Bandsaw Blade for circles

[Bigdog72]

What is the best blade size to use for cutting circles on a bandsaw?

 

[ehpoole]

It will all depend on what size circle -- as in the turn radius -- you are trying to cut. It will also depend on what the minimum blade size is for your bandsaw.

My primary resawing blade is a 1" blade, but it can only make very large curves due to its width. I also have 1/2" and 1/4" blades that I use when cutting curves. For my 18" bandsaw, 1/4" is the smallest recommended blade size because tracking a narrower blade can become difficult on large bandsaws because they have very little wheel crown.

If you have a 14" bandsaw you may be able to drop down to as small as a 3/16" or even 1/8" blade. But, in general, you want to use the widest blade that will allow the turn radius you need to complete your turn. Many bandsaws and blade manufacturers publish tables that indicate the minimum turn radius for a given width blade -- in fact on my Rikon 10-345 bandsaw it is permanently affixed to the bandsaw's lower wheel cover on a large label.

 

[Howard Acheson]

For a chart of blade cutting radius go here: http://www.woodworkersguide.com/2008/01/23/bandsaw-blade-radius-chart/

 

[Joe Scharle]

Geoff, I cut 2" wheels with a 1/4" blade. The trick is to round over the back of your blade. Woodcraft even sells a special stone for the purpose. With the square back of the blade rounded, the blade doesn't try to bind as quickly.