LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Where to buy bandsaw blades?

16K views 23 replies 19 participants last post by  richinva 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Where's the best place to buy bandsaw blades for cheap? I used to have a supplier when I lived in England, but have moved to America and have to figure it all out over here!
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
I like BC Saw and tool…. they are in ontario. Good prices, and GREAT prices if you get together with others and purchase 10 at a time at ~30% off.

2 years ago I got 5 when the local guild put together an order.

I got 1/2 inch, 3TPI-105 inch blades for ~8 dollars

EDIT -

I think they may have gone out of business. or just bought out

Used to be www.bcsaw.com

there is a new site….
http://www.napgladu.com/

now I get just a gateway timeout. Michael Fortune pointed us that way when he spoke to the guild in Tulsa a few years back. They also sharpened and had nice weld quality, you could get any length, and the blades stock was from Starrett
 
#8 ·
I really like the woodslicer for resawing from Highland hardware.

For regular work, I've had trouble getting Timberwolf to track correctly-may just be me, and I've had really good luck with Olson blades at a good price: http://www.olsonsaw.net/neallpropgba.html
 
#15 ·
Depends.

If your saw is a 'standard' size (i.e. 14") you can easily shop around on line for a pre welded blade at a bargain price.

Other saw sizes usually require the blade vendor to custom cut and weld the size you need.
Experiences vary. For me, the 'Woodslicer' has been a great resaw blade. Timber wolf and Olsen have been disappointments, living very short lives before dulling. Lately I have bought 'Lenox' blades from bandsawbladesdirect.com and been satisfied with the blades and pricing.
 
#17 ·
Splinter, what do you find disappointing about the Olson blades (and which model)? What I like about them for my 12" Craftsman (Rikon) is that I can easily switch blade sizes, change the bearings slightly, and I get no drift at all. I spent a fair amount of time setting it up originally (with an Olson blade) and I can move easily between blades.

I tried a Timberwolf, and it may be a fine blade, but I had major drift and I don't want to have to re-do the entire setup for one blade, so back to Olson I have gone. The Woodslicer uses my Olson setup without much poroblem.
 
#19 ·
Charles,

The Olsen blade(s) came with my 16" Mini-Max when purchased. They were both 4TPI 1", not aware of any other sub-branding.
I immediately had some 10" White Oak planks to resaw and both blades became dull after about 30 linear feet each of cutting. I had been reading some good reviews for the TImberwolf branded blades and ordered an identical resaw blade and a 1/2" 'general purpose". The resaw blade failed after about the same amount of cutting. The 1/2 blade is still fine, but that is used for entirely different style of cuts. I finally ordered a Highland Hardware wood slicer and easily finished my White Oak resawing and have cut much much more since then.

My wide Timberwolf also had to be compensated for lots of drift. Currently all my other blades just require a guide bearing adjustment when swapping, like your situation.

I would love to have two saws setup (resawing and general cutting) just to avoid any time 'wasted' doing blade changes…

Bandsaws seem very picky, probably since they are used in so many different ways. I have no doubt that some blades work perfectly fine on some saws with some users and are total failures in other circumstances.
 
#22 ·
You guys that like the Woodlsicer (I do, as well) might consider buying the BladeRunner from Louis Iturra. He makes them from the same blade stock as the Woodslicer, is cheaper and has a broader selection of widths and tooth count. Apparently HH copyrighted the Woodslicer name, so louis had to use a different name.
 
#24 ·
I tried the Woodslicer, Woodturner and TW blades, couldn't get them to last and was disappointed with the cut. Switched to these guys years ago and am very pleased. https://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com They use Lenox blade material. I use the DieMaster 2 bi-metal blades. Also cuts in green wood very well.

Cheap? A bandsaw blade isn't the place to cut corners, unless you don't use it very much.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top