bandsaw blades for gentle curves

[rickluce]

Soooo....what kind of bandsaw blades are my fellow woodworkers using for long gentle curves? Say for example on a 46 inch 3" piece of quartered white oak. I was thinking 1/4" 3 tpi hook. Any comments? Any particular, long lasting, blades you like? (i.e. Timberwolf, Lennox(type?),Amana) Also, I have a Laguna 16" that, according to the company, accepts 132" blades. Does anyone have any idea if 133" blades(which seem to be the norm (not Norm)) work? Your advice would greatly be appreciated as this is for a framed mirror for my wifes B-day

Don

[George]

3" thick, I presume? Sure want something finer for thinner wood. Three or four teeth, skip or hook ought to do with any of the above-mentioned. I use Timberwolf, and they do well for me. For the gentle curve, I'd use something wider than a quarter, certainly. 1/2 or 3/4 would be my choice.

You own the manual on the saw, which is where to look for a range of acceptable, but a betting man would say the spring's got an extra half inch of travel.

Order from Suffolk and get them made to the listed inch.

[TWS]

I agree with George, order direct from Suffolk and get the proper size for your saw. Suffolk has good turn around and good prices. In fact, their sales desk will recommend a blade if you tell them your application.

TWS

[rickluce]

Thank you George and TWS. Actually, the board is 46" X 3"wide X 1" thick. FYI. I've never heard of Suffolk, but will give them a try.

[rickluce]

[David]

1/4" blade is too narrow for gentle curve over 43". Try 1/2" or wider. The curve will be cut more smoothly with fewer deviations that if you use a 1/4" blade.

Dave

rickluce wrote:

[no(SPAM)vasys]

From Suffolk's (Timberwolf blades) web site:

"Always try to keep 6 to 8 teeth in the cut at all times; this is for metal or wood cutting. It will give you stability and more of an accurate cut when scrolling or straight-line cutting. This rule does not apply when resawing or milling logs and cants. With a constant pitch, the appropriate set of the teeth and the articulation of the hook angle become the most important factors when using 1 1/4" to 2" resharpenable and resettable blades. Please read "THE SIX RULES OF SAWING"."