"-MIKE-" wrote in message
...

I think this thread is pretty well done anyway....

Ed

Oh, is it? Because you say so, right? :-)

--

-MIKE-


LOL!

It just seems to always boil down to the idea that for some people, HF is
junk... no redeeming value, they should be nuked. And when something I buy
there fails, I'm right there with 'em! (grin)

But, it's all expectations. If someone expects a $10 blade to perform like
a $100 blade, they are probably going to be disappointed. If someone
expects a $19.99 angle grinder to perform like (and as long as) a $150 angle
grinder, again... they are up for a disappointment. If they expect that
$10 blade to cut through a 2x4, they will probably be satisfied. And, the
expectations of a tradesman or high end hobbyist, are probably going to be
very different than those of someone who puts up a deck once in their life,
or has a couple fence posts they need to cutoff and never use that tool
again.

This exact thread comes up with incredible regularity and it's always
predictable who will respond and what they will say. I'm not saying we'll
never see it again. (grin)

Ed

On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:55:59 -0500, -MIKE- wrote:

My personal rule of thumb for blades at HF:
If it's carbide and on sale, buy it, if it's a bandsaw or jig saw blade, run the
other way..
I use their 10" carbide blades on the chop saw and like them, but the BS blades
that I got there when I was really desperate were sharp for about 30 seconds and
then wouldn't cut or track..

As Leon said, BS blades are not expensive... I have mine made up at a local saw
shop and pay $12 to $14 for 105" blades that work very well.. YMWV

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?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On 2009-03-30, -MIKE- wrote:

When cutting metal, too?

metal cutting feeds and speeds are more dependent on the material (alum vs
steel) than the application. Also, metal cutting typically uses a
wax type lubricant.

nb

This exact thread comes up with incredible regularity and it's always
predictable who will respond and what they will say. I'm not saying
we'll never see it again. (grin)

Ed

I get it.
There are similar threads over in the drumming newsgroup, so I totally
understand.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

"-MIKE-" wrote in message
...
This exact thread comes up with incredible regularity and it's always
predictable who will respond and what they will say. I'm not saying
we'll never see it again. (grin)

Ed

I get it.
There are similar threads over in the drumming newsgroup, so I totally
understand.

I must be hallucinating. Did you just say countersteer?

MikeWhy wrote:
I get it.
There are similar threads over in the drumming newsgroup, so I totally
understand.

I must be hallucinating. Did you just say countersteer?


Counter what, now?

--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

mac davis wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:55:59 -0500, -MIKE-
wrote:

My personal rule of thumb for blades at HF:
If it's carbide and on sale, buy it, if it's a bandsaw or jig saw
blade, run the other way..
I use their 10" carbide blades on the chop saw and like them, but the
BS blades that I got there when I was really desperate were sharp for
about 30 seconds and then wouldn't cut or track..

As Leon said, BS blades are not expensive... I have mine made up at a
local saw shop and pay $12 to $14 for 105" blades that work very
well.. YMWV

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?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Finally a post from someone who has tried the HF blades. Kudos.

--
Frank Howell

mac davis wrote:

...but the BS blades
that I got there when I was really desperate were sharp for about 30 seconds and
then wouldn't cut or track..


Thank you.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On 2009-03-31, mac davis wrote:

My personal rule of thumb for blades at HF:
If it's carbide and on sale, buy it, if it's a bandsaw or jig saw blade, run the
other way..
I use their 10" carbide blades on the chop saw and like them, but the BS blades
that I got there when I was really desperate were sharp for about 30 seconds and
then wouldn't cut or track..

As Leon said, BS blades are not expensive... I have mine made up at a local saw
shop and pay $12 to $14 for 105" blades that work very well.. YMWV

Very interesting and informative thread. For you hardcore woodworkers, a
band saw welder might be an valid option. Buy saw stock, weld your own to
need. In metal work, a welder is a necessity. Here's a couple options.

http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/15/rea...blade-welders/

nb

notbob wrote:
Very interesting and informative thread. For you hardcore woodworkers, a
band saw welder might be an valid option. Buy saw stock, weld your own to
need.


....learned how to do that in "college*."

We had to take a bent or broken blade, cut new ends, file, weld, file,
install, run and cut with the side guides tight to make sure there was
no speed bump at the joint. There was also some sort of tension tester
that pulled on the blade at the joint.

[* it was more like 13th and 14th grade. :-) ]


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

"Frank Howell" wrote in message
...
mac davis wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:55:59 -0500, -MIKE-
wrote:

My personal rule of thumb for blades at HF:
If it's carbide and on sale, buy it, if it's a bandsaw or jig saw
blade, run the other way..
I use their 10" carbide blades on the chop saw and like them, but the
BS blades that I got there when I was really desperate were sharp for
about 30 seconds and then wouldn't cut or track..

As Leon said, BS blades are not expensive... I have mine made up at a
local saw shop and pay $12 to $14 for 105" blades that work very
well.. YMWV

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?


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Finally a post from someone who has tried the HF blades. Kudos.


I missed that part, did Mac actually mention that he bought the cheap $10
blades that the OP was asking about?

Leon wrote:
"Frank Howell" wrote in message
mac davis wrote:
My personal rule of thumb for blades at HF:
.......but the
BS blades that I got there when I was really desperate were sharp for
about 30 seconds and then wouldn't cut or track..

mac

Finally a post from someone who has tried the HF blades. Kudos.


I missed that part, did Mac actually mention that he bought the cheap $10
blades that the OP was asking about?


You quoted it.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

"-MIKE-" wrote in message
...



You quoted it.



LOL, That I did, didn't I . SNAKE!!

On Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:31:19 GMT, notbob wrote:

On 2009-03-31, mac davis wrote:

My personal rule of thumb for blades at HF:
If it's carbide and on sale, buy it, if it's a bandsaw or jig saw blade, run the
other way..
I use their 10" carbide blades on the chop saw and like them, but the BS blades
that I got there when I was really desperate were sharp for about 30 seconds and
then wouldn't cut or track..

As Leon said, BS blades are not expensive... I have mine made up at a local saw
shop and pay $12 to $14 for 105" blades that work very well.. YMWV

Very interesting and informative thread. For you hardcore woodworkers, a
band saw welder might be an valid option. Buy saw stock, weld your own to
need. In metal work, a welder is a necessity. Here's a couple options.

http://toolmonger.com/2007/02/15/rea...blade-welders/

nb
I looked into that a few years ago, but how much would it actually save per
blade, and how much would the equipment cost?
Then, there's the learning curve.. Plus the question of where do I use it?
I wouldn't want something like that IN the shop.. I even have my grinders
outside..

Bottom line for me is that for as little money as good blades cost, I'd prefer
to spend my time turning wood and let the saw shop make a few bucks a blade..

Sort of like some of the turning tools that I've chosen to buy instead of make..
I'm not willing to learn blacksmithing and such to avoid buying a $100 tool..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:13:31 -0500, "Leon"
wrote:

Finally a post from someone who has tried the HF blades. Kudos.


I missed that part, did Mac actually mention that he bought the cheap $10
blades that the OP was asking about?

It was from total desperation, Leon...
Broke my last blade, thinking that there were more in the cabinet, of course,
and the saw shop was closed..

As I remember, the blades at least LOOKED like they were made of steel..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing