At 05:24 PM 10/4/2005 -0400, Eugene D Abbondelo wrote:
>Shop-talkers:
>
>A while back there was a thread on the economically- priced
>($169.00) bandsaw that Harbor Freight sells. The concensus was that it
>was ok as a basic cutter, but not extremely accurate and not intended for
>heavy duty use. I think this model will probably suit me, and I intend to
>buy one this weekend.
>
> Most listers said to toss the Harbor Freight blade immediately and get a
> name brand one. I've been looking at the MSC Industrial Supply Company
> website, and they list several blades in the 5' 4 =" X =" X .025" size
> the Harbor Freight bandsaw takes. I was looking at the Starrett brand,
> and they have a wide price range from $13.00 to $29.00 each.
>
>Can anyone help with the difference in quality between the different
>prices; also what would be a general use blade for cutting steel--how many
>teeth per inch?
I was talking to a guy building an RV-7??
http://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv-7int.htm
today and what you know already is apparently correct. His had a big lump
where the blade
was welded. I looked in my machining book and the rule of thumb is that
you want 3 teeth in
contact with the material while sawing. Coarse teeth for soft materials
and fine teeth for
harder materials. My text says that a saw has a job setup chart on the
machine will provide
additional parameters. My guess is that your saw doesn't offer much in the
way of setup variables
so I suspect the blade that comes with the machine is a good
compromise. You might want
to inspect the blade for a lumpy weld, grind it smooth, and give it a try.
Steve Shipley
>Never had a bandsaw before. Thanks for any help,
Disclaimer: I've never had one either!
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