Bandsaw blade suggestions

[Rorschach]

I currently use Axminster ground tooth blades which for my saw are £15, I see tuffsaws blades are cheaper at only £9.50. THis is for 2270mm 1/4" 10tpi blades

Now I have found the axminster blades to last quite a long time and work well, are the tuffsaws blades going to come close to that? I dont mind a bit less lifespan since they are quite a bit cheaper.

The other option is do I go for M42 blades? Never tried one, it would cost £21 which is not a lot more than the axminster blades. Problem there though is that the 6tpi blade is too coarse and the next up is 10/14 vari tooth, which sounds like it might be a bit fine for my needs.

 

[Glynne]

You are likely to be swamped by recommendations for Tuffsaws.
I've just bought the M42 6/10 vari-blade as a general all purpose blade and I have to say it cuts really cleanly.
Given that its meant to last a lot longer than normal blades then I think it's value for money.

 

[Ttrees]

6TPI i would not call course ...
The M42 bands are thicker stock BTW ...Can your saw handle it ?
You might mention what width of a blade are we talking aswell.
Ttrees

 

[woodpig]

Is the Tuffsaw blade the same specification as the Axminster one? Many suppliers sell a number of different types of blade so it's not always easy to do a direct comparison.

 

[Glynne]

Forgot to say mine was a 1/2" - on a record BS350.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I think you'll find most people here singing the praises of Tuffsaws. An M42 is worth the extra if you saw anything recycled, dirty or likely to have inclusions of any sort - they are very hard wearing and will go through a nail or two once in a while without damage. You should be fine with the vari tooth if you're already using a ten, I'd have thought. As above - they are a heavier blade, though.

 

[custard]

About four or five years ago I fitted my bandsaw with an aftermarket fence which made blade changes a bit more of a faff, consequently I tried M42 blades and they're very different from regular blades. They may be perfect for your needs, or they may be a disaster. They're quite a bit thicker which means achieving adequate tension can be an issue, if the widest blade you can normally tension is say 3/4" then the widest M42 blade you can tension may well be 1/2". The tension gauge on most bandsaws is usually no more than a very rough guide, with an M42 blade it'll be even less reliable. Furthermore the quality of the cut is a touch on the rough side, not terrible, but borderline for say jointing purposes, I find it's usable for cutting tenon cheeks, but not for fine furniture tenon shoulders or dovetails.

On the plus side an M42 blade is pretty good for curves because the teeth have more set than most other bandsaw blades, which allows a tighter cut radius for any given width of blade. And the longevity is simply incredible. In a full time workshop, where the bandsaw is used every day and often with deep ripping in difficult abrasive timbers like Rosewood, I'll usually go several months between blade changes and I could easily stretch that much further. This might sound a bit daft, but I honestly believe that once fitted many hobbyists may never need to change an M42 bandsaw blade!

 

[Rorschach]

Width of blade is 1/4", that was noted in the original post. I don't cut much recycled wood but I do cut a lot of very hard wood and a lot of plastic, also bone, horn, ivory etc, hence why i use a finer tooth blade.

 

[Ttrees]

I don't know if theirs that many folks that will be cutting materials like that....
Sounds to me like it might be worth springing for the M42 anyway ....
Even if its not as good for the bone and ivory, you will find it useful for the hardwoods someday, if you have
to cut a lot of it .....
Plus it's nice to have a spare blade anyway ...
I don't think theirs many folks that are in the same boat as you in this one ....
(from what I see shown on this forum anyway)

 

[Ttrees]

Could the extra set on the M42 blade prove to be a spanner in the works when your cutting bone ?...
Never tried cutting bone with a bandsaw ...
What tires do you have on your machine, and does the bone dust stick to it ?

 

[woodpig]

The 6/10 M42 blade sounded quite good but it's not available in smaller than 1/2" from Tuffsaws, shame as I would have bought one.

 

[Rorschach]

The 6/10 M42 blade sounded quite good but it's not available in smaller than 1/2" from Tuffsaws, shame as I would have bought one.

Yeah that would be a pretty good choice if it were available.

 

[RogerP]

The 6/10 M42 blade sounded quite good but it's not available in smaller than 1/2" from Tuffsaws, shame as I would have bought one.

Yeah that would be a pretty good choice if it were available.

Have you phoned Jon at Tuffsaws? He may be able to help.

 

[Rorschach]

The 6/10 M42 blade sounded quite good but it's not available in smaller than 1/2" from Tuffsaws, shame as I would have bought one.

Yeah that would be a pretty good choice if it were available.

Have you phoned Jon at Tuffsaws? He may be able to help.

Well if it were available I am sure it would be listed on the site.

 

[RogerP]

Well if it were available I am sure it would be listed on the site.

Maybe, maybe not - it is worth a phone call.

 

[whiskywill]

Have you phoned Jon at Tuffsaws? He may be able to help.

Might be better off speaking to Ian. :wink:

 

[Rorschach]

Well I ordered a couple of blades to try out.

 

[Rorschach]

Blades arrived, not the fastest delivery but not bad. Well packaged. Not fitted to the saw yet, that will be monday. Looking at the blades though they look fine, feel sharp. The welds look better than the Axi blades but the teeth look very similar. If it performs as well as the Axi blades then I will happy since these were slightly cheaper overall.

 

[Rorschach]

Fitted the blade on monday and made some test cuts. Runs nice and smooth on the saw, sharp but not too aggressive which is my preference. Cut quality was fine. Basically performed as I would expect from a new (non cheapo) saw blade. Is it better or worse than the Axi blades I have used up until now? No, can't really tell any difference but thats fine because it's a few quid cheaper for the same thing so if it lasts as long then I will be very pleased and this will be my new supplier.

One gripe I do have about this particular blade, while the weld looks good I can feel it as it goes around, it does a little bang as it grabs a bit aggressively wen the weld goes through the material. Bad luck I am sure for my first blade and this is something I have experienced on other blades in the past, will be easily fixed with the dremel, just need to take down the offending tooth.

 

[galleywood]

Have you dressed the back of the blade with a stone?