Carbide Bandsaw blades

h-bomb · Post by **h-bomb** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:09 am

Interesting article about different ways of quickly cutting mortises and tenons.

http://www.woodworkersinstitute.com/page.asp?p=1413

"I have changed over to a tungsten carbide-tipped blade very similar to that on a circular saw blade. These are a lot more expensive but the finish is quite unbelievable. Check the tension on your bandsaw. If you are reading the scale on a machine fitted with a carbide-tipped blade it will be under-tensioned so have it checked properly. Mine was only one-tenth of the tension required. Set up the guides accurately. They need to be very close to the side of the blade but not quite touching."

Your thoughts?

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 1:00 pm

As far as cutting goes, the carbide-tipped blades get rave reviews for longevity. But there is some questions regarding metal fatigue that may make these blades problematic on the Shopsmith bandsaw with 11" wheels. The smaller the wheels, the quicker the blade is likely to break. I think it would be best to check with the manufacturer about how they might work on one of our bandsaws before splurging on a carbide blade.

michaeltoc · Post by **michaeltoc** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:49 am

How do you check the tension on the bandsaw?

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:22 am

michaeltoc wrote:How do you check the tension on the bandsaw?

You look to see how far the tension spring bar has been deflected.

The numbers correspond to blade width.]Seriously I know of no recommended method to check it accurately with what would be commonly available to measure it.

The spring bar should be accurate over time as long as it has never been overstressed(mechanically or thermally), and the blade length is correct(72").
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pennview · Post by **pennview** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:47 am

There are a number of companies selling gauges to measure/adjust tension on a bandsaw -- Lenox, Starrett, Iturra Design, Morse, etc., but they aren't cheap.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:28 pm

pennview wrote:There are a number of companies selling gauges to measure/adjust tension on a bandsaw -- Lenox, Starrett, Iturra Design, Morse, etc., but they aren't cheap.

Nor commonly available in a hobbyist cave!;)

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:38 pm

But there is the internet and the USPS or UPS.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:01 pm

pennview wrote:But there is the internet and the USPS or UPS.

I would not dole out that kind of money to check one tool one(?) time.

BTW there is also FedEx.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 8:50 am

If you have a copy of Fine Woodworking issue 147 or if you are a member of their web site you will find plans for building a tension gauge. The author of the article and designer of the gauge says built-in gauges are notoriously inaccurate.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Jun 10, 2011 12:56 pm

If anyone has a tension gauge in their cave, it would be interesting to know what tension results from different settings on the Shopsmith Bandsaw.