Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi all, a friend of mine lent me his old DELTA bandsaw and i broke the blade , the broken blade measures 92" and i checked at Lee Valley for a replacement one but all they had was 93 1/2". Maybe because it's an old bandsaw from the 40's that i have a problem finding the right blade, i also checked at Canadian Tire and home depot with no luck yet. I also checked for a previous thread in which someone had a similar bandsaw but can't remember the name of the thread or the name of the fellow OLFer. Your help would really be appreciated!

TIA, Serge


Oh! here's a pic in case the fellow recognizes this kind of bandsaw

Buy a Timerwolf they can be made to any length

http://www.pswood.com

I think Woodcraft also offers custom len Timberwolf bladesMichaelP38763.560787037

Serge,

You may enough adjustment to still use a 93.5 inch which is standard for 14 inch band saws. Check it out and see.

Good luck!

Shane

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Canada

Or 89 1/2" blades that is what I use on my Craftsman pro 12" Check out toolcenter.com I have used their Lenox blades you can get custom length or std length. There bi-metals are pretty good. I still like the Timberwolf better but I have to get custom length because I have not found anyone that stocks them in 89 1/2"

http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VI EWPROD&ProdID=1293

Highland offers 92 in the pull down menu.

Serge it's $30 bucks, so not worth it.

I use Olson 1/4" blades on my Delta and they saw forever. Cost is about $10 each. I use it to saw out necks, profile tops backs and sides, and general work. No resawing.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Thanks for all the help and links Michael, Shane and Bruce, really appreciate it!

Michael, i'm gonna check all 3 sites and compare prices, Thanks

Shane, standard even on an old thing like that?

Bruce, i like the idea of the olson 1/4" blades, how many tpi do you use and can i get them in Canada or where on the net ?

Serge for a Canadian supplier try:http://www.tufftooth.com/

They are located in Brampton and will ship to La Belle Province! Their blades are really good I just bought a bunch that I used to resaw Maple and Koa with on a 14-inch Delta (with riser block).

Hi Anthony, thanks for that link, is it possible to get a 92" blade for just $10.12 or i pressed the wrong buttons ? man, the prices there look good, i'll have to check that site more thoroughly, they seem to have a wide variety of blades to choose from and i am not an expert in that department yet . could you tell me what type of blade you use, how many tpi, silicon? bi-metal?, man i am a bit confused about what to buy, i didn't expect to find such a world out there! what do you guys use ?

Thanks

The price sounds about right Serge

I use a 10 TPI blade, I'm not actually sure what they are made of, some sort of steel, just for neck shaping and general use, not heavy resawing.

Serge, tell me what you want to with the blade and I'll go to my shop late tonight and provide you with the blades I use for each application.

Thanks Russ, the blade i broke had 3 tpi, could it be because of that ? Do i need more tpi for building guitars? The friend who lent the bandsaw to me probably used it to cut pine which is easy to cut even with a 3 tpi blade, i guess that my minimum need for lutherie should be around 10 tpi as you mentionned then ! that would make more sense when sawing hard woods!

I use the blade with more teeth as it gives a smoother cut, I have used them with 6tpi and they cut quicker, but not as clean, and I thought they were a bit severe cutting soundboards and the like. I wouldn't have thought it would have broke because of the TPI, at three I guess it cuts quickly but roughly, unless maybe thats too much to ask in hardwood ?

I am no expert on these sort of things, I have just arrived at what I use by trial and error, the 10tpi seems to give a nice clean cut, and doesn't clog when cutting necks etc.

I tried lots of types and found that the ones that are a blade suppliers own brand and cheapest seem to work best and last longest.

hmmm, I seem to remember a rule about at least 3 teeth in the wood at all times, so at 3tpi you should not use it for less then 1" stock. But most times a 3tpi is a resaw blade, not a scroll type. yep, more teeth means smoother, but it also means slower when resawing. Your friend may have had the wrong type for his purpose, or he may want a resaw blade. For Scroll work in thin stock, say 1/4" go with 12 or more tpi. I have 4 different blades for mine and I change them often.

Anthony Z wrote

Serge, tell me what you want to with the blade and I'll go to my shop late tonight and provide you with the blades I use for each application.

Thanks Anthony, i just saw that i had missed your posts, i'm sorry,
i want to use the blade for cutting everything from soundboards to necks, molds and jigs parts, templates made of lexan or plexiglass, kerfed linings, is there a blade i could use that would be that versatile or i should buy different blades for different thicknesses of wood ?

Thanks Russ, from what i understand of your experience, the 10 tpi seems to be a " passe-partout", sort of a " all in one" option either for necks or thinner stock.

Thanks also Mike, i'll remember the rule of 3 teeth in the wood at all times! Looks like 10 or 12 tpi would really suit my needs best.

Serge

just found this in the Hastings sablade catalog.. hope it helps... The last line is the best..

Tooth Pitch Selection
The choice of tooth pitch for a particular job can either make it a pleasure or give you fits. Too many teeth in the cut can load up the gullets, increase required feed pressure, overheat and damage the blade. Too few teeth in the cut can cause vibration and damage both the material and the blade. Select tooth pitch based on thickness of the cut. Try to keep a minimum of 3 teeth in the cut, to a maximum of 24 teeth. Best is 6 to 12 teeth. More teeth produce a smoother surface but result in a shorter blade life. Less teeth produce faster cutting and longer blade life, but result in a rougher surface.
Remember this axiom: Every blade selection is a compromise!

Wow Mike, thanks for your research ! my decision is made, i'll buy a 10 tpi blade and save this great info!

You guys rock! Thanks to everyone who helped me here!

Regards

Serge

The more teeth in gauged in the wood the longer the gullet is filled with chip and the hotter the blade gets. I don't do resawing of any major stock but I use the heck out of my saw on necks and many other things of course. For scrolling work I use a 1/4" 6 tpi for thick straight line cutting I use 1/2" 4 tpi, for finish edge scroll and straight line cutting I use a 1/4" 10 tpi at higher speed. I tried to cut neck blanks with a 1/2" 10tpi but wore out the blade to quick due to heat. I did not need that smooth of a cut at that stage anyway.MichaelP38764.5004861111

Thanks Michael, i guess i should consider at least 2 different blades like 1/4" 6 tpi for cutting soundboards and 1/2" 4 tpi for necks stock. Good advice as always!

Serge

Anthony and I bought those blades together (I was letting him in an a secret) - for some reason my saw doesnt like the 1/4-6, but 1/2-3 and 3/16-10 work like a dream. Buy the tufftooth industrials, they are amazing (hardened back and front on the 1/2 inch 3t) - its all I have ever used. In another post someone said you cant cut much makore with a steel blade - well I cut 5+ sets out of a 3/4 by 10 by ten footer, plus a bunch of other stuff with one blade. Not bad for 20 bucks.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

If I am rough cuttting real reinuos wood I use inexpensive steel because no matter which metal I have tried they dull quick, so I look at those blades as cheap consumables. Keep in mind though my volume is not much and that would make a differance.MichaelP38764.6332291667

Thanks Tony and Michael, i'll take all of this into consideration and go shopping tonight, i'll keep you updated on what i bought depending on what's available in our Canadian stores around here!

You might look for a download of the owner's manual, which may be available at Old Wood-Working Machines. Then you could see what the proper size is for sure. I fixed up my friend's old 1946 Delta Wood/metal cutting bandsaw and it uses a standard 93-1/2" blade. Those old Delta's pretty much set the standard for bandsaws and they weren't changing the designs around a whole lot. I'd almost be surprised if it wasn't actually built for a 93-1/2" blade.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Thanks Jon, which part of this page do you look into?

Scroll down and click the link that says Show All 235 publications, or click here.

I guess the only one from the 40's they show is for the metal/woodcutting saw from 1946 (the only 14" model they offered then?), which is what I have. It's a 8meg download, might take a while on dialup.

Page 2 of the manual says that it accomodates blades from 90-1/2" up to 94", and that 93-1/2" is the standard size. That's been their standard size for decades, so I bet 93-1/2" would work just great on your saw.

Here's the saw I fixed up.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Thanks a million Jon, i knew i had seen a bandsaw that looked exactly like my friend's bandsaw and it was you who had it, so 93 1/2" it will be! You just saved me more money for guitar parts!

You Rock dear friend!