Meat and Fish Band Saw Blades- Appraisal

[kenneth cooke]

I have now tried the blade which Dragon Saws in Wales sent me (5/8") cutting a piece 2mm thick from an oak block 150mm x 1m x55mm. The cut was uniform throughout requiring some planning with a No 7 Try Plane.

How does this blade compare to the other I have used, namely a blade of the same dimensions from Hamilton Edge Tools also in Wales?

Very comparable but supply of the Dragon Saws blade was much easier. They offered to supply a blade on the Friday. It was delivered Tuesday and prices were very similar.

It is my view that if one wishes to accurately slice hardwoods to plane-able dimensions then Meat and Fish blades are the answer. But machine set up is of paramount importance. A subsidiary re-saw fence needs to be made and fitted. Tension is not critical but accurately set guides are in order to produce repeatable good results. And finally listen to your machine and feed accordingly. Don't choke the cut and try to make the whole cut one continuous smooth operation

 

[TheTiddles]

Don't suppose you've got a picture or two have you old bean??

Aidan

 

[Harbo]

Any more details of the blades please: thickness, TPI, profile, make of blade, what length and the cost please?

When I enquired from Dragon a few weeks back, they said they did not do M&F types - they must have changed their minds?

The ones I bought from Sharpquips are made by Hakansson, 0.020" thick and 4 TPI and cost £9.90 for a 112" long blade.

Here's some veneers I cut from some beech:

Top veneer in this photo is less than 1mm and "failed"

Re saw fence 11" high

Rod

 

[kenneth cooke]

They certainly have them now. The pictures you show look as though the blades you bought from Sharpquips look to be working just fine. I am hoping to get to try some of their blades in the near future. Have you seen James Krenov's book -The Art of Cabinetmaking?- I found his writing so inspiring he has great passion for his old bandsaw. It you have not read it, buy it you will not be dissapointed

 

[iajon69]

Rod - We haven't got any meat and fish blades in stock but the blades that Kenneth tried are Thin Kerf blades which are made to the same thickness as meat and fish blades but not from the shiny bandsaw material.
They are very similar to the meat and fish type blades but designed for wood cutting as opposed to meat/fish cutting!

Our Thin Kerf blades are made from the same material as our other blades so the quality is the same as the rest of our range.
They have been designed so that wastage is kept to a minimum but can still cope with cutting thick stock. They are proving to be a great blade for veneer cutting etc.

We currently have in stock the following thin kerf blades:

1/4" x 4tpi x .020
1/4" x 6tpi x .020
3/8" x 6tpi x .020
1/2" x 4tpi x .020
1/2" x 6tpi x .020
5/8" x 4tpi x .020
1" x 4tpi x .025

We haven't really advertised the thin kerf blades that much as we've been trying to build our stocks up first so the person in the office might not have had all the information on these.

I don't think that I'm allowed to post prices but I will send you a PM with some prices of the 112" blades.

If you need any more information just let me know

Ian (Dragon Saws)