Bandsaw blade configuration

anvilring

anvilring

Joined
Nov 29, 2000
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Sort of revamping my shop after months upon months of disuse and I'm about to buy a bandsaw blade for my Northern Tool 64 and a half inch blah blah blah whatever bandsaw. The last time I used this saw, I kept breaking bandsaw blade teeth, which of course is kiss of death for any bandsaw blade. If I remember right, I was using 18 teeth per inch - one left one straight one right ( which works great on an identical bandsaw just like it that I have inside my shop that I only cut wood, natural materials and such with..) What do some of you that regularly use band saws like this use for your all purpose blades? If I remember right, I was cutting some 1/8 in. L 6 for the most part and there was a lot of chatter, maybe that's what broke a tooth to begin with. Should I try more teeth, a wavy blade??

Edit: I invariably by Lenox blades... They're the best you can get. Still though, apparently created a problem.
 
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Is this a port-a-band type? I'm not familiar with the saw. It's slow enough correct? 18tpi should not be an issue for .125 material.
 
You could go finer with the blade; it's nice to have three teeth on the work at any time.
Most of the problem may be the throat plate backing up the under side of the work.
Be sure to use a "zero clearance throat plate".
These are not my machines I just grabbed photos from the internet rather than go out to the shop.
This
Unknown-2.jpeg

Not this
Unknown-1.jpeg

Also be sure the back of the blade is correctly supported. The roller should be right behind the blade when the machine is running and not cutting anything.
 
anvilring said:
No no... this is a big band saw:

https://www.google.com/shopping/pro...Sv3QIVCh1pCh39Rgh8EAQYASABEgJlBvD_BwE#sgro=om
Click to expand...

No this is a big band saw. :p
All kidding aside.
One of mine is like yours though. I would suggest, if you haven't already done it, to build a table around it so the cutting surface can be rigid. The less flexie the better. That little sheet metal bolt on thing it comes with, for cutting the tough stuff you want to cut, is inadequate and if like mine doesn't even allow for a zero clearance insert throat plate.
HTB1FXSLcrsTMeJjy1zbq6AhlVXap.jpg
 
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Still "left straight right" tooth configuration? not wavy or something else I don't know about? lol!
 
I only use wavy in the 22 -24 tpi for thin steel and titanium. Raker tooth for less tpi, metal & wood. I use carbon blades, 3-6 tpi for cutting scales on a 14" wood cutting saw. I would not want to cut wood on a metal cutting saw, but it will work in a pinch.
 
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