Saw Mill Blades

In most cases, the best blade to use is a "Quicksilver Wood Mill Blade".

What kind of steel are these sawmill blades made of?
These blades are made from carbon steel and come in 1" and 1-1/4" wide materials. 

What's the difference between these sawmill blades and regular industrial bandsaw blades?
What makes them stand out from other blades is that they have a 7º hook angle which gives them more "bite" when cutting through full logs of wood.

Should I use a Carbide Tipped Blade?
For milling, no I would not recommend carbide tipped blades. Carbide is actually quite brittle and will break if your saw experiences vibration or if you happen to hit a nail embedded in the wood. This can be quite costly as a carbide tipped blade is typically 10x the price of our Quicksilver Wood Mill Blades.

How long a bandsaw blade lasts relies on many factors. You want to make sure your blade has the proper tooth pitch, can chip eject properly and isn't creating too much heat from friction.

What tooth pitch should a sawmill have?
A sawmill blade should have between 1 and 2 TPI (teeth per inch). The most common tooth pitches are 3/4 and 7/8. This refers to the amount of space between each tooth. A 3/4 pitch blade has a tooth every 3/4" and a 7/8 pitch blade has a 7/8" spacing between each tooth.

What is "chip ejecting" and how can I make sure my blade does it properly?
Chip ejection refers to the expulsion of the wood chips that get trapped in the gullet of your blade teeth. If your blade is not chip ejecting properly, the wood chips will block part of the cutting edge of your blade's teeth. This causes more friction and heat while cutting. To improve your blade's chip ejection, you can apply a lubricant prior to cutting or use a flooding/air blasting system to clear the blade teeth.

Using a specific bandsaw blade sharpener is the best way to sharpen a blade. It's a standalone machine that sharpens bandsaw blades and re-sets the teeth to the proper setting.

How do you sharpen a sawmill blade by hand?
There are YouTube tutorials that go over sharpening blades with hand files, angle grinders and other tools; but the real disadvantage to these methods is that you don't have a way to reset your blade's teeth. 

How many times can a sawmill blade be sharpened?
A sawmill blade can be sharpened 2 to 3 times before needing to replace it. However, there are other factors to consider when determining the life of a blade. General fatigue in the band itself can play a role in your blade's life expectancy.

How do you know when to replace a blade vs getting it sharpened?
A blade that is simply dull can be spotted by shining a light on the tooth. If you get a reflection, the blade is dull. A truly sharp tooth will not reflect much light. When inspecting your blade for wear and tear, keep an eye out for small fractures in the band and in the tooth gullets. If you see any fractures, it's time to replace the blade.

The 2 most reliable ways to find the measurement of a sawmill blade are to either measure an old blade, or measure the saw itself.

How do you measure an old bandsaw blade?
Starting at the weld, place the end of your measuring tape so it lands right on the weld making sure the teeth are pointing away from the direction you are about to go. You don’t need to keep the end of the tape on the weld as long as you never lose contact between the blade and the measuring tape. Keep moving over the blade about a foot at a time until you come back to the weld. The measurement when you get back to the weld will be the length for your bandsaw.

How do you measure a bandsaw or saw mill?
Set your bandsaw wheels in working position and either wrap masking tape or tie a string around the loop where the blade will go. Make sure it is nice and tight. Remove the tape or string, cut it and lay it out flat to measure the length.