Replies

1. 
   Mike&L | Oct 21, 2006 05:46am | #1

   From Itura, of course.  Google them for their phone number (no web site) and call them.  They'll sell you one on the phone and send you a nice catalog.

    

2. 
   bufun | Oct 21, 2006 01:57pm | #2

   Retire. Timberwolf blades tennsion visually by a flutter test, they made a big difference in my bandsaw and allowed my work to advance. I think visual tension is a cheap way to go for heavy handed folks who try to tension blades with thier index fingers.

   GoodWorkings-bufun

3. 
   Jfrostjr | Oct 21, 2006 03:42pm | #3

   Before you spend money on a tension gauge, Google "Timberwolf" or Suffolk Machinery and read their description of the visual, "flutter method". It works.

   Frosty

4. 
   forestgirl | Oct 21, 2006 07:36pm | #4

   Iturra's phone number is 888-722-7078.  If you happen to be using Timberwolf blades (a great way to go, especially on 14" saws), you can and should use the flutter test rather than a tension gauge.  Go here to read instructions.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   

5. 
   PeteBradley | Oct 21, 2006 08:41pm | #5

   > Are tension guages necessary?

   A lot of people (most?) quickly develop a feel for what the right tension is. The flutter method works well to get you started. Save your money for bands or wood.

   Pete

1. 
   daryl | Oct 22, 2006 04:58pm | #6

   The flutter method works well with low tension Timberwolf blades, especially with 14" and similar bandsaws. Heavier Euro-style saws, such as MiniMax and Laguna are designed to produce high tension cuts. I have a MM 16, and can tell you that a Lennox carbide blade produces a much better cut at the tension it is designed for (25ooo psi) than a Timberwolf at low tension when flutter tested. However, you can't produce that much tension in a typical 14" bandsaw, no matter how you soup it up. It's beyond it's design scope.SO if you have a large Euro style steel cabinet saw, designed for ehavy tension, then spend the extra bucks and get the guage. Along with the proper blade. Why spend thousands on a saw and get a poor blade. Do you use a stamped steel Oldham blade on a Powermatic 66?

1. 
   Scrit | Oct 23, 2006 03:32am | #7

   As a user of a 28in Agazanni and a 16in Wadkin both of which get used with Lenox Trimaster blades I cannot fault your logic. My smaller saw is all cast iron and really can tension a thick-bodied TCT blade unlike the average 14in or 16in saw so a gauge is a necessity. I have a Starrett gauge (an indulgence) but the Iturra is a good design at a bargain price. If you use a larger/heavier saw you can't afford to be without a proper tension gauge, especially if your aim is to slice veneers or tenons.

   Scrit

2. 
   PeteBradley | Oct 23, 2006 05:51am | #8

   My original post started with "if you're a hobbyist...". I took it out because a fair number of people whose livelihood depends on their machines don't use gauges. I know the Minimax manual recommends that the band wbe detensioned henever the machine is not in use. Not having experience with euro-stype saws, I'm curious -- do you detension every time and do you use your gauge every time you re-tension?Pete

   Edited 10/22/2006 10:54 pm ET by PeteBradley

1. 
   daryl | Oct 23, 2006 05:55am | #9

   No. What I did was tape a blank index card next to the tension meter that came with the saw. Those are always useless, but it gave me a hairline to follow. I then marked what the proper tension on the blades I do use should be. So then I know that it is good for a long while. Until the balde goes or stretches anyway. My two prime blades are lennox tri-masters, a 1/2" and 1". I use the 1" for large wide boards for resawing and such.

3. 
   wyo | Oct 23, 2006 04:08pm | #11

   Interestingly, Grizzly recommends the "flutter method" for tensioning blades on their bandsaws as well.

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 24, 2006 01:26am | #13

   "Interestingly, Grizzly recommends the "flutter method" for tensioning blades on their bandsaws as well."  I think they started shipping their saws with Timberwolf blades either late last year or early this year.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   wyo | Oct 24, 2006 03:09am | #14

   forestgirl,Thanks for the update, did not know that.I'm taking delivery of a 19" Grizzly bandsaw (G0514X) tomorrow.I ordered two woodslicer blades (1/2" and 3/4") from Highland Hardware.It looks like I'll have a few good blades to get started with.regards,wyo

2. 
   forestgirl | Oct 24, 2006 04:50am | #15

   They've been selling TW blades for awhile, and I've heard of a few that were shipped with thim.  Let us know what you get!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

6. 
   Quickstep | Oct 23, 2006 06:13am | #10

   I got the Iturra tension gauge and find that I get better results on operations like resawing when the tension is tuned in just right. I also got urethane tires which make a BIG difference.

1. 
   PeteBradley | Oct 23, 2006 06:51pm | #12

   > I also got urethane tires which make a BIG difference.What difference do you see? What was the condition of the tires you replaced? Did you change anything else at the same time? It's not clear to me how the band would see much difference between two properly configured tires but please educate me.Pete

1. 
   Quickstep | Oct 28, 2006 09:44am | #16

   The urethane tires run moe smoothly and appear to transmit power to the blade more effectively. They also stay cleaner than the rubber tires.

2. 
   Don01 | Oct 29, 2006 06:02am | #19

   I have difficulty understanding how a gauge will help getting the right tension. Right for what. My blades talk about advances in manufacturing requiring reduced tension. Tension is based on the flutter test.How much reduction and from what initial tension?
   Do you set the tension for walnut different from teak?Do you always set the tension at 6000 or 8000 or about 7000?What does the gauge do that 6 or 8 or 15 turns of the handle won't tell you if you do it often enough? I read th John White article in FW a few years back. At first I thought he had something, but given the 2 mfrs I use have no published data, what is the point. Crank it up,crank it down - the saw will tell you.John White discussed the tensioning issue in another forum and conceded that most bandsaw problems hve little to do with tension. The range of aceptable tension is quite large.Don

1. 
   Scrit | Oct 29, 2006 04:09pm | #21

   "I have difficulty understanding how a gauge will help getting the right tension. Right for what. My blades talk about advances in manufacturing requiring reduced tension. Tension is based on the flutter test."

   Blade tension is effectively a measure of rigidity. And if you are talking figures a 1-1/4in Lenox Trimaster 3 sawblade requires a tension of 25,000 lbs to reach "optimum beam strength" (that tension would probably rip the weld apart on a thin 3/16in blade). When you start talking in those figures the species is immaterial. Hand tightening won't give you anything like an accurate tension any more than standing by the road and estimating the speed of cars will tell you how fast they are actually going. But that's for resawing, a very different proposition to sawing curved, etc

   Scrit

7. 
   Don01 | Oct 28, 2006 04:30pm | #17

   My brother in law design a cute little handle that we screwed to the hand wheel of our saws. Much like the old suicide knobs we use to put on our steering wheels. Ours uses a golf ball. You can crank up the tension to what you feel the job needs in no time and you can de tension the blade in no time. The big saws have this, most 14" do not.
   Michael Fortune's 5 Tips for Better Bandsawing written in FW 173 are all you need to get good performance from your tool.

   Don

1. 
   PeteBradley | Oct 28, 2006 05:54pm | #18

   > Michael Fortune's 5 Tips for Better Bandsawing written in FW 173 are all you need to get good performance from your tool...Oh no, you need much more than that!! Listen to all the advice on the internet, get a bunch of catalogs, and start buying "upgrades" of all sorts! ;-)Pete
   (getting back to work on a machine that has curiously managed to do an outstanding job for 60 years with rubber tires, steel guide blocks, and all the factory parts)

   Edited 10/28/2006 11:00 am ET by PeteBradley

1. 
   Don01 | Oct 29, 2006 06:08am | #20

   Pete,Michael recomends setting the guide and thrust bearing gap a cigarette paper and a dollar bill. In Canada both of these measuring tools are almost extinct. What will we do?Don

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 29, 2006 06:18pm | #22

   "In Canada both of these measuring tools are almost extinct. What will we do?"  A Post-It Note!  Has the added advantage of being able to stick to itself after you fold it around the blade, LOL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   PeteBradley | Oct 30, 2006 02:24am | #23

   > Michael recommends setting the guide and thrust bearing gap a cigarette paper and a dollar bill. In Canada both of these measuring tools are almost extinct. What will we do?

   This is indeed serious, but there's still hope that the catalogs will come out with a specialized product for the purpose. I can see the description now:

   Made to our specifications, this band saw paper is the finest available. Laser-cut from surgical-grade mylar with a tolerance of .0001", our band saw paper is far superior to dollar bills for setting guide blocks. Colored safety orange for easier inspection. The only choice for the serious woodworker.

   Pete

   Edited 10/29/2006 9:51 pm ET by PeteBradley

1. 
   dgreen | Oct 30, 2006 02:29am | #24

   How about a sheet of single ply toilet paper? Easier to find than cigarette paper and a higher exchange value than the dollar.------------------------------------

    The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer (1891)