[Guest]

My bandsaw is probably going to be used 90% for modelling, so I'll be cutting mostly plywood, balsa and foam.

What type of blade should I be using (type -- metal, wood, etc., and number of teeth per inch)?

I've got a scrollsaw but I wonder all over the map and can't cut a straight line if my life depending upon it (thin blade flexes, cut wanders, and I'm using language appropriate to a sailor...)

[Cliff Russell]

I totally understand the scrowllsaw thing. It always amazed me when I see a guy at a wood show who can cut out the most intricate things. One thing I have learned is that better is always better with scrollsaws and the heavier the better too. The heavier one reduce vibration almost to zero.
Now as for the band saw I beleive that no one blade is best. All depends upon how tight the turns are and how soft and thick the wood is. If you are resawing (making thinner stock out of thicker stock) the the widest blade is best, number of teeth is usually fairely low especially for hard woods. If you are cutting balsa ribs then use one that will cut the bends comfortable with out twisting the blade and as large a number of teeth as possible. Never used a blade for cutting metal in my band saw so I can not comment.
One other thing I have learned over the years is that the best band saws make the best cuts, I hate the bandsaws with heat blocks for guides, I like the roller type. I have been lucky and was able to get a good quality bandsaw used at a really good price. Do not over look a table belt and disk sander, sure is good to touch up rough edges

Really tho the best teacher is experience. The best thing I ever did was take woodworking in highschool and then a couple of advance courses from our local C College.

[Dale Hunter]

I found a composite blade from Acklands Grainger, 6-10 teeth/inch X 1/2 deep works best for all around bandsaw work. Over the years I have accumulated several blades. Change them for ripping down rough aspen, sitka spruce etc. Treat myself to a new blade when a big project starts (every 2+ yrs now!)
Hope this helps.

-Dale-



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[Flypaper]

On my Delta 10" I run a 8 tooth per in. 3/8 wide blade for general purpose.

[Cliff Russell]

A little off topic but here is a very nice site with all kinds of modeling tool articles
http://www.airfieldmodels.com/index.html

[grosbeak]

Originally Posted by Cliff Russell

A little off topic but here is a very nice site with all kinds of modeling tool articles
http://www.airfieldmodels.com/index.html

Thanks for the link - there's a lot of useful information there!

[mwavesdave]

I keep several different blades handy for the bandsaw, depending on what I'm doing. Wider blades for long straight cuts, or notches, and thinner finer scrolling blades for curves. As for the scroll saw, it's all about the quality. A good scroll saw just can't be beat for fine work, inside cuts, and there's a huge variety of blades. Tensioning the blades is important, nah, critical, and practice, practice, practice!

[Guest]

"parctice makes prefect" as goes the paraphrase......

BTW, I've been over on the airfieldmodels website, and it's got lots of stuff. Gadgets and gizmos, galore!

[davidmc36]

Having used band-saws extensively the way I was taught (not just some off-the-cuff instruction, but the official instruction during the tool use class at aviation college) was choose a tooth pitch that allows you to keep the tips of minimum two teeth on the cutting surface at all times. That way your material can't slip into the space between the teeth. Because when the next tooth hits the material that is now too deep into the blade, the tooth can catch and damage the material or the blade. In summary, the thinner the material you are cutting, the finer the tooth pitch. More of a problem with cutting metal but I would still follow the rule for plywood as catching teeth can splinter the plywood. Then pick your speed based on the material type. balsa and foam could go pretty fast but slow it down for plywood so it does not burn. Depending on your saw, you may be able to get blades as narrow as 1/4 inch that are great for making curves. Just be careful with the feed pressure in tight turns to avoid heating the trailing edge of the blade too much and burning the plywood. nice easy pressure will also help keep the tooth catching to a minimum and you can get away with a coarser pitch on thinner materials.

[davidmc36]

Originally Posted by Cliff Russell

A little off topic but here is a very nice site with all kinds of modeling tool articles
http://www.airfieldmodels.com/index.html

I would be careful about what I read there, as with anybody's site that is just their personal opiniions and the like, take with a grain of salt and search out multiple sources.

On a quick browse for about half a minute I found him recommending sanding or scraping the sharp trailing edge of a prop so you can use your fingers to start a glo-engine. Several things wrong with that advice!!!!!