut at all. Then I read a bunch of posts here and went to a 3-4 tpi, 3/8 and one 1/2 and they cut like crazy!

I have a 12" though. I always heard 9" was too small, in band saws, note, in band saws!

[andrew]

I use a 3/16" blade made for wood. It's great.

[Massis]

I'm looking for a new blade aswel. The problem is, I can't find any good ones.

I'd really like to get me some Timber Wolf blades, which I've head many good things about here and elsewhere. The problem is that I need them in 88-3/16" (2240mm), so I need to have it custom welded, and the only place that does that (PS wood as far as I know) doesn't ship to Europe...

[wmolaw]

I'm looking for a new blade aswel. The problem is, I can't find any good ones.

I'd really like to get me some Timber Wolf blades, which I've head many good things about here and elsewhere. The problem is that I need them in 88-3/16" (2240mm), so I need to have it custom welded, and the only place that does that (PS wood as far as I know) doesn't ship to Europe...

I think various places custom build blades, here's a 1/2 3-4tpi which you can get custom.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/wood ... to121.aspx

I think this place makes custom blades.

http://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com/

I'm pretty sure that Woodcraft (Timber Wolf) will also make custom length blades.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family/2083255 ... lades.aspx

I did this google search "custom length bandsaw blades" and came up with a ton of places that make custom length blades.

[DMI]

12MM 10 TPI BUTCHERS BLADES.

Yep that's right butchers blades, I had been using 'normal' Sealey/Sandvik blades and was going through one every couple of months, I have been using the same blade for five months now and it is still as good as new. It cuts briar, bone, brass, ali and mild steel sheet up to 2mm, four inch oak log no problem at five it complains a bit. And they are a lot cheaper (five for the price of one).

David.

[RadDavis]

I have a 12 inch Craftsman and use a 3/16, 10 TPI blade. It scrolls nicely, which is what you want, and I use it till it breaks. Then I put another one on.

Rad

[smokindawg]

I'm using a set up just like rads and it has done me a fine job since I took apart and rebuilt the bandsaw.

[Charl]

I would have liked to be able to use thin blades like Rad (did I just say that?), for better scrolling. But they break like crazy and on my bandsaw tend to run all over the place when I do a cut.
So I use 10mm 6tpi. It lasts and I am poor..

[caskwith]

I used to use a 6tpi 3/8" blade on my old saw and it was perfect as the saw was small and a little underpowered. When I bought my new beast I used the same blade type but found that is was too aggressive and would snatch the block or cut too deep and too fast for my liking, made the saw a bit scary to use. So I switched to a 10tpi 1/4" blade and i am much happier, works well on briar and rod stock, still cuts efficiently but with much more control. I still keep the 6tpi 3/8" as they work great when I am cutting up morta logs or other lumber.
I run the blades until they get dull then I replace them but mark the old blades and hang on to them. When I need to cut some sheet aluminium they work great and I also use them for cutting up sandpaper, this really finishes them off so after that they go in the bin.

[smokindawg]

My cuts used to be hard to make and wandered all over as well. That is until I took the saw apart. I removed all the various adjustments, cleaning them up using sandpaper. I then lubricatedeverything as I reassembled it.

Before I started I couldn't turn any of the adjustments even with a pair of vice grips. Now I can make all adjustments easily and was able to scroll a circle the size of a pencil in 3/4" pine.

It's amazing how well a tool works with a little time spent on maintenance.

[wmolaw]

I am so seriously confused. A year and a half ago there was a thread on band saw blades, and this was the consensus, at least from Todd.

"This is the Grizzly that I have, except that mine has a 3/4 HP motor instead of the 1HP.

http://grizzly.com/products/G0555

Your band saw may work just fine with Briar if you get a different blade.

A wider blade won't help you any. What you want is a blade with larger and less teeth.

Try a 3 or 4 TPI hook tooth from Wolverine.

Todd"

and:

Jeff,

In an earlier post I called it a Wolverine blade. Sorry, but I had the wrong scary wild animal. The blade is called Timber Wolf. Here is a link to a place where you can order custom sizes. They also have standard sizes as well. This is a high quality blade, but I have been told you can get a blade of equal quality for less, but I can't remember from where. All I know is that this is a good quality blade and if you go with 3 or 4 teeth per inch you should see a significant improvement in you ability to cut Briar. Good Luck.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/208325 ... -Inch.aspx

Todd

So, I went, bought two blades, a 1/2 3-4 tpi and a 3/8" 3-4 tpi. And they do, indeed, cut briar like butter though they do not scroll as easily as I would like.

As I have the same bandsaw as Rad, I can now see that I will need to go out and buy a new blade, see how that works.

Damn, this is an expensive hobby!

[timothy thorpe]

thanks guys! I have the blade Kurt is talking about . just think it may be time for a new saw!

[taharris]

It all really depends on what you want to do with your band saw.

I don't do much shaping on the band saw, so a very aggressive wider blade works just fine for me i.e., cuts through Briar like butter and lasts for ever.

If you want to do more shaping on the band saw then you want a less aggressive and thinner blade that will give you more control and better cornering.

On the other hand I can cut out any shape I need to with my set up. I just have to take more cuts with wider curves.

A 3-4 tph hook tooth blade will take a more aggressive cut, but it will also clear saw dust from the gullets faster and better. This means that you don't have to push as hard so you have more control and the blade stays cooler.

If you are trying to cut a thick piece of Briar with a fine toothed blade you will need to go very slow because the blade cuts a lot less aggressively and the saw dust does not clear from the gullets of the blade as quickly. The result is that if you are not careful you end up pushing too hard, the blade heats up and has more of a tendency to wander and to break. The up side is that you get a smoother cut and can do sharper corners.

It's all a matter of finding the right blade to give you the performance that you are looking for.

Todd

[timothy thorpe]

thanks, I just do my profile cuts. however its slows it down to a dead stop! the blade is new?

[caskwith]

Like Todd says, the right blade is what feels right for you and for what you intend to do with it.

With regards to your problem Tim, I think you might want to take steves advice. I try and do a full strip down of my saw a couple of times a year, less needs to be done as the new saw has ball bearing blade guides but it still helps to take everything apart, clean up all the moving parts and then reassemble and adjust. Best time to do this is when you install a new blade.
The problem you may be suffering is something I used to have on my old saw, dust builds up and makes it harder for the wheels and guides to run freely, while the motor is powerful enough to overcome this it cannot then handle the additional stress of cutting and so stalls. When everything is clean and adjusted correctly yout should be able to easily spin the wheels and blade with little effort and they should continue under their own momentum for a couple of turns with no binding. You may also have your blade tensioned too much which is putting stress on the bearings.

[wmolaw]

It all really depends on what you want to do with your band saw.

I don't do much shaping on the band saw, so a very aggressive wider blade works just fine for me i.e., cuts through Briar like butter and lasts for ever.

If you want to do more shaping on the band saw then you want a less aggressive and thinner blade that will give you more control and better cornering.

On the other hand I can cut out any shape I need to with my set up. I just have to take more cuts with wider curves.

A 3-4 tph hook tooth blade will take a more aggressive cut, but it will also clear saw dust from the gullets faster and better. This means that you don't have to push as hard so you have more control and the blade stays cooler.

If you are trying to cut a thick piece of Briar with a fine toothed blade you will need to go very slow because the blade cuts a lot less aggressively and the saw dust does not clear from the gullets of the blade as quickly. The result is that if you are not careful you end up pushing too hard, the blade heats up and has more of a tendency to wander and to break. The up side is that you get a smoother cut and can do sharper corners.

It's all a matter of finding the right blade to give you the performance that you are looking for.

Todd

Hmmm, know what, I took your advice and you were 100% right, the 3-4 tpi blade cut like hell.

I will try a 10 tpi, 3/16 and see what that does. But I tend to agree with you, I don't shape all that much on the saw either.

[timothy thorpe]

thanks guys!! now were to oil! i have this bad boy...im not that stupid just want to know exactly were.



http://www.amazon.com/Factory-Reconditi ... B001V9K69E

[wmolaw]

thanks guys!! now were to oil! i have this bad boy...im not that stupid just want to know exactly were.



http://www.amazon.com/Factory-Reconditi ... B001V9K69E

Just my opinion, but I would look around for a used larger saw, at least 12". Lots on craiglist that can be had for not much more than that reconditioned saw.