Tools you waited too long to acquire

[Tom O]

That would have a lot to do with the thickness of the material as far as tooth engagement

 

[Jswain]

I like 10/14tpi combo blades and then use them for everything. I also do not cut much/any thin sheet etc. with the bandsaw. Mostly ranging from 16g-1/4".

However my new Greenlee came with 5 or 6 brand new blades, haven't checked tooth count, or even if they are all the same but I will run them til they deplete. - just checked out of curiosity and they seem to be 14tpi...my new favorite

I've also used the pgn bearings as replacements for quite a few different things/projects/repairs and they always work...

 

[Susquatch]

That would have a lot to do with the thickness of the material as far as tooth engagement

Good point. Can't use low tpi on anything thin. Maybe @SkookumRob can help demystify all this.

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

I have always used 14 tpi on my 4x6 bandsaw because that's what it came with and thats what Princes Auto sells. Have others used different tpi blades on these saw? Is there a better tpi for all round general hobby use for a saw this size?

 

[Jswain]

I have always used 14 tpi on my 4x6 bandsaw because that's what it came with and thats what Princes Auto sells. Have others used different tpi blades on these saw? Is there a better tpi for all round general hobby use for a saw this size?

Try a 10/14tpi combo Lennox blade next time you're due for a change. I get them from kmstools, if you don't have one in your city they ship and I think it's free over $100, sometimes $50, or used to be.

Lenox 64.5" x 1/2" 10/14 TPI Bi-Metal Band Saw Blade

With M-42 high speed steel tooth tips and flexible alloy steel backing, Lenox Diemaster 2 metal-cutting band saw blades deliver cutting performance and durability—lasting up to 10 times longer than carbon blades. Diemaster 2 blades are ideal for most gene

www.kmstools.com

Actually a damn good sale price right now

 

[DPittman]

I have always used 14 tpi on my 4x6 bandsaw because that's what it came with and thats what Princes Auto sells. Have others used different tpi blades on these saw? Is there a better tpi for all round general hobby use for a saw this size?

I also predominantly use variable tooth blades (10/14 I believe) but have single 8 pitch coarse blade for bigger/faster stuff. I don't cut any real thin wall stuff with band saw buy go to abrasive chop saw for that usually.
I've never worried about mixing sawdust on the bandsaw as I often have a mix of steel, aluminum and sometimes brass on it....maybe ibshould be more concerned after reading about the possibilities above in an earlier post.
I believe bimetal blades are far superior for most things (especially steel/iron) but I've already forgotten all the technical stuff I read. I think there was a great heap of good info on the Lennox website but I was unable to locate quickly just now for a link. As mentioned above also @SkookumRob is likely a good local resource .

 

[Megar arc 5040dd]

Try a 10/14tpi combo Lennox blade next time you're due for a change. I get them from kmstools, if you don't have one in your city they ship and I think it's free over $100, sometimes $50, or used to be.

Lenox 64.5" x 1/2" 10/14 TPI Bi-Metal Band Saw Blade

With M-42 high speed steel tooth tips and flexible alloy steel backing, Lenox Diemaster 2 metal-cutting band saw blades deliver cutting performance and durability—lasting up to 10 times longer than carbon blades. Diemaster 2 blades are ideal for most gene

www.kmstools.com

Actually a damn good sale price right now

Thanks I just put a new blade on but will order one if the shipping is reasonable.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I only use one pitch (10/14) and one blade for all materials on my 4x6. When cutting wide material I reduce the downfeed pressure (hydraulic upgrade) to avoid overloading the gullets and tearing out teeth. I've been getting excellent life from the iMachinist blades off Amazon. I do believe that Lenox are the cream, but I doubt I would ever see enough difference to justify the price difference. (I just looked at the price on Amazon.ca for those blades, YIKES!)

The issue of carbon steel contamination of stainless is an interesting one. Are we to only use stainless steel saw blades and endmills?

Back to the OT, I recently acquired a Tapmatic 50X tapping head and have been kicking myself to not doing so much sooner.

 

[Jswain]

I only use one pitch (10/14) and one blade for all materials on my 4x6. When cutting wide material I reduce the downfeed pressure (hydraulic upgrade) to avoid overloading the gullets and tearing out teeth. I've been getting excellent life from the iMachinist blades off Amazon. I do believe that Lenox are the cream, but I doubt I would ever see enough difference to justify the price difference. (I just looked at the price on Amazon.ca for those blades, YIKES!)

The issue of carbon steel contamination of stainless is an interesting one. Are we to only use stainless steel saw blades and endmills?

Back to the OT, I recently acquired a Tapmatic 50X tapping head and have been kicking myself to not doing so much sooner.

Amazon pricing is funny. Sometimes they are significantly cheaper and sometimes they are 2x the price due to their pricing algorithm. Pays to look around before ya order.

 

[LenVW]

I bought a couple saw blades from FOXBORO in China (June 2022).
(2) 44-78” x 1/2” 24tpi bi-metal blades

I am still using the ‘first’ blade to cut Aluminum, MS 1018 HRS.
Of course, I would call my use of the saw - weekly at most.

I do not recall the actual pricing, but, it was less then NA suppliers.