Bandsaw Vertical Drift! Help!!!

[Lowell Holmes]

I've been less than satisfied with the Timberwolf blades. You might want to consider the blades from BC saw and Tool. (I have no connection with them.)

I installed a new spring on my Jet 14" band saw with a riser kit. I went to the BC saw blade, 3 tpi skip tooth . All this was done in accordance with the Michael Fortune article in Wood magazine. I am happy with them. There is absolutely no blade movement at the weld.

I had one blade on my saw that was hammering the thrust bearing every time the weld passed the bearing. The whole saw was shaking and baking with that blade.

[B A R R Y]

I can get BC Saw or basic Olsen (via Coastal) blades for ~ $10-12 for a 1/2" x 93" 3 TPI, and they work great on my Delta 14".

Do I need to plane the cut surface? Yes, for one, maybe two, passes.

Do I care?

No! If I don't have to pay $30 for a 93" bandsaw blade .

Learn to tune the saw and forever save $18 per blade.

[Todd]

Its funny...i was _USING_ an olson blade, and thats what caused me all of the problems. Yes, I agree that the blade I bought is more expensive than the others, but in my (limited) experience, it has been worth it.

My saw has NEVER cut so well as it does with the Timberwolf blade. What is the difference between that and the BC blade? I've never heard of them.

- Todd

B A R R Y wrote:

[B A R R Y]

My guess is that the frame was flexing under the tension of the Olsen blade. Expect the results you have to change with time. This is exactly the difference between an old, or expensive, new band saw and a new low priced, Pacific Rim import band saw. The iron...

Personally, I probably would have simply adjusted the table tilt to contradict the frame flex with a reasonably priced blade, and moved on with life.

BC Saw is a company who welds and sells band saw blades direct, for maybe $12 each, for (4+) 93.5" or 105" blades.

BC Saw blades get excellent reviews on good saws.

[Andy]

Another good company from which to buy blades is Iturra Designs (no website, 866-883-8064). They have a variety of types and sizes of blades, and their catalog is packed full of other information, reviews, tests, background of manufacturers, etc., as well as bandsaw blades and accessories. I'd highly recommend you call them and at least get a catalog. I've been very happy with their blades - better quality than the timberwolf ones I tried, for competitive prices ($15ish IIRC). They also have more expensive bimetal and even carbide-tipped ($100++) blades, and they give detailed descriptions and pros and cons of each. Good luck, Andy

[George]

A bit of it is you have a freshly sharpened blade on now that you're still comparing to what the prior had become. Blades are like sandpaper, you don't really think about how much time you could have saved until you change to fresh.

I got some Olson blades, they seemed to do well enough. Differences in tooth and gullet geometry make it difficult to make anything like a realistic comparison, but I'm back, as before to the Suffolk (Timberwolf) blades because I'm used to their pattern and therefore their limitations as well as strengths. Skips don't saw like hooks and thins like thick, and even in the Suffolk family there's an entirely different feeling when moving from a wet wood hacker to a resaw to a semi-scroll.

[Burgy]

Yup, can't beat the Timberwolf........

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