Replies

1. 
   Napie | Mar 15, 2005 11:10pm | #1

   First, that vintage Craftsman bandsaw is not going to resaw very well to begin with.  It is just not made for that heavy work.  However, for light stuff, say 4” thick, you can get it to do OK.  The blade should have the least teeth possible, so a ½” to 3/8” with 3 tpi skip tooth design, bi-metal will last longer.

2. 
   WayneL5 | Mar 16, 2005 01:43am | #2

   The other poster hit it right on the head.  It is surprising how much better a 3 TPI fairly wide blade is at resawing compared to the "general purpose" blades with much more teeth.  It is important to fuss over the tracking and setup of the blade guides to get good performance from a bandsaw.  Make sure the tires are clean and free from lumps of old sawdust, too.

   By the way, the 1725 rpm is the speed of the motor, but if you have two different size pulleys on the belt the blade wheels would turn slower.  Speed is something you never have to change on a bandsaw.

3. 
   mike4244 | Mar 16, 2005 02:07am | #3

   I used a bandsaw like yours years ago. The saw worked very well, I believe it had a 1/2 hp 1725 rpm motor with a single pulley. With a well tuned saw and decent blade you can resaw to the capacity of the saw, 6" I think. Buy the Bandsaw book by Mark Dunginske, you will learn how to tune the saw up for maximum efficiency. The book will explain the different types of blades and tooth configuration. 1/2"  wide , 2 or 3 teeth per inch and the proper tension will enable you to resaw any wood species. Although not as fast as my 2 hp saw.

   If you would like to sharpen your own blades, let me know and I will explain it. This post is kinda long now, so I'll leave that for another day.

   By the way, you do not need bimetal or any other expensive blades, regular carbon steel saws very good and easy to sharpen.

   mike