Fiberglass Bow / Bandsaw Blades

[MoeM]

Originally posted by Roy from Pa:

I did not care at all for the Rigid sander and gave mine away after about 3 months.

So it`s OK I guess  

[dfrois]

Canadabowyer, did you get the small trimaster blade welded to measure? I ask because I have never seen thick/wide blades sold for small bandsaws, but some places weld them to measure. But you're right,bandsaw blade's width/thickness has a direct relation to how small a wheel it can be used on. One of the reasons for avoiding small comercial bandsaws (9-10") is that they have to use very thin blades to avoid metal fatigue bending around those small wheels. And, of course, thin blades bend more, and reach breakage distortion with smaller loads than thicker, wider blades. You left me worried thinking about it. My bandsaw uses blades for 16" commercial saws, but my wheels are only 12.5"...should have made them bigger. Perhaps on the next bandsaw...oh, wait..this is getting to be more and more like bowbuilding!  

Is that Tri-Master carbide-tipped?

DF

[Canadabowyer]

dfrois, yes I had the blade made up for the small saw.And yes the tri-master is carbide tipped and resharpenable.Weather it would work OK with a 12 1/2" wheel I don't know. I went from 10" up to 17" wheels.Maybe someone here who has a 14" saw can tell us if they work with that size.  Bob

[dfrois]

Thanks for the info, Bob. I did a little more research, and I am no longer worried about my blades breaking. It turns out the size I use (82 2/2) is for some 12" saw, no longer made. There was a Delta 16" listed as using that size, but it turns out it was a 3-wheel model! So, my wheels are about right. The Toolcenter site has blades listed by size, and the Lenox Tri-Master only appears on the sizes above 72 1/2: 1/2" wide, 3TPI, 0.025 gauge. Now I can hope to have one someday...

DF

[LITTELLE]

THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO GUYS, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!

[Troy D. Breeding]

When I looked at the sight for the Tri-Master blades my first thought was "Holy Cow them puppies are pricey". After hearing the results some of you are getting and how long they last, I may have to give one a try. Most of the blades I've been using only last afew weeks at best. Broke my last good blade afew weeks ago and ran down to one of the local building box stores to picked up a cheapie just to get finished. It didn't make it thru the day cutting veneers before it was so dull it started burning wood.

Troy

[dfrois]

Well, feedback on the Tri-MAster is excellent. Some people are building furniture professionally, and using the same Tri-Master for several years  :eek:  Others say they cut as nothing else, especially resawing, and they even require less horsepower than lesser blades. Really, the only downside seems to be the price, but the consensus on the wooodworking community is that the return on investment is better than anything else...however, this is just hear-say. I never had one, but I have carbide-tipped tablesaw blades, and I believe it is true. And, compared to the price of Freud tablesaw blades, the prices on the Tri-Master, or the Resaw King from Laguna (same kind of blade)don't seem that absurd...

DF

[LC]

I don't know I just cut out my third glass bow using the same $14 3/8" 4 tooth skip blade. Seems like it still has several bows left in it. If I made a lot of bows in a year or even professional no doubt I'd buy a high dollar blade. Heck still might. I don't understand how you guys are cutting out glass bows just by grinding. I can see grinding the limbs to shape but how do you cut out the sight window, handle shape etc?

[dfrois]

Well, like many others, I have looked at several of the wonderful buildalongs here, and pick up bits of info, and techniques, to use. One of them was to use the drill press as a vertical mill, and put a milling bit on it. Then, laying the riser on its side, you slide it underneath the milling bit and take a bit at a time. This keeps the sight window perfectly parallel to the side of the riser, and allows the transition, on the bottom of the window, to be done with a radius, rather than a sharp angle. Usually, I only use this for the finishing passes, and cut the bulk of the material with a handsaw or a chisel. That`s only one way to do it, there are several...I`ll try to find the source of this technique to post here.

DF

[MoeM]

I think I saw the handsaw&chisel technique for window/shelf in jsweka`s hillstyle BA- I tried it and love it. Only thing I`ll try next time is using the tablesaw and an overlay back  of the window to prevent the Glass from splintering. (If cut belly to back...)
I`ve also tried a router but it was partially even liftig the glass.

[dfrois]

The mill bits I use are Tungsten carbide rotary burrs. There is one that is perfectly cilyndrical in shape, and another similar one, but ending in a ball shape. Those are the ones I have used most. They are made for soft metals, so wood doesn't damage them, and they are great for cutting just a bit at a time, and shaping curves in one plane only. Be careful, sometimes they grab the wood and yank the piece, and your hand with it, into the bit. The teeth on these bits are very sharp and agressive, but as they are only less than a millimeter high, they will only ever do a surface wound...but it's painful! I think you know how I know...I found that keeping the speed high and the grinding pressure low, grabbing the piece well, and using thick leather gloves, it will be fine, and does really allow control of the process.