What bandsaw blade?

Turns out that bandsaw blades are made in very long lengths (10m+), then cut to length and welded into a loop. I don't have the equipment to weld them myself, but there are companies like www.justbandsawblades.co.uk who will weld custom lengths for you. I can choose any blade 6-13mm width.

It seems that I need to choose the the number of teeth by the thickness of the material. This is quoted as TPI. There need to be between 2 and 10 teeth in the material at once. I sometimes cut 1/8" angle. This is cut at 45°, so that's 3/16'. I guess that's 12-60 TPI. If I cut 20mm stock, I need 2.5-25 TPI. It seems like my actual choices are 14TPI or 24TPI. I don't cut 20mm stock very often, so it makes sense that's the outer limit of the blade. That means 24TPI.

I asked the helpful guys at Axminster, and they suggested 24TPI two, which is re-assuring, but I actually bought the blade from justbandsawblades.co.uk. Sadly I haven't got it yet.

The blade guide upgrade won't fit, so I'm going to try to make one. I think I can do it without getting the milling spindle. There will be more parts, but because it is all adjustable, precision isn't really an issue.


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