I was lucky enough to score a 14" bandsaw made by Rikon, right before all the Woodworkers Warehouse stores closed up, It's got a 1 1/2 hp motor, 2 speeds.... accepts up to a 3/4" blade. Granted it does run alittle fast for cutting metal, which I'm going to gear it up to change that very soon. But believe it or not, I've had some of the best Bi-metalic blades made ... by Starrett, Lenox... the $ 28 to $35 blades..etc. and they didn't last near as long as a plain old carbon blade of between 6 -10 tpi. I'm also primarily cutting aluminum, but I've cut up to 1 + inch solid plate 6061 with no issues on a carbon blade. Once I get the speed down in the 80 - 220 fpm range... I'll have to see if there's a difference then. I've found that when the blade is running too fast, the teeth clog up with AL, and it can turn into a dangerous situation quickly if you don't realize what has happened.
just my .02
-Art |