From what I can glean reading opinions on the subject, the recommended bandsaw blade for resawing seems to be a 1/2 ” 3tpi …why not a one inch blade with the same configuration…and what about the tooth shape …there is at least 3 shapes, which is best?
Neil
Replies
Neil,
I think that the reason a 1/2" blade is generally recommended is that most 14" bandsaws are unable to accept or properly tension a blade any wider. I am sure you are aware that the wider the blade, the straighter the cuts will be.
I could try to recite what I have learned about bandsaw theory, but I'll leave it to Suffok Machinery. Visit their site. On the left hand side, under Timber Wolf Blades -> Vertical Woodcutting Band Saws you'll find a wealth of information. This page is the most relavent to your question http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/band_saw_information.asp.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Thanks Chris...I'll look for a 10" blade (:)
Hi Chris
Until just over a month ago I had a 14" Ridgid, modified with riser block and 1 1/2 hp motor (up from 3/4 hp). This machine was originally chosen (against the Jet and Delta) on its ability to take high tension. The widest blade I used was a 3/4". It did OK and I was able to resaw 12" of most hardwoods. Here it is resawing 11" Tasmanian Oak ..
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My recent purchase was a Hammer N4400, which is close to 18". This is a Serious bandsaw, with 4 hp on single phase requiring 20 amps. I had to have a new circuit installed in the workshop just for this machine! Cast iron everywhere and built like a tank.
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However, I am resawing with a 1/2" 3 tpi blade. Effortless cutting as one would expect. And no doubt also due to the extra tension I can exert on the blade. I will try out a couple of recommended specialist blades since the finish is good of the current blade but not amazing. It requires a couple of swipes with a handplane. Still, it is great being able to use one blade for everything.
Regards from Perth
Derek
"Effortless cutting as one would expect."
Derek,
Good to see you outside of the hand tools area! I would attribute the effortless cutting to the 4HP and 20 amps, rather than the tension on the blade. I use low-tension Swedish silicon steel bands in my saw and they cut like a dream when they are sharp until the cut gets to be too big for the 1HP motor.
I like the name of your bandsaw. Somebody asks you how you cut that curve and you reply: my Hammer!Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I second what you have to say about Timber Wolf band saw blades. I put one on my Powermatic 14 in. saw and it rewaws like a dream at low tension with the flexible silicon steel blade. I use the 3/4 in. which is the widest my saw supports. Pay attention to setting up and tuning up your saw, it pays off.
Neil, I was just in a weekend seminar with Michael Fortune and after following his advice my band saw is performing better than I ever expected. I tried his recommended blade (a 1/2" 3 tpi, skip tooth) from BC saw and will never use another. After setting up the bandsaw, as Michael recommends, I am able to effortlessly resaw with no drift! The best part is that the blades are only $14.95 and BC saw will resharpen for around $3.00 per blade.
Bill
are his set up recommendations published anywhere?
Neil
Neil,In case you didn't get this information on another post,
Michael Fortune's information about setting up a band saw was published in FWW # 173 (Nov 2004). You can download the PDF file from this site for a fee.It's really a must read. Don't buy any add-on equipment for your machine (other than blades). Just get the article. He recommends 1/2" Starrett 3 tpi skip tooth blades from BC saw (http://www.bcsaw.com).Rich
Bill,
Thanks for the tip. I will certainly look into that blade. I wasn't aware that Fortune gave seminars. Was it everything you expected?Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Neil:
Follow Chris's advice if you're using a 14 inch saw if you are fortunate enough to have a larger saw the wider blades are great. Hubby and I were fortunate to come across an old Wlaker Turner (I think) 36 inch band saw designed for resawing and we've been using the carbide tipped blades sold by Laguna Tools with great satisfaction.
The other thing you might want to consider is looking into the Carter Manufacturing Company's band saw blade guides they have assemblies to fit most common saws and will work with you to machine anything out of the ordinary. The retrofitting of higher quality blade guides will help the tracking issues and really make your saw sing.
Madison
Madison, you're making me jealous. I'm really hoping that my next bandsaw, a 18-19 incher will be my last, but so far, I always want a bigger saw.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
.....I always want a bigger saw.
Yeah, me too. Up until about an hour ago ;)
What's the best way to get this cosmoline crap off?
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Lee
Wow, Lee, congrats! cosmoline....Use a wide plastic putty knife to get the bulk of it off, then wipe with kerosene to get the rest off. Lot's of paper towels!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Congratulations. Stick a TriMaster on that puppy and you'll be in resaw heaven. I got a spray bottle of cleaner/degreaser from the Borg when I got my MM16 and it cleaned all the gunk off the saw very nicely.If you build it he will come.
That's the plan. Got her all cleaned up last night and powered her up. Purrs like a kitten!
Lee
Just an fwiw...
Trimasters aren't the holy grail. I really wanted one to be. I really did. I gave up after trying to resaw some hard Ebony, Bubinga and Pink Ivory with four different Trimaster blades. Destroyed each and every one. Even hard Euro Beech in widths greater than 8" didn't like the Trimaster.
Up until that time, I had used a Laguna Resaw King off and on for several years. The tooth design is much different and allowed the resawing of the harder woods. The Trimaster is much more aggressive and I could snap teeth off--and or crack the blade before I got an inch into a cut on the hardest of woods. I might choose to get the Resaw King sharpened again...but I would need to find a place other than the seller to do it.
I find greater utility, speed of cut and better finish with both WoodSlicers and about any brand of bi-metal blades. Thinner, less waste. Easy to resharpen. And the bi-metals are reasonably cheap.
Take care, Mike
Mike,
Thanks for chiming in. I used a resaw king blade on a Laguna saw a few months back and thought it was the cat's meow. But I looked them up a few days ago before my saw arrived and I almost fainted when I saw the $300 price tag.
For someone doing resawing in woods such as NA domestic hardwoods with the possibility of a little exotic use - do you think the price is warranted?
BTW, I've been trying to reach you via email. Not sure if you're getting the messages?
Thanks,
Lee
Hi Lee--I have been having no end of troubles with Verizon and my outgoing emails for months and to a certain extent a lot of people ending up trapped as spam. A sporadic thing affecting X number of people and or originating ISPs--and I simply don't know who hasn't received my replies. I'll try directly off my web mail client and see if I can get a reply to you. That said, I also have been rather poor lately (even worse than normal) in balancing office and shop work. I'll take a look to see if I have a recent email from you.
Either the Trimaster or Laguna blades are simply expensive. Are they worth it? They are in one sense a simple solution. They cut and cut before needing resharpened. It pays to have two of them as turn-time on sharpening can be a factor. Of the two, I think the relaxed rake of the Laguna blade less, uh, exciting in use. The Trimaster can self-feed faster than I like.
But for the price of either, I find changing blades cheaper in the long run even if I didn't resharpen. $300 is a lot of less expensive blades. I have two band saws (which I had four!). As I swap out blades for different tasks anyway, it seems to me that change-over shouldn't be a factor in one's decision. Unwrapping a new relatively inexpensive blade when needed versus throwing the Resaw King back on is a non-issue. Longevity of the carbide blades, along with the cost of having them resharpened lessens the cost/roi factor for me to simply buying other blades.
Up above your post someone refers to Fortune's article and the Starrett blades. I don't think one needs to order from BC Saw as they are available using a Google search for US-based distributors. However, Fortune's article great advice as mentioned.
Really, I bounce around on the blades I purchase. Some are actually meat and fish blades. Some are bi-metal and I do keep the Woodslicers around for general use. In all cases I use a Dremel and resharpen as necessary. If one is willing to sharpen them using a Dremel and a small diamond stone, they are incredibly cost effective but it is time consuming and chances are one will toast a $12 blade the first time.
Joinery tasks on the BS are not as efficient with the carbide blades. Even gentle curves cannot be cut with the carbide blades. And as I often cut slightly damp wood, well, that shouldn't be done either with a carbide blade. So those are my reasons for not ever buying another of the spendy carbide blades.
Take care, Mike
Hi Mike,
A very detailed reply, thanks so much! Good to hear about the curve cutting and wet wood cutting with the carbide tipped blades - those were things I had not read/heard before.
The Laguna resaw king is definitely not an option for me due to the cost. As for the trimaster, there is a fellow over on woodnet who has some 7 yr old trimasters (NOS) that he is selling for about $100. They are 196" long, so a cut and reweld would be in order, but even with that and the shipping, it should run in the $125 range. New would be about $185 plus shipping for my saw (171" blade) . I'm not sure what the woodslicers run, or how good they are for resawing, but if they are, say $30-$40, and the trimaster stays sharp 3X as long - then I guess it's a wash, other than the initial up front cost.
No problem on the reply - I figured something was amiss. I have replied to your personal email - look forward to hearing back from you.
Lee
This goes counter to every post from TM owners I've ever read and my own experience. I doubt I've thrown the amount of lineal feet at mine that you might go through, but going on 3 years now with one that performs the same now as when I got it. In that time I would have gone through probably 3-4 Woodslicers that I used to use. The surface cut I'm getting is almost (but not quite) good to go, requiring very little sanding to clean up. Any saw marks I'm getting, I can directly attribute to spots where I didn't keep the feed rate going while repositioning my hands. While my saw can resaw to 16", so far around 10" is the widest I've done but without any difference from narrower stuff. I've done a small bit of ebony with it but a fair bit of purpleheart and mesquite along with the other usual suspects and can't tell any difference in cut quality or feed rate from maple, mahagony, etc. One wood in particular, Ipe, totally smoked a few Woodslicers but cuts like butter with the TM. I'm no expert but something just doesn't sound right - destroying 4 Woodslicers would certainly ruin your day though.If you build it he will come.
What can I say. I worked with Lennox. I only bought one, the rest were replacements and eventually they refunded my original purchase. Feed rate with a Trimaster is mostly a function of the rake on the things. As long as the saw is powerful enough, feed rate is near identical from species to species.
There are quite a few people I personally know who cannot use a Trimaster due to the issues I mentioned. All with decent band saws. Cracked gullets, too agressive a feed rate for the hardness of wood, etc.
And my experience is exactly the opposite with the Woodslicers--never have ruined one even with Ipe (which I dislike anyway). I have dulled them faster on such woods, but a quick hit with the Dremel renews them. Regardless of the finish, I nearly always throw shop sawn veneers through the drum sander, though I have glued up straight from the WS blades. I never would be able to with the TMs I had.
Try some 8" to 10" African Blackwood. Might be interesting.
Take care, Mike
Chris honey:
Don't belive those folks that try to tell you size doesn't matter! When it comes to tools bigger is better, if you know what I mean!
What? No really, I'm talking about tools here, you know cast iron and steel ;-)
Enjoy!
Madison
Following everyone's advice, I put on a one inch 3tpi blade on my recently acquired 19" Grizzly and did some resawing...what a difference!! I still need to fine tune the saw and the blade guides look like the Carter's I put on my 14" Rigid so I think they'll be fine...I'm glad bigger is better ONLY with tools...
Neil
Hi, I just went through this this recently. After a lot of reserching in Fine Woodworking, mostly Lonnie Bird recommendations, I purchase a 3/8" 3tpi hook blade. Finally! With a high fence made from mdf, I was able to get straight consistent cuts. Then, the other day I was "free-handing" a cut with the saw, no fence, and "kinked" the blade. Once that happens, forget it. I learned my lesson. I went to Woodcraft to purchase another one and all they had was a 1/2"(I have a Jet 16" bandsaw") 3tpi hook. I put it on yesterday and I have to say that it works better than the 3/8"
cu
I think the reasoning for not using a larger blade is that there is too much surface to get hung up during the cut. They way Lonnie Bird exolains it is that a smaller blade, at 3 tpi, will remove a large amount of dust without binding the blade. Makes sense.
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