Harbor Freight Bandsaw Blades.

[-MIKE-]

I'm fully aware of the crapshoot involved when buying stuff at Harbor Freight. My theory for HF is the same as for Radio Shack.

75 percent of their stuff is pure, unadulterated crap. 20 percent is usable if you're not expecting the kind of quality you get with... well, real quality. And 5 percent is actually pretty good stuff.

So where do the bandsaw blades fall in those categories? I'm thinking of picking up some of their -$10 ones. They have $20+ ones, too, but if I'm going to spend that much, I'll go to Woodcraft.

Anyone actually use their blades? Are they..... Crap? Ok for the money, but don't expect much? Better than average, a good bargain? Diamond in the rough?

Or the final choice... Wait for my Iturra Design catalog because they have great blades under

10 bucks?

[Leon]

IMHO BS blades are so inexpensive to start with, why pinch pennies here. I would certainly give 1 a try and compare it to a better quality blade. Then there is my 150" x 1-1/4" Resaw King that costs me $1.50 per inch but it does leave a very smooth surface when resawing and it cuts through hard maple like butter. For general purpose cutting the $10 blades may be just what you are looking for but for the better cut you are probably going to buy a better blade. Keep in mind that Timberwolf makes good blades and are probably cheaper than Woodcraft.

[Charlie Self]

Wait. Or go to Highland Hardware. Why bother taking a chance. Bandsaw blades are cheap enough even when they're excellent.

[Bill]

Ah,, you're aware. But have you experienced it first hand? In general, for my time, the cost of the disappointment has outweighed the money saved. I have not tried their blades.

Of course, as always, the right choice just "depends". Seriously, I hope you'll posts the results of your experiment. Good luck!

[dadiOH]

No answer re HF blades but how many blades do you want? All you really need are a couple...a skinny one for doing curves, a wide one for resawing. The two I use are...

1. 3/16" 4 tpi skiptooth 1/2" 3-4 tpi (variable) hook. You won't find a better one for resawing without laying out very big bucks. have a bunch of others in a cabinet...sizes from 1/8" to 3/4"; TPI from 14 to 3. I bought them when I first bought the bandsaw, never used most. Why? For one thing, it is a PITA to change blades on a bandsaw; main reason is I never needed them.

[Steve Turner]

If it were me I'd go to Woodworker's Supply and order up a couple of their Starrett/Bahco blades:

don't know if some of their blades are Starrett and some are Bahco, or if the blades are the product of a joint venture; the website isn't clear about it. I ordered four different blades for my MiniMax and they all came with Starrett tags on them. In any case, both brand names are highly regarded and the blades I received are excellent quality and reasonably priced.

[MikeWhy]

What makes a bandsaw blade good, one better than another? Is it just magazine reviews and their stamps of approval? Can a mortal man, average Joe Woodworker, make that determination for himself?

$5 - $10 blades are the run of the mill carbon steel. If you're able to test it, consistent, good metallurgy in the blade is best. For usability, are the teeth sharp, and the set consistent? Are the teeth ground or are they stamped? These show in the quality of cut.

$20 to $30 should buy a good quality bi-metal blade. These have high speed steel teeth for sharpness, married to a carbon steel band for durability. High speed steel retains its temper at higher temperatures. They last longer than the cheaper carbon steel blades, by about the same ratio as the difference in price.

Got $120 burning a hole in your pocket? Get a 3/4" blade with welded carbide teeth for resaw.

How many TPI? Hook? skip tooth? regular?

There was a point when I was frenzied about making the decision. I have a

1/4" bi-metal 10-14 TPI for general use and joinery, and a 1/2" 3-4 TPI thin kerf for resaw. There's a box full of other stuff I bought when I got the saw, but I'm still using only those two blades. (Along with the original Delta metal guides.) I wouldn't know about Highland's WoodSlicer. It's the same spec as the KerfMaster I buy from Spectrum Supply for $20. I'm pleased with the KerfMaster. If the WoodSlicer really cuts better, it would truly be a phenomenal blade, perhaps even cheap at $30.

[-MIKE-]

That's certainly true, especially when you consider what we're asking them to do. Compare that to a a good circular blade and yeah, we're getting off easy.

Thanks for the endorsement of Timberwolf. I was wondering about them.

[-MIKE-]

I take the chance because of HF's excellent return policy and the adventure involved with "you never know." :-)

Thanks for the Highland recommendation.

[-MIKE-]

Yes, but it's never ruined a project.

My discernment get sharpened with every purchase. :-)

I will, but I'm afraid my opinion might suffer from lack of experience with many different blades.

[Nova]

The Olson All Pro blades are also good and somewhat less expensive than the Timberwolf and Woodslicer.

[-MIKE-]

Thanks, Steve. The prices look reasonable.

[-MIKE-]

I'm getting that response a lot. I get the feeling, I'll be repeating it a year from now. :-)

[-MIKE-]

I saw those on the Woodcraft site. So are the regular Olson's any good, or just the same as the cheap generics?

[Lew Hodgett]

RE: Harbor Freight

If you value your time, you probably don't spend it shopping at Harbor Freight except possibly for disposables.

Lew

[Dr. Deb]

The ratios on the HF stuff might be a bit severe but when it comes to the bandsaw blades, pure "I don't think I want to use one of those, thank you."

My preference is Carter blades from Carter Tool Co. I have tried the others, Timberwolf is good, as are most of the other name brands, and just like them better.

As an aside, my general rule for buying stuff at HF is, the pnuematic nailers and cordless drills are fine for the hobbest. For the rest, if I see it advertised at another vendor (Grizzly, Garret Wade, etc) I will buy it at HF and save a few dollars.

Deb

[Max]

I've been using Olson blades, both metal cutting and for wood, and have never had a complaint. I have a 1/2" blade that I use for re-saw and I don't get any drift at all. (Delta 14" bandsaw)

Max

[-MIKE-]

I value my time AND money, but thanks for the condescension. :-p If I have more disposable time than money, HF pays off occasionally.

Like you said about disposables, I'm usually there getting things on sale like rubber gloves, magnets, parts bins, and those nylon-insert nuts I seem to use a million of. So why not check out the disposable tools, too.

[-MIKE-]

Thanks, Max.

[dadiOH]

I can't compare it to your Kerfmaster as I've never used the latter; however, it is hands down better compared to the highly touted Timberwolf. I bought one of those once, tried it once, put back the WoodSlicer and have never used the Timberwolf again.