Replacement bandsaw blades

[Deni822]

Can anyone recommend a good local place or quick online source for a replacement metal bandsaw blade probably custom? I just got a Wen benchtop band saw with an unorthodox blade of 56 1/2" in length and can't seem to find any in that length. Thanks.

Mark

 

[kylemp]

Kms sells Starrett. They also have raw blade I believe.. if not there the next option is busy bee and finally princess auto.

 

[Deni822]

Yeah, none of those places have them because its an odd length. Found All Blades makes them custom, so probably go with them. And reasonable price too.

 

[PeterT]

I went through that rigamarole on my import bandsaw saw couple years back. It also has oddball dimensions. Luckily I found a pair of Starrett's on ebay & am still running #1. Anyway I saved this link thinking 'one day' would come. https://www.tufftooth.com/
https://www.tufftooth.com/
R&D Bandsaws specializes in bandsaw blades made to order. Coilstock is available if you prefer to make your own blades...

Somebody mentioned a place in Calgary that would so custom welding either from their blade stock or if you brought yours in, but I never found a lead. If you do end up getting a quote, can you drop us a note? I'm curious how much it works out to. I thought one day I'd like to get a finer tooth blade & maybe narrower. Mine is .75 x .035" I believe, great for lopping off but not hat great for anything curved.

 

[PeterT]

This may have been the place I called. I didn't get the $$ warm & fuzzy for onsey-twosey, but I might be mistaken
http://www.actequipment.com/welding.html

I think you mentioned this place? Where id you see prices?
http://www.allblades.ca/index.php/services-by-industry/

 

[Deni822]

The quote I got from AllBlades which here in Calgary was $23 for 56 1/2" x 1/2" 10-14V bimetal. If the metal used is M42 which I have to confirm with them, then it's cheaper than anywhere online. They are out of stock of the 1/2" so unfortunately it won't be in til next week. Custom blades are made in Edmonton.

 

[PeterT]

Thats a good price if its a quality blade. I think what I ended up getting was Primalloy. (There was no choice in the matter, happened to be my size & I snagged it). As you can see they make different bi-metals. All I know is it made the stock blade look like pathetic cutting performance & its still pretty sharp. http://www.starrett.com/saws/saws-hand-tool-products/band-saw-blades

 

[Alexander]

Go to Tomas Skinner. I got a Lenox variable tooth bi metal blade welded there to the exact lengh for my old bandsaw. It is about $30 and lasts me about a year.

 

[Deni822]

Awesome. Thanks Alexander. I'll give them a shout tomorrow as I'd like to get back to my project ASAP as the stock carbon blade lasted maybe 10 cuts of square tubing.

 

[Deni822]

I ordered two blades from Thomas Skinner. $23.55 per blade for the Lenox Diemaster 10-14TPI Variable. The make them in Richmond and is usually a two day turnaround. I've been told 10-14TPI is a good blade for general mild steel square and round tubing .065" to .250". Thoughts?

 

[Alexander]

That blade is what i have too. I think it should work fine for what your doing. I have only ever cut solid stock with it. That .065 wall tubing would be better suited to an abrasive chop saw but that being said the vari tooth blade you ordered will cut it too.

 

[Dabbler]

Deni the goal is to have - at least - 3 teeth cutting at the narrowest point; so a 065 tubing needs a .022 tooth spacing or an amazing 45 tpi. If you have less than 2 teeth (even 1.9) you can expect to tear teeth off, even on the very best blades.

To cut .065 wall tubing, the coarsest blade would have at least .033 spacing or 32TPI which is available from some sources. I'd use more than 40 TPI if I could find it.

Even a 100" carbon blade should last for at least 100 square inches of cross section in mild steel before getting dull (notice I didn't say 'losing teeth'). Bimetal blades should last 5X as long. If you loose teeth and the remainder are sharp, then your saw is cutting with too much down pressure or you are using it for too thin material. (there are other causes, but these are the most common).

I hope this helps save you money on good blades.

 

[Deni822]

So, the Lenox blade is amazing. Already doubled the amount of cuts as compared to the stock carbon blade and its just getting better after the blade got broken in. Happy customer here.

 

[PeterT]

Glad to hear. I'll have to remember the Skinner lead. Its good we travel in packs & howl among one another!
Can you tell me the Lennox model name & TPI you ended up selecting

 

[Deni822]

I ordered it on Tuesday and it was ready for pick up on Thursday. Pretty awesome for a custom blade.

I got the Diamaster 2, 10-14tpi Variable. I've cut square tubing with it, angle, 1/4 flat bar, solid stock. Works great on all of them so far.

 

[Alexander]

I use the same model of blade from Tomas Skinner . They seem like good value, happy customer here.

 

[BMW Rider]

My saw also uses an odd length blade and I have not been able to find any pre-made ones. the last ones I got were nearly $30 each. I bought the 100' roll of Starrett bandsaw blade from KBC, then bought a silver solder kit and made a blade soldering jig from some aluminum. I now have enough stock to make almost 20 blades for about $6 each. Could be nearly a lifetime supply give how much better the Starrett blades cut.

 

[Bofobo]

My saw also uses an odd length blade and I have not been able to find any pre-made ones. the last ones I got were nearly $30 each. I bought the 100' roll of Starrett bandsaw blade from KBC, then bought a silver solder kit and made a blade soldering jig from some aluminum. I now have enough stock to make almost 20 blades for about $6 each. Could be nearly a lifetime supply give how much better the Starrett blades cut.

Would you care to share a photo of that?

 

[PeterT]

I'm interested in your jig/procedure too.
I've noticed a few folks claim success silver soldering their own. Youtube Toms Techniques - How to Make Custom Length Bandsaw Blades Without a Welder

 

[Janger]

I watched Toms video and made a jig from some plans online somewhere. Silver Soldered 4 blades using jewellery silver solder from kens gems. Seemed
Ok but they all busted at the joint shortly thereafter. I didn't bevel the short edge too tricky to hold. I think you need a jig to hold the blade for soldering and another for sanding like Tom made too.

Where did you get the flux and what kind? The jewellery stuff I used is very dry paste and hard to spread/stick to the bottom. Another problem?

Finally my saw had a bad hydraulic ram and tended to jerk going down- I've been busting new blades quite frequently which is why I have so many to fix.

If people want me to I can find those jig plans again and post the link.