Bandsaw blades

[malcy]

I use Hamilton Beaverstock also and have had no problems. Cannot say whether they are better or worse than any other make as I only use them. Malcolm.

[bodrighywood]

Just ordered some blades from Tuff saws, hope they live up to the recommendations lol

Pete

[Ryan Davenport AWGB]

Yes personally I think they are well worth the extra cost, I would say they roughly last around 10-14 times longer than standard blades.
As previously stated I used it to cut a fair amount of chequer plate and the blade was just as sharp as when it was new, in fact I'm still on the same blade I brought 2 years ago and it doesn't seem to have lost hardly any cutting ability.
The blades are also cut to length by Ian who  guarantees the weld for life ( my blade length is 96 inches which are quite a hard size to obtain)
I would recommend an M42 and a sabrecut for thicker stock, Ian's blades really do transform the bandsaw. I use mine at least 4-5 times per week too!
Feel free to contact me for further information.
www.tuffsaws.co.uk

[Ryan Davenport AWGB]

Pete
I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. It really did transform by saw

[MCB]

Yes personally I think they are well worth the extra cost, I would say they roughly last around 10-14 times longer than standard blades.
As previously stated I used it to cut a fair amount of chequer plate and the blade was just as sharp as when it was new, in fact I'm still on the same blade I brought 2 years ago and it doesn't seem to have lost hardly any cutting ability.
The blades are also cut to length by Ian who  guarantees the weld for life ( my blade length is 96 inches which are quite a hard size to obtain)
I would recommend an M42 and a sabrecut for thicker stock, Ian's blades really do transform the bandsaw. I use mine at least 4-5 times per week too!
Feel free to contact me for further information.
www.tuffsaws.co.uk

I  didn't realise that bandsaw could  be used with same blade to cut Aluminium.

That's very helpful

MC

[Ryan Davenport AWGB]

MC
Make sure it is on the lowest speed for aluminium, you can buy specific blades for metal work but it does depend on your bandsaws capabilities, The blade I used was the M42 blade but the one I used was supposed to be used for wood but as I previously stated I used it for the chequer plate with success, I have even used the same blade for PCB boards, PVC pipe, Perspex and acrylic.
Just think safety first 😉 
Kindest Regards

[Paul Hannaby]

The teeth form on metal blades is different to that of wood blades and the optimum blade will have three teeth in contact at any time so for sheet metal, much more teeth per inch would be preferable.
Also, some bandsaws don't have multiple speeds so those that don't are probably unsuitable for cutting metal.

[GBF]

I would not use mine for cutting metal as I would not want little shards of metal getting in the rubber tyres and the possibility of bits of metal getting in or on my wood.
If I want metal cut there are lots of little engineering companies about glad to do it

Regards George

[fuzzyturns]

Paul is quite correct: most metal cutting blades have 10 tpi or more, and especially for cutting sheet metal you would want more like 16 tpi or more. Also, metal cutting speeds are much lower than wood cutting speeds.
I have a metal cutting bandsaw with 3 gears, and in highest gear with the coarsest blades I have (10tpi) I can cut wood OK, but it's no comparison to a proper wood bandsaw.
In an emergency situation this may work, but I wouldn't recommend it, and if you do it, feed the sheet in very carefully, otherwise you'll rip teeth out of your blade.