Portable bandsaw setup: Which blades?

oceanrider

oceanrider

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I would like to get a portable band saw SWAG table setup. Not sure what bandsaw yet. I might have access to getting a lightly used Milwaukee at a good price today.

My question is, what blades should I be looking to get with a portable band saw setup like this for cutting out knife blanks?
 
Thanks for the replies. I finally did find another post here that echoed the 18tpi and preferred brands.
 
I bought a 25 pack of Milwaukee 18tpi blades back in April. There are 12 left. At least 6 broke, and the rest wore out, (faster than I'm used to).
My saw takes a 35" blade. I might look around for a slightly larger machine, I think 44" blade is fairly common and I expect would last a lot longer
 
I just bought Starret blades recently
I'll post how they are?

Lorien Lorien I
With Milwaukee bandsaw blades I've had some last Many Many blade profiles.
Then other blades break right away. Very iratic

I've not worn out Any blades yet.
 
I started with Milwaukee and first box was good and crap after.

Switched to the cheap Lenox from Lowes and they are OK but they are the low end offering from Lenox.

Next time I buy it will be Morse as they seem to get the best reviews here on Bladeforums.
 
Just curious for those with the Portable Bandsaw setups. I'm just wondering about releasing the tension between usage, or taking the blade off all together. The Milwaukee I just recently picked up in conjunction with a Swag table and foot-switch. The saw itself had wheels that had a lot of cracking, so I replaced them with a set of aftermarket ones off Amazon and they appear to run great, now. But you have to wonder about rubber quality. I've had other tools where if I left them tensioned and there was a sharp pressure point the rubber retained that shape for the most part.
 
MK Morse 811 or 1216 blades are a very different design from other port-band blades. They cut much faster and last longer than any other blade I've tried, and I've tried most. I use the 811 for anything over .125", 1216 for anything under .125", but the 811 will work on thinner stuff also. They are made in the US and are about the same price as all the others I find. The last batch I bought were $5 each.
 
J. Hoffman said:
MK Morse 811 or 1216 blades are a very different design from other port-band blades. They cut much faster and last longer than any other blade I've tried, and I've tried most. I use the 811 for anything over .125", 1216 for anything under .125", but the 811 will work on thinner stuff also. They are made in the US and are about the same price as all the others I find. The last batch I bought were $5 each.
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Earlier today I was looking for Morse. This is good info, thank you for sharing. Mind sharing where you get yours? They don't seem to be a stocked item at HomeDepot or even Amazon(in the 18-24tpi).
 
oceanrider said:
Earlier today I was looking for Morse. This is good info, thank you for sharing. Mind sharing where you get yours? They don't seem to be a stocked item at HomeDepot or even Amazon(in the 18-24tpi).
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Zoro is where I got my last batch. I buy 25 at a time.
 
bike4fun919 said:
I get mine from HarborFreight- they work fine for me. You might want to check the new harbor freight portable band saw mount. It allows the machine to cut horizontally and vertically.
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Yeah I saw that post. Cool design. I got what I think is a good deal off CL for a Milwaukee and Swag table with foot switch. So just need to buy a few blades to start cutting. I got blades with it but they are 10 and 14tpi, which I should probably save for softer material.
 
J. Hoffman said:
MK Morse 811 or 1216 blades are a very different design from other port-band blades. They cut much faster and last longer than any other blade I've tried, and I've tried most. I use the 811 for anything over .125", 1216 for anything under .125", but the 811 will work on thinner stuff also. They are made in the US and are about the same price as all the others I find. The last batch I bought were $5 each.
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I was just looking to buy some Morse blade. Funny thing is on their website in the 811 they only have them in 8/11 tpi, and in the 1216 they have them in 12/16 tpi. I was thinking that on the actual Morse website they would show both the 811 and 1216 in various tpi options but they don't. What tpi are you getting them in? I looked there for a brochure that might list all options but didn't find one yet.
 
Yeah, the 811's are 8/11tpi and the 1216 are 12/16 tpi. Don't let the you fool you. The 811 will work for just about everything
 
Olson blades are the only ones I have found that will last, go to their website to find them for portable band saws
 
I always liked Lenox blades for my portaband and 18 tpi seem to be the best all purpose blade.
 
weo said:
Our favorite is the 14-18tpi variable pitch
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Are you using Lenox blades? I think I have some 14-18 Lenox blades in my shop but haven't had a chance to try them yet.
 
Scott Hanson said:
Are you using Lenox blades? I think I have some 14-18 Lenox blades in my shop but haven't had a chance to try them yet.
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Nope. We have a really old Greenlee Portaband (steel frame, two speed) on a swag table that takes an off-sized blade, (57-3/4" IIRC) so we order them from somewhere online, I can't remember, I don't do the ordering/buying.
I bet you'll like them, though. I'll cut up to 1/2" thick stock on ours with no problem, just can't be in too much a hurry.
 
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