Replacement bandsaw blade

Bear Custom Builds

temet nosce
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I acquired a bandsaw second handthat takes a 78” blade and the one that was on it wore out, so I bought a slightly larger one to cut to size and weld, but the welded area keeps breaking.
Ive been looking for months now for a replacement blade for my bandsaw and can’t find anything in the size I need. I’m at my wits end and will welcome any help I can get in finding a properly sized blade.
 

Greenacres2

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Hey Connor--most of the online blade houses (like Spectrum Supply or bandsawbladesdirect for example) make them to length when ordered. The next 10 people will have 12 different favorite sources!! Since the guy i bought from in North Carolina went out of business--i've not settled on a new seller. They buy the band stock in rolls, peel it off the roll & solder. I'm not the expert on selection--but helps to know whether you're cutting green or dry wood, rounds-rips-veneer-crosscuts, etc. Guessing a 10" or 12" saw??
good luck!!
 

JonathanH

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I've ordered from 3 different places on-line in the last year. The bands were produced from bulk stock after the order in at least one of those places. I suspect the others were also. I used Supercut last time and will do next orders there again.
 

Greenacres2

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I need to be reminded of Supercut a few times a day for the next few months!! Never heard a bad comment on this or a few other forums. But I only order every year or so.
 

Karl_TN

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There’s a difference in the process between welding and brazing Bandsaw blades. I opted for the significantly less inexpensive brazing method using silver solder (instructions linked above). Some high end bandsaws have blade welders built in or they can be bought separately. Regardless of method it’s important to grind the braze/weld joint smooth so it doesn’t catch in the guides. Also, bandsaws with small wheels can cause more stress on the blades as they bend around a tighter radius so stick with .025 thick blades on wheels less than 18” in diameter. The time it takes to braze a 78” blade might not be worth it if you can find decent blades under $10. In comparison I save over $20 per blade for my 18“ Jet bandsaw so it’s worth it to me.

I heard a decent welded blade is better than a decent brazed blaze, but I have no empirical evidence for this. Sure the snapping noise can be scary, but I try to keep the blade guard down and keep my hands out of the danger zone So it’s not a major concern. Although I almost needed to change my underwear the first time a welded blade broke. Serious accidents can happen if you’re easily startled so you might want to wear earplugs If you tend to jump at loud noises. Wearing hearing protection helps me pay closer attention to odd noises so I know when to stop cutting And check the blade.
 

Mike1950

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There’s a difference in the process between welding and brazing Bandsaw blades. I opted for the significantly less inexpensive brazing method using silver solder (instructions linked above). Some high end bandsaws have blade welders built in or they can be bought separately. Regardless of method it’s important to grind the braze/weld joint smooth so it doesn’t catch in the guides. Also, bandsaws with small wheels can cause more stress on the blades as they bend around a tighter radius so stick with .025 thick blades on wheels less than 18” in diameter. The time it takes to braze a 78” blade might not be worth it if you can find decent blades under $10. In comparison I save over $20 per blade for my 18“ Jet bandsaw so it’s worth it to me.

I heard a decent welded blade is better than a decent brazed blaze, but I have no empirical evidence for this. Sure the snapping noise can be scary, but I try to keep the blade guard down and keep my hands out of the danger zone So it’s not a major concern. Although I almost needed to change my underwear the first time a welded blade broke. Serious accidents can happen if you’re easily startled so you might want to wear earplugs If you tend to jump at loud noises. Wearing hearing protection helps me pay closer attention to odd noises so I know when to stop cutting And check the blade.
yep the tic tic tic is a warning and blade moving in and out. The bigger the blade- the bigger the scare factor. a 700 lb saw jumps higher than a 350 pounder...
 

trc65

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Mine takes. 70 1/2" blade and nobody local carries anything under about 10 tpi. If they do, they are 0.032" thickness and while I can cut with them, the welds don't last.

Found a place called Cyber Woodworking Depot (www.toolcenter.com) that welds to order and they had some 3/8” x 0.025"x3tpi. Decent price. Quick service (6 days order to my mailbox) and use Lenox blade stock. Got blades today, cut a couple wet blanks and happy with performance.

They are in MA so your neck of the woods and might be a little quicker than from west coast.
 

Bear Custom Builds

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18
I want to thank everyone for the replies and the help. I did a little more digging and actually found a place that does custom sizes. Its timberwolfblades.com if anyone is curious. It says on there website that it will take 7-10 days to get custom blades blades done but I got my order 2 days later and I can’t complain at all. Just got to clean out the motor for the saw since its been a while since its been used and I’ll update everyone on how the blade preforms.
 

Mike1950

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I want to thank everyone for the replies and the help. I did a little more digging and actually found a place that does custom sizes. Its timberwolfblades.com if anyone is curious. It says on there website that it will take 7-10 days to get custom blades blades done but I got my order 2 days later and I can’t complain at all. Just got to clean out the motor for the saw since its been a while since its been used and I’ll update everyone on how the blade preforms.
supercut will cut to whatever size you want at considerably less money
 
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