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the band saw I used to have belonged to my brother. He took it back a while ago. I got another one I'm rehabbing. It didn't come with a blade. It's an Atlas/Power King 12" that takes an 82" blade. 95% of what I will be doing with the saw is roughing bowl blanks and spindles for turning. Of the remaining 5% 4.9 of that will be general DIY house stuff. The last .01% might demand some precision. That being said, what's the best blade for the usage? 1/2 or 3/8" wide and what tooth count?
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Are you going to be roughing bowl blanks and spindle stock from green woods or dry timber?
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(11-30-2017, 02:07 PM)Dusty Workshop Wrote: Are you going to be roughing bowl blanks and spindle stock from green woods or dry timber?
safe assumption would be both. bowls primarily from green, spindles primarily from dry, such as pen blanks. for sure any DIY lumber projects will mostly be dry.
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(11-30-2017, 01:58 PM)crokett™ Wrote: the band saw I used to have belonged to my brother. He took it back a while ago. I got another one I'm rehabbing. It didn't come with a blade. It's an Atlas/Power King 12" that takes an 82" blade. 95% of what I will be doing with the saw is roughing bowl blanks and spindles for turning. Of the remaining 5% 4.9 of that will be general DIY house stuff. The last .01% might demand some precision. That being said, what's the best blade for the usage? 1/2 or 3/8" wide and what tooth count?
If both green and dry timber, you really want two different blades. I'd go with a 3/8" 3-4 tpi for the dry wood. Same 3/8" 3 tpi for green, but you want a blade with more set (kerf), since when cutting green wood, you're heating up the wet parts, which expand and will close your kerf in a heartbeat if you can't clear the sawdust. If you've ever tried using a handsaw to trim a tree, you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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I've tried trimming a tree with a handsaw, and I know what you mean. I'll get 2 different blades.
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Learned something new today. Suffolk Machinery doesn't offer an alternate set blade in anything shorter than 91" (14" wheel diameter") because a 12" diameter wheel puts too much stress on the thicker blade. He said he could make me one, but it would fall sooner rather than later.
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(11-30-2017, 01:58 PM)crokett™ Wrote: the band saw I used to have belonged to my brother. He took it back a while ago. I got another one I'm rehabbing. It didn't come with a blade. It's an Atlas/Power King 12" that takes an 82" blade. 95% of what I will be doing with the saw is roughing bowl blanks and spindles for turning. Of the remaining 5% 4.9 of that will be general DIY house stuff. The last .01% might demand some precision. That being said, what's the best blade for the usage? 1/2 or 3/8" wide and what tooth count?
I like Highland Hardware's "wood turners blade", a 3-tpi, wide set with a thicker body. It works well on wet wood and dry alike.
It's actually made by Sterling.
It is available in 82 inches.
Making sawdust mostly, sometimes I get something else, but that's more accident then design.
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You know me and the vets love using Timberwolf 1/2 or 3/8 tpi hook and it cleans out very nicely and with my drumel I can easily sharpen them to sharper then new with the diamond bits from Klingspor. I can sharpen 4 to 6 times before I discard them.
These are Tmberwolf sold by Grizzly
http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2017/main/121?p=123
These are not timberwolf and sold by Grizzly but not as good but will work pretty good
http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2017/main/121?p=118
As of this time I am not teaching vets to turn. Also please do not send any items to me without prior notification. Thank You Everyone.
It is always the right time, to do the right thing.
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If your saw is a model 912, then you've got about as good of a 12" band saw that's ever been made. Its equally as heavily built as most of the better USA-made 14" saws.
The factory specs call for an 83" x .020 x 1/4" blade. The adjustment range will accommodate an inch or two on either side of that, but the big thing is blade thickness. .020 blades work the best because of the short 6" radius. I've used .025 to good effect, but thicker blades will likely work harden with the constant bending and unbending. At least that's been my experience. I expect that the saw is fully capable of handling a 1/2" wide blade at .025 thickness, but its unlikely that the blade can handle the bending. The problem with thinner blades is that often they are intended for entry level saws and don't cut well for very long even they don't break.
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Yes, mine is the 912. I did discover one issue. With the tracking adjusted so the blade stays centered on the wheel the edge of the top wheel hits the cover. Looking at the cover its done this in the past. I have to figure out an adjustment on the cover to keep it off the wheel. I also need to get the surface rust off the table top, but other than that it looks like it will do a good job for me.
