Good alternatives to Tuffsaws?

[lurker]

Naz,

As others have said unless you told Ian about the problems you are not giving him a fair chance.

Busting a blade "more than once" ok it could be bad luck but have you considered the alternative and the fault lies with you.

Why Ian stands out is his attitude to customers which is second to none.

 

[Beau]

Quite surprised to see all the love for Tuffsaws blades when it's quite clear from this thread they are prone to breaking at the weld. I considered trying them out some time but after this thread there is not a chance. Not had any blade snap on me for the best part of 10 years from various other suppliers.

 

[Harbo]

That's a very harsh decision based on so few responses - non of my Tuffsaws blades have ever broken.
And those that broke could be down to faulty set up?

Rod

 

[Beau]

That's a very harsh decision based on so few responses - non of my Tuffsaws blades have ever broken.
And those that broke could be down to faulty set up?

Rod

Don't think it's harsh.

Why change from a supplier who's blades have never broken for me to one that I can see several reports of blades breaking.

 

[curtisrider]

More often than not you will only see people who are dissatisfied posting rather than satisfied, you have to take the internet with a pinch of salt. I'm about to give Tuffsaws a shot, I have two horizontal bandsaws for cutting steel and I'll have an M42 and Carbon blade running in each so I'll see if the M42 is worth it.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It might just be me but I've had a bandsaw (all be it small ones) for thirty years and have never broken a blade.

 

[Eric The Viking]

That's a very harsh decision based on so few responses - non of my Tuffsaws blades have ever broken.
And those that broke could be down to faulty set up?

Rod

Don't think it's harsh.

Why change from a supplier who's blades have never broken for me to one that I can see several reports of blades breaking.

Hey, it's entirely your call.

I'd only point out that the blade "tension indicator" on my saw is an odd shaped, thin and bendy metal washer on the tensioning bolt, with a blob of red paint on it. It's rubbish, but that's how it was designed. At best it gives a guide to blade length rather than tension.

I have found that Tuffsaws's blades need less tension than some of the others, probably because Ian's welds are straighter and smoother, and the tooth profiles seem to cut better. I can't tell you by how much or how little, because I can't measure tension on my saw,

I have no idea what tension I'm actually using, only that I tension until I get a certain "twang" and deflection on the far side of the loop, and until I get good results for the job in hand.

There's a general view (I think!) that Ian's blades cut nicely, perhaps more so than other people's. It's almost impossible to say objectively, whether or not they're as tough, less or more so (at the welds or anywhere), as nobody posting has any objective way of measuring this.

We all make choices based on imperfect information, but what we haven't had in this thread is any proof of any sort that, when correctly used, Tuffsaws's blades are any more likely to break than anyone else's.

And to be clear here, although I like the Tuffsaws blades I have, I'm not supporting Ian in this post, nor condemning the original poster. I'm only suggesting not jumping to any conclusions at all, because there are far too many variables and no sound evidence at all to go on.

Try something. If you like it stick with it.

 

[woodpig]

I've heard Dakin Flathers blades are supposed to be good. Not tried them yet though.

http://www.applebywoodturnings.co.uk/ba ... ength.html

 

[sunnybob]

Matthias wendel made a tension measuring device in one of his youtube videos. he came to the conclusion that recommended tensions were NOT the best way to cut.
I saw another guy on the tube who made some very impressive calculations on how much his blade should stretch when the right tension was applied. He then made a tension measuring device with a design flaw that was so serious the gauge was absolutely useless and he didnt even realise it.

each to their own, but as has been said, mostly its the dissatisfied that post.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

If anybody draws a conclusion from this thread that Ian's blades are in some way inferior then logic and rational thought have taken a deep dive for the worst.

Obviously people have to make their own minds up but just for the record (no personal connection) I've tried blades from 5 different suppliers in the last 10 years, including some massive names. None has come close to Ian's blade quality (ie cutting performance and longevity of sharpness). None are as good value for money as his. No one gives the personal advice and guidance coupled with fast delivery and post sale service as he does.

His business is just off the chart in terms of excellent service and quality per pound note paid. How the hell we're in danger of concluding he's somehow not top of the range absolutely defies rational thought. So feel free to go ahead and miss out on the best of the best at the cheapest prices if pig headedness is the mechanism by which you make decisions. But for the rational, the testament of users of this forum, for year after year, there is simply no other sensible choice. There has to be 1-200 hits of satisfied customers on here that have documented their enthusiasm. Now if those have been missed by people making conclusions in the opposite direction then I apologise for the rant but for goodness sake, lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater. When one is presented with a genuine "no brainer" it seems sensible to opt for it!!!

 

[lurker]

That's a very harsh decision based on so few responses - non of my Tuffsaws blades have ever broken.
And those that broke could be down to faulty set up?

Rod

Me too!
If I ever broke one of Ian's blades my first assumption would be my setting up.

Ian's reputation here is due to his high quality product, cheap prices, wonderful free advice and customer service par excellence.
And that's over a very long time period
I bet the blade breaks that can be truely attributed to the weld quality are a fraction of a percent of his sales.

 

[Rorschach]

I like the axminster ground tooth blades, only slightly more expensive than standard but I have found it to last at least twice as long as the standard blade before getting too blunt to use.

 

[lurker]

More often than not you will only see people who are dissatisfied posting rather than satisfied, you have to take the internet with a pinch of salt. I'm about to give Tuffsaws a shot, I have two horizontal bandsaws for cutting steel and I'll have an M42 and Carbon blade running in each so I'll see if the M42 is worth it.

Talk to him before you order.
He will want you to have the best for the job even if it does him out of a bigger sale.
I use e mail so he can respond when less busy

Await your rave after using his products :lol: :lol:

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Ahhhh...back to sensible and rational....I can go about my day now without stress

 

[Beau]

That's a very harsh decision based on so few responses - non of my Tuffsaws blades have ever broken.
And those that broke could be down to faulty set up?

Rod

Me too!
If I ever broke one of Ian's blades my first assumption would be my setting up.

Ian's reputation here is due to his high quality product, cheap prices, wonderful free advice and customer service par excellence.
And that's over a very long time period
I bet the blade breaks that can be truely attributed to the weld quality are a fraction of a percent of his sales.

I was being a bit naughty and stirring. I am sure Ian's blades on the whole are OK as are other suppliers. They are buying in rolls of blade and welding it together. I suspect Ian is using the same rolls as others so if the weld is good the blades will be much of a muchness so it comes down to service and price.

 

[NazNomad]

To clarify, I was very please with the performance of Tuffasws blades and the customer service from Ian. I just thought I might give someone else a shot at it this time.

 

[Eric The Viking]

I am sure Ian's blades on the whole are OK as are other suppliers. They are buying in rolls of blade and welding it together. I suspect Ian is using the same rolls as others so if the weld is good the blades will be much of a muchness so it comes down to service and price.

He wasn't using the same as everyone else a few years ago. Obviously he does buy in, but his blades look distinct from the others I have.

I suspect he has a very close relationship with the mill, and that's one of the reasons his blades work better (for me, at least).

 

[Distinterior]

I don't get to use my Axminster bandsaw as often as I'd like, so as it's not been used that often, it still has the blade that Axminster sent to me as a freebie when it was delivered. It's an Axcaliber blade,1/2" and has been OK for most of what I've tried to cut, but it is now showing signs of tiredness so after reading the huge % of positive comments on this forum, I will be getting in contact with Tuffsaws and ordering a couple of blades from them.

 

[AES]

FWIW, I agree 100% with Random Orbital Bob's "rant" in P2.

In my own, limited hobbyist experience, Ian's blades ARE better in terms of cutting ability, longevity, and price - very much more so than the 3 separate other blade brands I've tried.

And it's also an absolute that his customer service is definitely second to none - and I mean NO ONE. Just look back at the posts on this subject over the years.

And I disagree with an earlier post that most people post only when dissatisfied. That may be so generally speaking, but just about every time anyone posts here to ask "what band saw blades?" the answer is always overwhelmingly Tuffsaws - and not only that, it frequently happens that people post here praising Tuffsaw's products and services without any prompting at all.

But if Beau (or any one else) wants to mumble away in the background about "it all comes from the same steel strip stock/mill" (which I personally doubt BTW - talking about "steel strip" is just like talking about "a piece of wood" without specifying the species!) before even trying a Tuffsaws blade then surely that's up to him/them?

The main purpose of this Forum is, I think, to give advice based on knowledge and experience - a function which I believe this Forum fulfils admirably. But if someone here wants to ignore that advice, no matter how often freely given, and by people who, like me, have absolutely no axe to grind one way or the other, then that's his/their prerogative.

Best of luck with your attitude Sir.

AES

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

May I just say that I agree with your agreement of my rant....with your rant