Blades

[none]

For table saws Forrest seems to always be on top. How about 14" band saw blades. Which manufacturer is best(1/4" to 1/2") regardless of price?

[Lowell Holmes]

I have retired my Timberwolf blades for the BC Saw blades. I have a Jet with a riser block installed.

[Doug Miller]

Timberwolf blades are supposedly near the top of the heap -- but I recently bought some Olson blades, and five minutes into using the first one, I decided I'm done buying Timberwolfs. The Olsons are significantly sharper out of the box, give a smoother cut, and are about 40% of the price of a Timberwolf.

[Joe]

Made a post on this a few days ago. Here it is again.

I had an old FWW out yesterday and there was an article that applied. Specifically, the bandsaw resaw blade test (M/A '04) Woodslicer came out on top with a 3-4 tpi hook blade. It was the *only* blade that scored an excellent in the smoothness test. The value blade was BC saw at $10. The Olson MVP was right behind the Woodslicer.

jc

[Leon]

Having owned 3 BS's in the last 12 months over a 20+ year span, I find that the BS has more to do with whether a blade cuts well or not then perhaps the blade.

My Old Craftsman did better with name brand blades. My short timer Rikon could not be adjusted for decent tracking using Timberwolf blades but did track well with cheap blades. My Laguna works well with Timberwolf and blades supplied by Laguna.

So, a blade that tests well and works well for some is not guarantee that it will do well on any particular saw. I'd say, experiment with name brands, buying one at a time.

[Andy]

According to the Iturra Designs catalog, there are some carbide-tipped BS blades available that cut wonderfully. However, they cost even more (up to a few times more) than the WWII. Call them up, get a catalog, read about it for yourself. (866-883-8064, no website) Andy

[Steve]

Where do you get 'em?

--Steve

[B A R R Y]

I buy Olson blades from Coastal Tool or Ballewtools.com.

[J. Clarke]

I understand that you can get them at Sears too, only they say "Craftsman" on the label. The ones I have are working fine.

[Jim Weisgram]

Based on my remembering that review, I purchased one of those from Highland Hardware, and just got it last night and fired it up. Man, that is a nice blade. Very smooth and easy cutting.

Of course, all I have to compare it to is what came with the saw. A completely different type of blade, and all, but no real comparison.

Having said that, my next purchase will be from bcsaw.com, based on another FWW article. Half the price of the Woodslicer ($30+/- vs. $15+/-), may be worth it, time will tell.