Bandsaw Blade- Free Blade with purchase of 3

[BigguyZ]

Suffolk Machinery is having a limited time special:

SPECIAL!!!! FREE BLADE OFFER

For a limited time, Purchase any three silicon steel blades
from 1/8" to 1" and receive a 1/4", 3/8" or 1/2" blade free.

This is a one-time only offer and
cannot be used in combination with other discounts.

(Mention Code 443 to receive this offer)


I have a 14" BS with riser, the previous owner ordered 110" blades. Could I go with 108"?

Also- What's a good mix of blades if you are starting from scratch?

[jziegler]

They say limited time, but I beleive it has been reported that this has been going on for a long time. But, it is still a good deal.

They do blades custom length, so they will make 110" blades for you. You pay the price for the next longest blade (I think it was 114).

As for mix of blades, I'm a BS beginner as well, so I can't help you. But I've read that if you call them up and tell their customer service people what kind of cuts you'll be making, they can reccommend blades that will work for you.

Jim

[BigguyZ]

Really? I'm new with the BS, and I haven't ordered anything from Suffolk yet, but I have been on the site before and I don't remember seeing that special... And here I thought I was going to be able to contribute a deal...

[Popeye]

Really? I'm new with the BS, and I haven't ordered anything from Suffolk yet, but I have been on the site before and I don't remember seeing that special... And here I thought I was going to be able to contribute a deal...

It's been that way with them for at least a couple of years now. It is one time per customer. They have good record keeping Not sure if it's per household though. Great CS. Tell them what you're doing or how confused you are and they'll treat you like you're their best customer. All CS should be like Suffolk. Pat

[Uncle Hook]

What's a good mix of blades if you are starting from scratch?

Do a search on this site for "band saw blades" and you find several recommendations for specific blades. Do the same search on google and you will find several manufacturer sites with blade selection guides.

If you will be re-sawing wood you want to get the widest possible blade that will fit your saw. Usually 1/2" on a 14" saw. The opposite is true if you want to do fine scroll work with tight curves where a narrow 1/8" or 1/4" blade is required. The number teeth per inch you need depends on the thickness of the wood you are cutting and how fine a cut you want to achieve. More teeth per inch are recommended for finer cuts in thin wood and fewer teeth per inch are recommended and coarser cuts in thicker wood. Tooth style selection depends on the type of cutting you will do.

[Holbren]

If you plan on resawing, get their 1" 3tpi. A 1/2" blade is a good blade to have too for most stuff. I had a hard time picking my other two and don't even remember what I ended up with. Probably a 1/4" and the fourth I would have to look.

After seeing those bandsaw boxes, I should have purchased a 1/8" which I don't have.

[LCHIEN]

B4 you get a 1" blade make sure your saw can handle it.
There's several issues and that would be whether the wheels and tires can handle it - staying on, whether your guide mechanisms will work with a blade that wide and most importantly, whether the arm is stout enough to hold the required tension since it has an incredible cantilever force - twice as much as for a 1/2" blade.

I think most 14" saws are rated for either 1/2" or 3/4" blades. Check your manual!

[Holbren]

The flip side of what Loring said too is make sure the saw can handle a smaller blade if that's what you want. The Rikon 18" for instance is not made take a 1/8" blade.

[BigguyZ]

Largest size blade my Gizz will handle is 3/4"- does that exclude me from resawing??

I'm glad that this deal is always running.... I've spent SOO much in the last few weeks that I gotta lay off the Bargain alerts section for a while! Well, Maybe I'll pick up some of the mats first....

[Holbren]

A lot of people own that Grizz with riser block and resaw no problem. Just make sure it's tensioned well and you should be OK. The people at Suffolk are very good, tell them what you want to do and they'll set you up with the right blade.

[Ken Massingale]

Largest size blade my Gizz will handle is 3/4"- does that exclude me from resawing??

I'm glad that this deal is always running.... I've spent SOO much in the last few weeks that I gotta lay off the Bargain alerts section for a while! Well, Maybe I'll pick up some of the mats first....

I have a HF BS with a Grizz riser and Grizz sent a 105" blade with the riser, the 110" you mentioned earlier sounds too long to me.

As for blades, after spending way too much on different widths and TPI's and having a stack of blades I don't use, I recommend having only 2 sizes and TPI's.

First 14" BS's don't do 3/4" blades very gracefully and IMO there's nothing you can do with a 3/4" blade that can't be done as well or better with a real good 1/2" blade. I do like Timberwolf blades, but for resawing the Woodslicer from Highland Woodworking beats the TW ($30). I recently discovered that Iturra sells the same blade for $10 less, and they also have just started selling a 5/8" resaw blade. The Woodslicer and Iturra blade are more expensive than TW's but worth it IMO. I have done a lot of resawing recently with the Iturra blade and it is sweet.
In addition to a resaw blade the only other blade I use and recommend is a 3/16" 10 TPI. This blade will do most day-to-day needs and is perfect for bandsaw boxes. I did get a 1/8" blade for tight work but have had it on the BS one time.

Just my opinions and recommendations based on use and results.
Good luck with your Grizz.
ken

[warrenp]

Hey Ken...thanks for that great feedback. I have been putting off the purchase of new blades because I didn't want to purchase blades that didn't really fill the need.

[LarryG]

I have yet to order any Timberwolf blades, so I cannot do a direct comparo, but I can confirm that the Woodslicer is one terrific band saw blade. Easily the best thirty bucks I've ever spent on my G0555. (Like Ken, I didn't discover until too late that Iturra has the same blade for around $20.) The Woodslicer was chosen as the best blade for resawing by one of the woodworking mags, although offhand I cannot recall which one.

EDIT: Just checked the Highland Hardware web site, and they say: "Fine Woodworking April 2004 has rated our Wood Slicer blade as 'Best All-Round Performer' in their independent test for speed, flatness and smoothness!"

[BigguyZ]

I have a HF BS with a Grizz riser and Grizz sent a 105" blade with the riser, the 110" you mentioned earlier sounds too long to me.
....
Just my opinions and recommendations based on use and results.
Good luck with your Grizz.
ken

Well that's what the previous owner ordered from Suffolk. The saw's manual states a 98" blade, so with an additional 6" riser, that's 12" more length needed- 98+12=110".... I wouldn't mind not having to get a specially made blade. That'd definitely make it easier for me.

Thanks for all the feedback, I'll definitely check out the Iturra blades.

[BigguyZ]

I'm just an interested bystander, but don't most of the 14" saws Including HF) take 93.5" blades? So with a 6" riser adding 12" roundtrip that would take a 105.5" blade. Probably 1/2" leeway... but 110" seems awfully long... something not right

Well I'll check the manual again and see what's up.

I looked for the Iturra blades, and only found links regarding their blade guides. Does anyone have a link to where I can purchase the blades for $20?

Thanks