Hello Everyone!
With a Laguna 24″ bandsaw as my “dream saw”, I unfortunately had to get the little 10″ benchtop craftsman bandsaw due to economical reasons. For the price, the saw performed extremely well. Unfortunately, the blades for the saw is a very dreaded number: 70 1/2″. No bandsaw blade manufactor caries this size except through custom welding which limits my brand and size selections. This got me thinking. The next standard bandsaw blade size is 72″, a difference of 1 1/2″. Can I do this? If I can, this will save me alot of money and really widen my blade possibilities. Thanks Guys(and blokes)
Peter
Replies
Peter, that's one thing I'm attuned to with Sears' stuff. My wife got me this nifty little Sears / Craftsman lamp to attach to the side of my bandsaw that seems to fall in a shadowed area of my shop. Turns out, it does not come with a light bulb. And Sears sells the only light bulb that will fit it. Stuff like this just pisses me off.
You can try it, but you'll probably find that you can't raise the blade tensioning mechanism high enough to tension the blade before something binds up. The saw is so limited in capacity that just a few blades should cover your needs, what are you trying to get that Sears can't supply?
John White
Suffolk Machinery will provide plenty of choices in your size blade. Yes, they're custom, but many choices and a good price (and excellent, low-tension blade for that little saw). Click here to see the chart. Their site is so full of info, it's often easier to call and get them to help you select the right blade configuration the first time around.
FG gave you one option, another is Olsen. They have a decently wide variety of blade stock available as well and will cut and weld to your length. I don't think there's any cost difference in doing so either. You just have to tell them which blade stock and how long. If you happen to have anyone nearby who deals in them their catalog will give them all the specifics on exactly how to order, and it isnt hard.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
Sunbelt (Sunbelt Industrial?) will make ANY length of blade for a very reasonable price. They do offer many tooth patterns and blade widths as well. I keep their 'furniture' blade on for everything from resawing to curves and love it. Fifteen bucks for 137".
Brian
I just noticed that Highland Woodworking stocks their 1/2" Wood Slicer blade in the 70 1/2" length.
-Steve
Now this is far out, but. Depending on how your saw is constructed, you may be able to add a 3/4"-1" riser block so you can accommodate standard blades.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
There's really no such thing as a "standard" size. Sure, woodworking stores carry some premade bands for common machines, but bands welded to length are readily available. There will be someone in your area who welds them, and you can order from Consitution Saw, Suffolk, or many other suppliers.
Pete
Well put, Pete. It's hard to understand any consternation about band saw blade size. Any decent company will cut to size.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
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