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I own a generic taiwanese-made 14" bandsaw. It is
a classic OEM style design that many tool companies have had
their name printed on and sold under their own label, in fact.
Indeed, I have tracked the origin of my saw and it was likely
made in the same factory as some of the more well name branded
models, and perhaps is even exactly the same! Nonetheless,
whatever bandsaw you have, it is only as good as the blades you
put on it, and when it comes to the standard blade supplied in
the box with most new 14" bandsaws, just make sure the trash can
is near when you pull it out of the box, because that is where
most of them should live.
I have read many reviews of 14" bandsaws online
from saw owners and a lot of the issues and problems raised by
these owners can be directly attributed to their use of the
included blade they received in the package. As mentioned, most
of these belong in the trash. They are often far from sharp, do
not often track well on the wheels and mostly seem to be an
after-thought in the books of the manufacturer. Do yourself a
favor and order at least one good quality bandsaw blade when you
order your new bandsaw. A decent blade makes a world of
difference to your cut quality and experience with the bandsaw.
A seemingly poor quality bandsaw can be transformed into an
efficient and user-firendly cutting machine simply by changing
the blade.
This was my experience when I bought my 14"
bandsaw many years ago, and since then I have been using quality
blades on it with very good cutting results. I wanted to add a
few finer cutting blades to my saw recently and also add a wide
ripping blade, and since I found some Jet blades on special, I
thought I would give them a try.
JET 709359 Bandplus
Premium Bandsaw Blade 3/4-Inchx93-1/2-Inch 3 TPI
The Jet 709359 blade is sized to fit
all Jet 14" bandsaws as well as many other brand saws as well.
Some 14" saws are not made to run 3/4" wide blades, but my saw
can handle them without too much trouble. This bandsaw blade
offers three teeth per inch. This number is important as it
dictates the type of cutting the blade is most suited for. The
width of the blade (from front of tooth to back of blade) is
also important. The width determines, basically, how tight a
radius can be cut (if you want to cut curves on the saw) as well
as how much potential for blade flex there may be during a cut.
The number of teeth be inch will determine cutting speed as well
as cut efficiency and how clean a cut edge can be produced with
the blade. This Jet blade is primarily a resawing blade for
straight ripping cuts. The 3 TPI configuration allows it to cut
quickly and aggressively in both green and seasoned material,
with a good ability to remove cut material from the kerf (the
blade has deep gullets). Because of it's width, it tends to
reduce blade wander as opposed to a thinner blade, but how
effective this is does depend greatly on how well the blade and
blade guides on the saw are set up.
The blade itself is made from "specially
formulated alloy". Now, who knows exactly what that alloy is,
however it doesn't seem much different to the other stack of
blades I already have, but you can take heart in the fact that
it is specially formulated. Whether or not that makes them any
better than any other is yet to be decided, or known!
The teeth are hardened and tempered for a longer
lasting, sharper cutting edge, but as a result they probably
cannot be re-sharpened, so once they become dull, the blade is a
throw-away item. The teeth are ground and milled and then
consistently set to the required parameters by the manufacturer.
The measure of a good blade can be seen by not just how well it
cuts, but by how well it runs in a bandsaw. Low levels of
vibration and true running over bandsaw wheels indicate a
well-made and machined blade.
This Jet 709359 blade does run quite well on my
bandsaw. Being a "Premium" labeled saw, I would expect nothing
less than the best from this blade. After all, Jet does have a
good reputation for quality products. In my testing, I found the
blade to cut quite well indeed in ripping and resawing tasks in
both green and seasoned wood. It runs true and exhibits quite a
low level of vibration. It will cut well and remain relatively
true when resawing logs at full depth capacity, which is about
150mm on my 14" bandsaw. You do have to slow things down for a
full depth cut using this larger blade, especially if you have
anything less than a 1 Hp motor on your 14" saw. Nonetheless it
will get the job done.
I have heard reports of this blade dulling quite
quickly from other owners. My experience is not the same. While
I haven't really noticed any difference between the durability
of this blade and other higher end blades, I can't say at this
stage that I expect this blade will outperform any others by a
long way. Indeed it will hold its edge quite well, especially if
the blade is left to cut at its own pace and not forced through
a hard cut (perhaps the most common cause of premature blade
wear), and I expect this blade to last for quite a while before
it becomes unusable. With a properly tuned bandsaw and good
cutting technique, the blade does deliver a reasonably good
surface finish. It will require additional work to clean up of
course (I haven't seen a bandsaw cut yet that doesn't) but the
result is quite reasonable in the overall scheme of things. This
isn't a fine cutting blade by any means. It is a blade for
heavier ripping and resawing and the blade takes quite a load in
the process. I have found the use of a
bandsaw blade lubricant
to be effective in improving cutting performance, reducing heat
buildup on the blade through fiction, and ultimately extending
the life of my bandsaw blades. For about a fiver ($5) the blade
lube stick is a good investment in my opinion.
Overall I am quite happy with the Jet 709359
blade. I do think there are better blades on the market, but if
you can get this one at a reasonable price then it is worth
trying out for your heavier ripping/resawing needs.
JET 709354 Bandplus Premium Bandsaw Blade
1/4-Inch x 93-1/2-Inch 6 TPI
This was another blade from the Bandplus Premium line I had
purchased. It is made from the same material and with the same
methods as the larger 3/4" wide blade, but since this one is on
1/4" wide it can handle much tighter radius cuts. I use this one
for cutting curves in furniture feet or trim work, and it even
handles coping cuts well too (I'm remodeling the house at the
moment). It has 6 teeth per inch instead of three, so it
produces a finer finish, but because of its size, it is less
successful at cutting thicker material, but will happily cut up
to 2 inch material with good accuracy and user control. A fair
quality blade for finer work requiring curve cuts and cleaner
edges.
Jet 709589 Silicon Steel Hook Tooth Band saw
Blade 3/8-Inchx 93-1/2-Inch 6TPI
One of the other blades I purchased is from a slightly
different blade line. It is a 3/8" blade with 6 teeth per inch.
This size blade generally sees the most use on my bandsaw. It is
good for both straight cutting and more coarse curve cutting
work (with larger radii) and can handle resawing reasonably well
too. A good all-around choice if you dislike changing blades
regularly, although for work on either end of the spectrum, i.e.
heavy resawing or fine scroll cutting, switching to a more
suitable blade for these tasks will obviously produce better
results.
The band blade body contains more silicone than
regular steel bandsaw blades, and the idea here is that more
silicone will produce less friction resulting in less heat
build-up, which should result in longer blade life and prevent
premature dulling of blade teeth. The theory seems to work well.
I would have to say these blades last just as long as the
Premium line above, although it is difficult to compare this
without some serious scientific experimentation, so take my
observation with a grain of salt. These blades have hardened steel edges as well,
but also claim to have a flexible middle to allow better blade
conformation to the bandsaw wheels. I can't see much difference
between these and my other non-Jet blades of the same size. They
all seem to conform well to me and run quite true. They are no
worse than any of my other blades, so that is certainly a good
thing. If anything, these blades do seem to run a little cooler
than my other blades as my blade lube doesn't seem to melt as
readily during heavier cuts, indicating the blade is quite
possibly running cooler during a heavy cut.
Overall I am quite happy with the Silicon Steel
3/8" blade. It is the only blade I have from this particular
Silicone steel line, but I do plan on getting a few more of
varying sizes in the future.
Conclusion
I wont go as far as saying these are the best bandsaw blades
available anywhere. However, they are of high quality and do
offer good value for money. If you can find them at a good
price, then they offer even better value. These blades will fit
other popular 14" model bandsaws like Delta, Powermatic, Grizzly
etc.
As with any blade, take care not to force the
blade to cut, but rather, force yourself to be patient and allow
the blade to cut at its own speed, carefully guiding the
material through a cut with light pressure against the blade.
This will not only prolong the life of your blade, but will also
take the load off your machinery, prolong its life too!
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Available to
Order through these Companies...
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their direct product page for this item |
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In the USA |
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Jet Bandplus Premium Bandsaw Blades for 14"
Bandsaws |
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Jet Silicone Steel Blades for 14" Bandsaws |
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Jet Bandsaw Blades for Larger Bandsaws |
Jet Bandsaw Blades Full Range |
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