OK here goes.
I have an old Rockwell Delta 20″ bandsaw that I am happy as can be to own. I love this thing. I have done some great resaw cuts with it and lots of other stuff.
I have been using the Highland Hardware resaw blades and they have done a good job on walnut and maple cuts but they get dull quickly. I am in the market for other sources.
I want to get some feedback from woodworkers who resaw and use large bandsaws. What blades have you used? Do they last under continued heavy use?
Don’t want to sound snobby but I would really like to hear from folks cutting 10-16″ panels.
Replies
I use Morse blades and have been very happy with them.
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It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump. ~David Ormsby Gore
which ones?? numbers? tpi?
For resawing I use an inch and an eighth blade with 1.3 tpi. I'll see if I can get you a number.------------------------------------
It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump. ~David Ormsby Gore
that would be great. the company(lenox,suffolk, etc)
dan
The company is Morse. The tag on the blade has no part number, only the length, tpi and type ie skip, hard edge flex etc. I buy them from a local supplier. Here is the phone number for a catalog.
We manufacture a full line of high-quality, long-life industrial band saw blades. For a free copy of the Morse Industrial Band Saw Blade Catalog, call 1-800-733-3377.------------------------------------
It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump. ~David Ormsby Gore
Also,
http://www.independenceband.com/indep_home.html
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Hi danmart: I have been using the Lennox tri master carbide 1/2 blades for about 5 years now. I have a powermatic 20" saw and I resaw for luthiers. I saw lots of rosewood and maple and lots and lots of redwood for guitar tops. The blades have been exellent and last long eneough to make the price of about $160 seem fine. I buy my blades from Louis Iturra of Iturra designs in Florida. the redwood top sets I cut are .170 thick and anywhere from 8 to 12 inches wide. They come off the saw looking like they have been sanded!
Laguna makes carbide tipped blades that stay sharp forever. they are quite a bit more expensive but worth it. should be around 250 for your 20"
So far the widest I've cut with it is about 10" but the surface left by the Lenox Tri-Master Carbide is insanely good. I cant imagine that's going to go dull anytime soon and most posts I've read concerning blade life say folks are still using the only one they've bought. The Minimax folks did warn me when I bought the saw and Tri-Master that cutting wet/green wood would dull the carbide though.
If you build it he will come.
d2cats
Did you get your blade directly for Lenox or a supplier??
I got mine through Minimax when I bought the bandsaw (MM16). They aint cheap but I think they're worth it on bigger bandsaws. Forgot to mention that I used the HH Woodslicer blade on my previous Jet 14". It's a very good blade, but I also wasn't thrilled with their longevity. Not sure how much to attribute to the Jet vs MM16 and how much to the Woodslicer vs Tri-Master, but the cut quality isn't even close to being in the same league. Plus it's a bit wider than the Woodslicer. Haven't felt the need to do any monkeying for blade drift, but that could be as much the saw as the blade.
If you build it he will come.
OK the Tri Master seems to be moving to the top of the list.
Thanks for the input
Second thumb up on the Lenox tri-master carbide. I use a 1" 2/3 tpi on my 20" Minimax and I still giggle at how nicely it resaws wide boards. I've had this blade for 4 years and it's just now needing replacement (I checked out having it sharpened but that's not cheap either so I'll spend a little extra and buy a new one, keeping my current one as a "mule" blade).
One of the things that piqued my interest in the Tri-Master was when I got the sales info from Minimax in the mail. A dark brown piece of tempered masonite fell out of the envelope that was used to stiffen and protect the contents. Yeah right. That's what I assumed it was and left it lying on the floor for a while. Only when I picked it up later to toss it do I notice it's a bit thin for Masonite and there's some writing on it. It's a piece of Bubinga resawn on a MM20 with Tri-Master and it's dated about a week before they mailed it. It's about 12" tall and there wasn't a single saw mark on it except for one extremely feint line that was my only clue that it was sawn standing up. I figured they probably used a power feeder and I wouldn't get results quite that good, but I was wrong. As long as I keep the feed rate consistent and dont stop anywhere, I can pretty much skip sanding. So far feed speed hasn't seemed to matter much. I get the same thing whether fast or slow. So far I've tossed curly maple, cherry, mahogany, redwood, pupleheart, ebony, holly, and Ipe at it and no problems with any of them. I thought the Ipe might be a bit of a challenge as that stuff totally smoked 2 HH Woodslicers on my old Jet BS, but no problem. There might be other blades out there that cut that well for less but I'm sticking with this baby. Mine's only going on 2 years, so if I get 2 more out of it I'll still feel it was worth the extra. But then I'm preaching to the choir here cuz you already know this:-)
Doug
If you build it he will come.
This blade came with my bandsaw, a demo unit I picked up after one of the regional shows. I figured that if Minimax uses these blades for demoing that they must be the best available.
I have an early Delta 20" and I've done a lot of experimentation with different bands and tall resaws. I settled on a 1/2"X3TPI "silicon steel" band (e.g. Timberwolf). I understand other owners of these have similar findings. Resist the urge to buy the widest band the saw will take, as it likely won't translate to good performance.
Here's a picture of a recent resaw. This is a 3/32 veneer sliced off a 12+ inch green ash log.
Pete
Edited 11/9/2007 8:29 am ET by PeteBradley
Here's the picture:
Peter
I had a brain cramp and said I have a 20" diameter and I only have an 18" wheel. I hesitate to go too wide and tear up my tires. I think I will go 1" or 3/4" for the next buy. I like the Lenox stuff. I have never had a carbide blade(Tri Master). I think I am going to try the bimetal blade(1/3 the price) and lots of positive feedback.
What blade are you cutting the log with?
dan
If it says Delta Rockwell, I believe it could only be a 14" or a 20". I don't have a lot of experience with the 14", but for resaw on the 20", I would go with the 1/2"X4PC thin kerf Swedish steel band (aka Timberwolf). Suffolk machinery is the easiest supplier. You can buy the same band for a couple of bucks cheaper from Constitution Saw in South Windsor, CT, but they don't have a web site. The resaw in the photo is using that band.
There was an article by Mike Fortune in the Dec 2004 FWW on band saw tuneup that was really excellent. It busts some common band saw myths and is a worthwhile read. I originally posted this photo in another forum because it runs counter to much of the oft-repeated "internet wisdom" on how to tune a band saw.
Pete
Pete
I subscribe to FWW.com, which I though got me access to most of the old magazine articles. I can't figure out how to get access to the article by Michael Fortune referenced above (it's in issue 173). Best I've found is a magazine index that offers to sell me the back issue.
What's the trick to get this info via the website?
EDIT: I found the info myself. Here's a link for those who want to see it:
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/FWNPDF/011173066.pdf
To the man with a hammer, all the world is a nail.
Edited 11/9/2007 1:48 pm ET by MaxYak
Max,
I've had reasonable success by going to the Blue tabs above, Skills & Techniques, Tool Guide, etc. There's a search function in there that I use. It seems to be different than the one in here.
Give it a go.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
max
that is a great article. thanks for the reality check.
dan
I've been using Suffolk's (Timberwolf) new 3/4 X 2/3 VPC resaw blade on my Grizzly 18" bandsaw, and it's the best thing I've found since canned beer. Fast feed rates, fine finish, no drift (drift is a myth anyway). Love it and the price is right too...
Jeff
Besides the other advice that you have been given, you should know that the deeper the cut, the fewer the teeth, the better, with a deep gullet.
Also having enough HP is important. If you are under powered, you will have to saw so slowly that each tooth can not take a proper size chip to take the heat away with the chip, so a lot of heat is generated in the cut, which leads to rapid dulling.
Actually one of the major points of this thread and Fortune's article is that you *don't* need a huge amount of horsepower. Also, your advice about feed might apply in certain metalworking situations, but a wood chip has a very limited capacity to carry heat. The band saw doing the resaw in the photo above has a 1HP motor, and it's a 20" machine.Pete
keith
I have plenty of HP. I need blades that don't dull out quite so fast. I am leaning towards the Lenox bimetal stuff. Got to make a decision soon as the wood is in demand.
have a look at http://www.bcsaw.com
willy
its an impressive site. getting into the bandsaw blade catalog is tougher than breaking into ft knox. I had my son try to find it and we both came up with the history of blade manufacturing degrees and lots of interesting information about metal cutting blades but ... resawing wood?? its a ghost.
dan
Sorry, Dan. They are only a manufacture of band saw blades and many other cutting instruments. As for a "how to" site, they are not. They do supply bs blades to number of 'top of the line' wood shops in Canada.
Edited 11/11/2007 2:38 pm ET by willy
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