Skookum Rebeccah

How to Choose the Right Bandsaw Blade for MetalMetal is not impressed by the most expensive blade on the rack. It wants the right blade for the job.Thin-wall tubing and a six-inch solid bar may both be mild steel, but they should not be cut with the same TPI. A fine blade can pack with chips in a large solid. A coarse blade can hammer through thin tubing with too few teeth engaged and strip them off.To choose the right metal-cutting bandsaw blade, consider:The metal and its hardnessWhether the workpiece is solid, tubing, pipe, a profile or a bundleHow much metal the blade passes through at one..

How to Choose the Right Bandsaw Blade for WoodThe best bandsaw blade for wood is not necessarily the most expensive one—or the one with the most teeth. It is the one that matches the cut.A narrow, flexible blade can follow a tight curve through plywood. A wide, coarse blade can track straight while resawing an eight-inch hardwood board. Ask either blade to do the other one’s job and you are likely to get heat, wandering and frustration.To choose the right blade, consider:The cut you are makingThe type and thickness of the woodThe tightest radius you need to cutThe blade dimensions your saw can..

Double-Ended End Mills: What Are They and When Should You Use One? When selecting an end mill, getting the right cutting geometry is only part of the equation. Tool reach, rigidity, flute count and overall value can all affect which option makes the most sense for the job. For many shallow milling applications, a double-ended end mill offers a practical advantage: two usable cutting ends on a single tool. Once one end reaches the end of its usable life, the tool can be flipped to provide a fresh cutting end. That sounds simple—and it is—but double-ended end mills aren’t automatically ..

Why Clean Cuts Matter (and how to tell when your tool is the problem)Clean cuts aren’t just about looks – they’re about efficiency, accuracy, and protecting your equipment.Whether you’re working with wood or metal, the quality of your cut affects everything that comes after it. Tear-out, burn marks, chatter, and rough finishes don’t just slow you down – they cost time, material, and patience.The tricky part? Many makers assume these issues are caused by machine setup or technique. While that can sometimes be true, the culprit is often much simpler: your cutting tool is worn, mismatch..

Global Carbide Supply Disruptions – What It Means for End Mill PricingIf you’ve been buying carbide tooling lately, you’ve probably heard the same thing from suppliers across the industry: prices are moving fast.The reason isn’t speculation or market hype. It’s a real and rapidly developing global supply issue tied directly to tungsten — the key raw material used to produce carbide tooling like end mills, drills, and burrs.Here’s a clear look at what’s happening, why carbide prices are rising, and what we’re doing at Skookum Tools to manage the impact.Carbide Rod Prices Are Rising at Unprecede..

Common End Mill MistakesAnd Best Practices That Prevent ThemIf you’re snapping end mills, fighting chatter, or burning edges, chances are it’s not bad luck — it’s a small setup or specification issue that compounds fast.Even experienced machinists run into the same end mill problems over and over. The difference between short tool life and consistent performance usually comes down to a few avoidable mistakes.Here’s what commonly goes wrong — and what works better instead.Mistake #1: Using Too Many Flutes for the MaterialUsing more flutes can look like the better choice on paper, ..