Turn your cheapo bandsaw into a Ti/Steel/Alu eating monster

This thread is pretty timely as I've got a Sears vertical bandsaw that's practically useless. I've been trying the high tooth count but have a 12 or 15 TPI blade for wood work. I'll have to see how it works out.

At the risk of a highjack, I've read some info on "friction" cutting where a fine tooth blade is installed backward and run at really high speeds. Supposed to "cut like butter" but IDK. End of sidetrack. Thanks for the tip.
 
Andre said:
In all fairness you went from a cheap china worthless blade to a quality Starrett blade.

It's not all in the TPI of the blade, it's the quality.
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I think its the much lower TPI and the bimetal construction. I also have several brand new Morse carbon steel, usa made, 14 and 18 tpi blades which cut like crap just like whatever blade I got with the saw. They are only good for cutting through thin wall tubing IMO.

I can't reiterate enough guys. You think $30 is alot for a bandsaw blade, that tells me you haven't yet experienced what this low TPI, bimetal bandsaw blade can do. Once you spend $30 on it, you will feel like you got the deal of the century for not spending $60. And then your dilemma will be, do you give away, or throw away, the carbon blades. Giving them away is sort of an insult to whoever you give them to. But you may want to keep them if you cut thin wall tubing.
 
Rick Leslie said:
At the risk of a highjack, I've read some info on "friction" cutting where a fine tooth blade is installed backward and run at really high speeds. Supposed to "cut like butter" but IDK. End of sidetrack. Thanks for the tip.
Click to expand...

I've done this. It does work. But I never did find a project that specifically needed this ability. I suppose it would only work on materials that get hot because they dissipate heat relatively poorly, so steel and stainless. Its probably best for very thin materials which would chatter on anything but a very fine blade, which would then cut very slow. So if you need to make fast cuts on very thin steel/stainless, its probably something to look into.
 
Had someone at work install a bimetal 18 tpi blade upside down it cut like a dull blade but it was running at regular speed so it may have worked better running faster. I was actually surprised it cut as well as it did. I believe they make special blades for friction sawing as well but I'm not sure what they look like.
 
You turn the blade around to cut soft stuff like plastic. Not steel. 18tpi is a whole lotta tooth for anything other than thin wall stuff.

You can spend 15 bucks on a cheap blade and get 6 months of slow cuts or 30 and get a year of fast cuts. Regardless of tooth count. A cheap 18tpi verse a good 18tpi will be night and day. Especially in the long term. Cheap cutting tools have to be considered throw away tools. Drills, blades, wheels, if they are cheap they are throw aways or your lucky in my experience.
 
I'm pretty sure friction sawing is mainly for ferrous metals as a way to soften material and remove it.
 
okay got some hard data...might be useful to compare if the blade really does cut faster or not

6061-T6/651

2-5/8" long
1-13/16" tall

4 minutes and 30 seconds

Motor housing got up to around 98F

Blade guides set to widest

Pulley speed set to fastest

No lube

Cutting force set to somewhere in the middle..pretty light

Someone cut something similar and lets compare!!

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20141113_090229_zpsewnj2amk.jpg

20141113_090229_zpsewnj2amk.jpg
 
Vintage Iron
I also had been using the inexpensive morse blades that I bought at the lumber yard where I bought my 4 x 6 Jet saw many years ago. I was never happy with those blades, just thought that I didn't have a choice. Then I noticed that several tool catalogs had the correct length of blades with lennox and starrett brands. WoW, what a difference. I agree with Andre, that with these small saws it's not just the pitch, but more importantly, a better brand of blade.:thumbsup:
 
I agree I use Starrett bi metal in my saw, they work well and less expensive than Lenox blades.
 
I have an monstrously old cast iron bandsaw, don't remember the name, but it takes 10'5" blades. I get them from Graingers in bi-metal and 14 tpi at a cost of $48.00 and change. I'll try the low tpi route next time even though so far the performance of this old saw and blade combination has been exemplary.

However, AR 400 1/4" x 12" plate rounded the teeth off in seconds.... Good thing that blade was near the end of its life cycle anyway...
 
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