1-3/8" blade on a Grizzly G0513X2?

[Edward Garrett]

I have been having some pretty significant trouble ripping some very old chestnut beams and white oak planks on my G0513X2 using a 1" 3TPI blade from Grizzly. I was starting to get concerned (and a bit dismayed) that perhaps my trusty G0513X2 and its 2HP motor may have been over-matched; however, based on some posts I have read here, I now believe it may be the blade I am using.

I gave a call to Suffolk machinery and spoke with Tom (very helpful and knowlegdeable), and based on my situation & needs his strong preference would be a 1-3/8" bi-metal blade, but he is not sure it will fit on my G0513X2...it may be too wide. The Grizzly specs say the G0513X2 can handle up to a 1" blade, Tom relayed that he does know of folks who have used a 1-1/2" blade, but not the 1-3/8" blade.

Has anybody out there ever used a 1-3/8" blade on their G0513X2? Any recommedations for me on where to measure on the machine to see if it will fit? Any other considerations/advice/pitfalls of using an "over-thick" blade on my bandsaw?

Thanks in advance!

[John Keeton]

Ed, I can't comment on the use of a 1.5" blade, but I can say that I have resawn 6-7" chestnut and oak with a Timberwolf 3/4" blade with absolutely no trouble on my 513x2. In my opinion, the Grizzly blades are junk, and you should not judge the saws ability by that blade.

I am sure that Tom knows of what he speaks, but I honestly would try a much smaller GOOD blade before going to one that wide. Others may have differing opinions.

[Peter Quadarella]

I would not go to such a wide blade on my G0513X2. For ripping I use a 3/4" carbide Trimaster and it cuts very well. I would stick to 3/4" and maybe try 1" but no wider. If you don't want to spend the money on the carbide, then a Timberwolf is a good choice, but they will go dull quick if you are doing lots of ripping, so you may want to buy more than one (and they are cheap enough to make this an option). The Grizzly brand blades are not great (to be nice).

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ed,

I can't speak for Grizzley but I will tell you. The fine salesman that sold me my MM-16 told me to buy some other blades. He said the one they ship with the MM-16 was junk. So far I have used it for a little resawing but I bought 3 Olson bi-metal blades. When I get to doing some serious bandsawing, I will use one of the Olson blades. I'm sure Timberwolf would be better than the blade that came with your Grizzley if that is what you are using.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Do you have a standard steel blade sold by Grizzly or do you have a Timberwolf blade sold by Grizzly?

What troubles are you having during the rip and what size are these beams and planks?

On my G0513X2, I have noticed during resawing that sometimes it helps to go larger (1/2" to 1") and sometimes to go smaller (1/2" to 1/4"). I think that the extra blade in the kerf adds too much drag and sucks up cutting power such that a smaller blade works better.

[John Keeton]

Do you have a standard steel blade sold by Grizzly or do you have a Timberwolf blade sold by Grizzly?

What troubles are you having during the rip and what size are these beams and planks?

On my G0513X2, I have noticed during resawing that sometimes it helps to go larger (1/2" to 1") and sometimes to go smaller (1/2" to 1/4"). I think that the extra blade in the kerf adds too much drag and sucks up cutting power such that a smaller blade works better.

In fact, Anthony, after I purchased my 3/4" Timberwolf blade (which works fine for me) I notice several posts in other threads that indicate that the 1/2" actually is more efficient at resawing. I can't speak to that as I have not compared them, but I think your logic makes sense. Seems the idea is to have fewer teeth in the wood, so the more thickness/width of the stock, the coarser the blade needs to be - not necessarily wider, however.

[Barry Richardson]

a 3/4 inch Lennox 2 or 3 tpi will smoke through that wood. Either carbon or bi-metal. Bi-metal (Diemaster) will last much longer, but cost around twice as much. I prefer Lennox to Timberwolf cause they are cheaper and last longer that Timberwolf, and give as good of cut AFAIKT.

[Edward Garrett]

Thanks all - your feedback, as always, has been a great help!