Time has come to replace the original blade on my Ellis 1800 bandsaw. Trying to find the exact Ellis replacement blade locally has been in vain. Local shops carry Sandvick, Lennox, and some other name I’m forgetting. I don’t have a lot of experience with, or know that much about the different manufacturers, and their quality. Ellis claims to make their own (weld their own?), but they’re impossible to find locally, and Ellis won’t sell them directly. I suppose I could buy from an online vendor if needed. Any recommendations on which manufacturer to go with, or are they all comparable quality-wise. I know I want a bi-metal blade.
Metal bandsaw blades?
- Thread starter schurtjl
- Start date
cvairwerks
Well-known member
I get my blades from bandsawbladesdirect.com They are Lenox, and have both wood and metal blades. Last time I ordered, order on Thursday afternoon and at the door Tuesday morning.
metlmunchr
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2011
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- 1,280
I'd avoid Lenox. 10 years ago they were top notch, but in the interim they were bought by Irwin and started downhill. Then, 4 yrs ago, Stanley bought Irwin and it's real doubtful that helped the quality, yet the Lenox name still carries a premium price. Starrett is worse by far. If they've made a decent blade in the last 20 years, I haven't seen it, nor have any of several friends who are fellow shop owners.
I've run some Sandvik blades on my vertical bandsaw and they're one of the best I've used on that saw. Local saw shop carries Morse and Simonds blade stock. Good experience with both on my horizontal saws, and his prices are equal to or less than the "sale" prices from most any of the catalog sales places.
Sawblade.com has the cheapest prices I've seen. I've bought from them and the quality and delivery time has been good but overall I prefer to buy locally even if the price is a few bucks more.
Regardless of brand, a variable pitch blade works better than constant pitch. Also, pay attention to proper break in of the blade as it's really easy to break one or more teeth out of a new blade by feeding it too heavy.
I've run some Sandvik blades on my vertical bandsaw and they're one of the best I've used on that saw. Local saw shop carries Morse and Simonds blade stock. Good experience with both on my horizontal saws, and his prices are equal to or less than the "sale" prices from most any of the catalog sales places.
Sawblade.com has the cheapest prices I've seen. I've bought from them and the quality and delivery time has been good but overall I prefer to buy locally even if the price is a few bucks more.
Regardless of brand, a variable pitch blade works better than constant pitch. Also, pay attention to proper break in of the blade as it's really easy to break one or more teeth out of a new blade by feeding it too heavy.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Another vote for bandsawbladesdirect.com. I just placed another order a few weeks ago. Same great service and great blades as last time I ordered which was nearly 5 years ago. The Lennox blades that I have been using hold up great and perform fantastic.
readhead
Well-known member
We used Lennox almost exclusively. Had very good luck. Break in is important for long life.
Correct tooth count is very important also. Most people buy blades with to many teeth.
Correct tooth count is very important also. Most people buy blades with to many teeth.
Doug Arthurs
Well-known member
Try me sawsolutions.com We sell Amada blades.
dr_clyde
Well-known member
Amada makes the best band saw blades I have found, bar none.
jeepinerdeep
Well-known member
Good to know. I ordered a few Diemaster 2 blades from them on Sunday night. ( for my Femi ) I didn't know if they were legit.
James-W
Well-known member
If you have a local machine shop or fabrication shop nearby, go talk to them. Take your old blade with you and they can make you a new blade. They will no doubt have a large roll of bulk bandsaw blade material on hand and they will cut it and weld it and make any length blade that you need.
Jazz1
Well-known member
Check on saw shop in your area. Locally Ludwig saw shop makes our bandsaw blades cut to length and tooth count. Same price as store bought
matt_i
Well-known member
I have some Wikus blades which seem good. I got them over-length and welded them back to my specs.
They are of course limited in their life by my **** welding. I find its nearly impossible for a person with blade stock to make a good tooth form at the weld joint with a sidesaddle welder on a bandsaw. The tooth form is always too small or too large at the weld and each of those conditions eventually results in an oversized gullet that starts stripping teeth.
A blade made from a "production process" has that issue worked out in complement with the place they are sheared so the blade you get has a "perfect" tooth form at the weld joint, and consequently they last a lot longer.
They are of course limited in their life by my **** welding. I find its nearly impossible for a person with blade stock to make a good tooth form at the weld joint with a sidesaddle welder on a bandsaw. The tooth form is always too small or too large at the weld and each of those conditions eventually results in an oversized gullet that starts stripping teeth.
A blade made from a "production process" has that issue worked out in complement with the place they are sheared so the blade you get has a "perfect" tooth form at the weld joint, and consequently they last a lot longer.
I didn’t really have a reason for the Ellis blades other than I assumed they were high quality. My general purpose blade was shot and I needed another today so I ended up buying an Amana 4/6 for some of the heavier stuff I’m cutting. Wanted one in a 10/14 also. They only had that by Bahco (Easy Cut), which is made in the U.K. I broke both in, and they seem to cut really nice.
Thanks for all the advice, and ideas on where to buy them online, which I’ll probably utilize when I’m not so rushed to purchase. You definitely pay a premium to buy local.
Doug Arthurs
Well-known member
No way does ellis make their own blades.
Indexmill
Well-known member
Exactly this. You are over thinking it. MSC sells them.
RTM
Well-known member
If your saw is an oddball, these guys will custom make them. I use the Diemaster for re-sawing.
http://www.spectrumsupply.com/band-saw-blades.aspx
They will be moving to the JIS.com site May 1, so you’ll need a new link.
http://www.spectrumsupply.com/band-saw-blades.aspx
They will be moving to the JIS.com site May 1, so you’ll need a new link.
Last edited:
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I think you'll be pleased.
I run the Diemaster blade in a 1/2" wide by .025" (10/14) on my 20" vertical and the Classic in a 3/4" wide by .035" (10/14) on my horizontal. I've been happy with both over the past 5 or so years I've been using them.
Doug Arthurs
Well-known member
Doug Arthurs
Well-known member
I thought you guys might get a kick out of this. Here I am grinding one of our non-standard sizes. This blade measures 30'4"long by 2-5/8" wide. Material is .063 thick and it is a variable pitch 1.1/1.5 Amada Chipbreaker bLade. If anyone is interested I can shoot some video and pictures of the process we use.
Attachments
RTM
Well-known member
Oh, a couple of feet of that would make a mean manual resaw blade. If I was man enough to push it.
jeepinerdeep
Well-known member
Not to highjack, but there was some discussion in here about bandsawbladesdirect.
I ordered on the 9th, nothing shipped yet. Should I be concerned?
I may call to see if something is wrong later.
I ordered on the 9th, nothing shipped yet. Should I be concerned?
I may call to see if something is wrong later.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
It wouldn't hurt to call if your worried. I ordered mine about a month or so ago and it was about 8 or 9 days before I got any shipping information and then they showed up the next day on my doorstep.
jeepinerdeep
Well-known member
Oh cool OK. I'm still in the range then. If I don't hear anything by Wed, I'll call.
When I ordered my femi blades I picked up a couple portaband blades and others, want to make sure i'm not being held up because of those .
cvairwerks
Well-known member
Guess they've slowed down a little. The last time I ordered blades, it was on Thursday and had them 4 days later.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Yeah, same here a few years ago. My last order was right at the beginning of all of this chaos so I just assumed that was the delay. Luckily I reordered when I used my second to last and still had one of each left so not in a pinch. Learned my lesson on that many years ago. Reorder BEFORE you actually run out.
jeepinerdeep
Well-known member
Yeah, same here a few years ago. My last order was right at the beginning of all of this chaos so I just assumed that was the delay. Luckily I reordered when I used my second to last and still had one of each left so not in a pinch. Learned my lesson on that many years ago. Reorder BEFORE you actually run out.
No doubt. I went from 2 spares to nothing in 1 night due to a hard spot in a tubing weld seam! Wasn't pretty.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
What I've done is run the normal (and correct) SFPM speed for the material in which is being cut but I make lighter cuts and reduce the tension on the blade for the first few cuts and then slowly increase the tension until full tension is reached and then cut as normal. Watch specifically for vibrations and/or overheating, neither of which you want to introduce into a new blade.
Good stuff. never heard of this before. Thanks!