Band Saw blade speed, teeth, thickness etc.

[radroy92]

Hi again,

I'm looking at pulleys at surplus center. I had been told that band saw blades run 3000-5000 ft/min. So I'm shooting at 3000 to 4000 ft/min. What are you guys running?

Also how many teeth per inch, type of teeth, blade thickness and width???? And what size engine?

Also, also I see some guys running some sort of liquid lubricant on the blade from a gravity feed.

Thanks, Roy

 

[chaikwa]

What are you guys running?

As close to 5000 as I can keep it.

Also how many teeth per inch

I think 1.1 teeth per inch, they're 7/8" tooth spacing.

type of teeth

Type of teeth... I dunno! Steel? They're from Lenox. Tried some fancy ones, didn't see much difference in cutting ability or longevity.

blade thickness and width????

.042" thickness, 1 1/4" width.

And what size engine?

13 HP engine w/ centrifugal clutch.

Also, also I see some guys running some sort of liquid lubricant on the blade from a gravity feed.

Gravity fed water to the blade thru 2 valves. One valve sets the flow rate while the next one downstream sets the on or off. In winter or if cutting something sappy, I run a little dish soap in the water. The water cools the blade as well as lubricates it.

That help?

 

[radroy92]

THat was helpful

As close to 5000 as I can keep it.


I think 1.1 teeth per inch, they're 7/8" tooth spacing.


Type of teeth... I dunno! Steel? They're from Lenox. Tried some fancy ones, didn't see much difference in cutting ability or longevity.


.042" thickness, 1 1/4" width.


13 HP engine w/ centrifugal clutch.


Gravity fed water to the blade thru 2 valves. One valve sets the flow rate while the next one downstream sets the on or off. In winter or if cutting something sappy, I run a little dish soap in the water. The water cools the blade as well as lubricates it.

That help?

Yes!! I can get a smaller pulley for the drive wheel and save a few $$. I was going to use a belt tightener as the clutch. If I were to run a less wide blade say 1" would I be able to use a smaller engine? By type of teeth I meant the shape of the tooth.

Thanks for the info!!!!!!!! ;-)))

Roy

 

[chaikwa]

I was going to use a belt tightener as the clutch.

I've seen that done on some mills and it seems to work, but every time I try to do it on something I've built I can never get enough 'looseness' in the belt to make whatever it runs come to a complete stop. I mean, if I just have a belt draped over the drive pulley with 3" of slack in it, the friction still being created makes it move.

Another thing I've seen done is that instead of using a belt tensioner, some will make the motor itself slide back and forth to tighten the belt. I *THINK* Norwood does this but I'm not sure.

If I were to run a less wide blade say 1" would I be able to use a smaller engine?

In theory, yes. But I've heard the smaller blades tend to wander in the cut easier too. Never tried it myself. When I built my mill, I wanted things to work correctly the first time and didn't want to be experimenting with different methods for weeks on end. That's why I bought a set of tried and true plans and just pretty much stuck to them. Now that I have more time, I'm doing a bit of experimenting, but nothing major. Yet.

By type of teeth I meant the shape of the tooth.

The best answer I can give you is it looks like a bandsaw mill tooth. I don't know how many, (if any), different designs there are for sawmill blades. I CAN tell you that the front of the tooth is pitched forward about 10 degrees, but that's about it.

 

[radroy92]

Hook angle?

What difference does the hook angle make on band blades? I read 4 degree is better for knotty wood rather than 7 or 10 degree. Can someone explain how this works?

Thanks,

Roy

 

[CooksSaw]

Roy,

Here is an article that might shed a little more insight on hook angle.
Bandsaw Blade Hook Angle

Hope that helps,
James
Cook's Saw Mfg.
Cook's Saw Manufacturing, LLC

 

[radroy92]

Hook Angle

Roy,

Here is an article that might shed a little more insight on hook angle.
Bandsaw Blade Hook Angle

Hope that helps,
James
Cook's Saw Mfg.
Cook's Saw Manufacturing, LLC

Thanks James! Great article.

Roy