I have a laguna 18″ bandsaw.  I tried rsawing small green logs 10″-12″ in diameter 2-1/2-3 feet long with a 3/4 3tpi carbon blade.  The initial cuts were good but the blade quickly dulled.  I then tried a Lenox Woodmaster B BiMetal blade (1″ with 2 TPI and a body thickness of .035.  The blade cut very well until the body, not the weld, broke.  I think I sawed about 8 to 10 logs averaging about 10 slices per log which works out to about 300 lineal feet of cutting.  The blade was still sharp.  I kept the blade clean.  I don’t have a tension meter but set the tension gauge for a 3/4″ blade.  The resulting cuts were straight and flat, no barrelling and no wandering.

Is an 18″ saw too small to run this blade and get enough life so the blade dulls?  Should I decrease the tension even more to reduce stress?  I’ve read that rounding the back increases blade life by reducing sharp corners were stress cracks start.  Is this a myth?  Would periodically subjecting the blade to moderate heat say an hour in a household over at 350 degrees help heal any work hardening.

I would  appereciate any comments about blade life and bandsaw size.  Also if you have a recommendation for a better blade for my application, I’d like to learn about it.

Thanks.