On Sun, 24 Oct 2010 17:49:42 -0500, tom koehler
wrote:

I buy my blades (105") at any local saw shop that makes them up..
usually about $13 to $16 depending on "width?" I think of it more as depth, but
I mean 1/4" as opposed to 3/4"..
They've always been as good or better as Olson or any other brand I've tried and
I find that if the blade is inexpensive enough, I change it when I should,
instead of trying to get the maximum cuts out of it.. YMWV

When I find a product I like, I like to talk about it. I have no connection
with the company, nor anything to gain by mentioning it. It is just a good
outfit.

I like my bandsaw, but am not too fond of the blades that Shopsmith sells -
especially their resaw blade. It is a miserable waste of metal and the
consumer's money.

I use the bandsaw much more than the table saw, and so this is a big deal for
me.

A much better blade - and source of blades - is the "Timber Wolf" blade by
Geschwind Group, Suffolk Machinery Corp. They also have band saw mill blades
for wood mizers and others.

The catalog is very good and detailed and also has excellent tutorial
information on bandsaw blades - some things you might not have known, even.

They have an internet presence, but when you buy from them, you have to make
a toll-free call and talk to an actual human at the company, who is
well-versed in their products. Imagine that - an actual human.

They will fabricate the blade to whatever length you want, even the short 72
inch Shopsmith blades. The agent did say that they don't usually recommend
the 3/4 inch blades for the Shopsmith, account of the short length and the
smallish pulleys used on the SS. I assured her that I had used one for three
years in heavy service and was very happy with it. It did develop a crack
across its width, and I attribute that to the nature of the SS... but by
golly it works so well that I do not mind what might be considered a
shortened life for this blade.

I also use a 1/2 inch blade for some resawing work, and it is excellent,
also.
I made a rip fence for my bandsaw, and use it with these Timber Wolf blades
and consistently get clean straight true flat parallel cuts in wood up to the
6 inch thick capacity of the saw.

If I sound like a fan, a booster of these blades, I am. Unreservedly so.

These are silicon steel blades and work perfectly with less tension than
other blades you might be used to. The catalog gives information on the
proper tensioning of these blades, and essentially involves slowly increasing
the tension until you get a "wobble" in the blade - then increase tension
slightly until the wobble disappears. That's your blade tension. It will be
less than what you may be used to, otherwise. The company also says it is a
good idea to release the tension on the blade any time you are not using the
saw, to help keep the tires in good condition and reduce stresses on the
blade when not in use.

www.suffolkmachinery.com 800-234-7297 - ordinary daytime business hours,
eastern time zone

tom koehler


mac

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