A-Mac Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 Hey guys, I was wondering what type of bandsaw blades you use. I'm currently using a 1/8" thick blade (think its 16 teeth per inch) and am using it on a small bandsaw. This works fine for balsa lures ; however, these blades dull quickly. Is there a particular brand anyone is really happy with? Also, and most importantly, what type of blade do you use to cut out the micarta, g10, fiberglass, etc. style blades. I tend to just use my dull blades to cut this, because it will eat them in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted September 12, 2011 Report Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) I replaced the stock blades on my benchtop band saw with Bosch 1/8 inch 15 TPI blades from Lowe's. I cut balsa, basswood, pine and paulownia with mine and the blade seems to be holding up pretty well. I feed the wood into the blade slowly and give the blade time to do it's job. The job of cutting micarta is left up to a diamond impregnated cutoff wheel attached to the Dremel. Any fine tuning to the cut is either done with the small drum sander attachment for the Dremel or a sanding block. If you want to try the diamond cutoff wheels they can be found at hobby shops that carry Dremel accessories. Or you can give me a holler and I will look up the web address where I get mine. Ben Edited September 12, 2011 by RayburnGuy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I use a pair of Wiss tin snips to rough cut both polycarbonate and circuit board lips. The snips work fast to cut a line slightly outside the lip template lines, then finish the lip with a Dremel sanding cylinder and a Dremel felt polishing cylinder to buff the edges of polycarbonate lips. Perhaps a band saw will work just as fast and some guys like to stack sheets of lip stock so they can cut multiple lips with a band saw at one time. I use a less powerful scroll saw to cut my wood bait blanks and it really isn't very good at cutting lip material, so the tin snips are a good compromise that does the job pretty quickly and neatly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 haven't tried the tin snips. Might have to look into it if nobody pops up with any other ideas. RayburnGuy, I agree with you. The blade you mentioned from Lowes (Bosch) seem to hold up better than any other brand I've played with from the big box stores. http://www.toolcenter.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=LENOXBC anyone used a carbide grit blade like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Never tried the carbide grit blade. If you decide to try one let us know how it works out. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 For polycarbonate, fiberglass etc, I switch to a metal blade on my band saw. I think it is 24 teeth per inch. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogaduck Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Depending on the thickness of the material (stainless steel,aluminium or poly from an old face shields) and style of the bib, try cutting with old paper guillotine, clamp and cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Mac Posted October 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2011 I use a pair of Wiss tin snips to rough cut both polycarbonate and circuit board lips. The snips work fast to cut a line slightly outside the lip template lines, then finish the lip with a Dremel sanding cylinder and a Dremel felt polishing cylinder to buff the edges of polycarbonate lips. Perhaps a band saw will work just as fast and some guys like to stack sheets of lip stock so they can cut multiple lips with a band saw at one time. I use a less powerful scroll saw to cut my wood bait blanks and it really isn't very good at cutting lip material, so the tin snips are a good compromise that does the job pretty quickly and neatly. Thanks man... Wiss tin snips are the only way to go! Very little dust, no waste, and nice straight cuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
