Bandsaw re-saw blade recommendations?

[Van Huskey]

First, if you need to save wood (I don't know how precious the blanks are) one of the hardened spring steel blades will give a VERY good finish off the saw and has a very narrow kerf, they are cheap but do dull quickly. You can get them from Highland (Woodslicer) Iturra (Bandrunner) or Spectrum Supply (Kerfmaster) they are all the same blade stock listed from most expensive to least expensive.

If you really want a carbide blade the Laguna Resaw King in 3/4" would be my choice, it is a thin gauge carbide blade which has a thin kerf so it works on saws that are tension limited as well as saving wood and being easier on lower horsepower saws.

The Lenox bi-metal Diemaster is also a good choice but now every aggresive so the feedrate is slower. A Lenox Woodmaster C (not CT) is also a good choice for the saw, it is the most aggressive blade I have mentioned and will give up some level of finish vs speed.

[Erik Loza]

16" or 20" flyweels; 1"×0.35' or 3/4"× 0.35 bimetal or carbide tipped bandsaw blades

Well, you definitely won't have any issues on the 20" flywheel. The rumor going around in the early 2000's was that the band of the Lenox Tri-master 1.0" was so stiff that the bladw would crack at the gullets on a 16" flywheel. I sold as many 1.0" Tri-masters as anyone for the MM16 back in those days and could never credibly locate a single customer who experienced this. I heard of blades breaking at the weld and plenty of blades with uneven welds but not one instance of a Tri-master cracking at the gullets on a 16" machine. The other rumor floating around was that sometime around that period, Lenox allegedly re-formulated the metal of their band stock on the Tri-master to make it more flexible. I don't know if this is true or not but can say that I have no hesitations about suggesting a 1.0 Tri-master on a 16" machine. Now, whether or not your 16" machine can actually tension a Tri-master properly is a possibky a different conversation.

Erik

[Chris Padilla]

I also have a Lenox Woodmaster CT 1.3 tpi (.051" kerf, carbide) and never really cared for it. My Trimaster (pre-bending and fixing) gave a much nicer finish. Maybe mine was put together on Friday before closing and perhaps I need to give it another shot but seemed to cut a lot rougher than I liked. It hangs on the wall perhaps deserving another chance.

[John TenEyck]

I also have a Lenox Woodmaster CT 1.3 tpi (.051" kerf, carbide) and never really cared for it. My Trimaster (pre-bending and fixing) gave a much nicer finish. Maybe mine was put together on Friday before closing and perhaps I need to give it another shot but seemed to cut a lot rougher than I liked. It hangs on the wall perhaps deserving another chance.

Chris, if your CT is 160 - 162" long, just send it to me, I'll put it to good use! Maybe your BS can't tension it enough? No idea, but the CT cuts amazingly well on my saw.

John

[Allan Speers]

I also have a Lenox Woodmaster CT 1.3 tpi (.051" kerf, carbide) and never really cared for it. My Trimaster (pre-bending and fixing) gave a much nicer finish. Maybe mine was put together on Friday before closing and perhaps I need to give it another shot but seemed to cut a lot rougher than I liked. It hangs on the wall perhaps deserving another chance.

I also have a 1" Lenox Woodmaster CT, on my 21" Grizzly. I bought it because I needed a long lasting blade for a huge amount of white Oak I had to process, and also because it cost $100 less than the Laguna Resaw King.

It has indeed lasted a loooong time, but I'm not crazy about the finish. On my old Delta 14", I got a MUCH nicer finish with a Wood Slicer, though those blades dull very quickly. A sharp Woodmaster CT still beats the pants off of a dull ANYTHING.

Next time I'll be trying the Resaw King, which is said to give a very nice finish (as carbide blades go) and is thinner than the CT as well. But MAN, are they expensive.

[Scott T Smith]

I've used Lenox Trimasters and Laguna Resaw Kings on my dedicated resaw. Both work great, but the RK's have a thinner kerf and leave a smoother surface.

Both cut more smoothly after being resharpened and reset.

[Van Huskey]

The other rumor floating around was that sometime around that period, Lenox allegedly re-formulated the metal of their band stock on the Tri-master to make it more flexible. I don't know if this is true or not...

Erik

I have it on good authority that it was simply a placebo effect... though I wouldn't bet my life on it. Another thing to note is flat tired wheels are kinder to bands and less likely to produce fatigue cracks, that said few small (18" and under) saws with crowned wheels can produce enough tension to cause issues and the large old iron saws that can usually have (much) larger wheels.

To those discussing the Woodmaster CT keep in mind it was designed as a sawmill blade with preference to feedrates and beam strength with less emphasis on finish. It has its time in place but its only advantage in a hobby shop (being hand fed) is cost, the Trimaster and RK are the finish carbide blade of choice.


Scott, who sharpened your Trimaster?

[Mastruca e Cambales]

Another thing to note is flat tired wheels are kinder to bands and less likely to produce fatigue cracks, that said few small (18" and under) saws with crowned wheels can produce enough tension to cause issues and the large old iron saws that can usually have (much) larger wheels.

Very interesting topic, Van. Any other specification about advantages and disadvantages of crowned vs flat tires? (Sorry for my English)

[Joe Pack]

Thanks for the information, folks. My budget says I need to skip the carbide blades, so I settled for a dedicated Timberwolf 2/3 vp blade from Suffolk.

[Tom Trees]

To those discussing the Woodmaster CT keep in mind it was designed as a sawmill blade with preference to feedrates and beam strength with less emphasis on finish. It has its time in place but its only advantage in a hobby shop (being hand fed) is cost, the Trimaster and RK are the finish carbide blade of choice.

That's not what those luthier folks keep saying .
A lot of them use the Woodmaster CT as they are sawing mostly exotics .
some of them have got good at sharpening instead.

[David Kumm]

I have both Lenox blades and I think the results of either depend on how well the particular band has been ground. It only takes one tooth out of whack to make a finish rough. There is more carbide on the Trimaster and the 2-3 varitooth will generally leave a little better finish but when hand feeding it isn't all that significant. Most boards will need a final finish due to the hesitation built in when hand feeding.

I did have problems with the Trimaster on an 18" saw in the early 2000s but believe it may have been due to the heat generated by the back bearing. The saw could not tension the blade adequately. It still gave a decent cut but I broke several- costly. I now tension to 25000+ so the back bearing seldom engages. Dave

[Chris Padilla]

Chris, if your CT is 160 - 162" long, just send it to me, I'll put it to good use! Maybe your BS can't tension it enough? No idea, but the CT cuts amazingly well on my saw.

John

The MM20 takes a 14 foot blade. One of these days I'll break it out again and give it another shot.

[Van Huskey]

Thanks for the information, folks. My budget says I need to skip the carbide blades, so I settled for a dedicated Timberwolf 2/3 vp blade from Suffolk.

The "Swedish steel" blades are a carry over from the friction band market. They are softer than quality carbon blades but harder than hardened spring steel. The advantage over hardened spring steel (like the Woodslicer and others made from the same stock) is they last longer but still not as long as carbon blades. They aren't the most economical blade (actually one of the least cost efficient) but they do cut well when sharp. If you end up using it enough to dull it relatively quickly I strongly suggest moving to a bi-metal blade, for not a lot more money it will last 8+ times longer than the TW.

[Van Huskey]

That's not what those luthier folks keep saying .
A lot of them use the Woodmaster CT as they are sawing mostly exotics .
some of them have got good at sharpening instead.

I can only share my own personal experience but will point out mine matches what one would expect just looking at the blade specifications. The WM CT (1" since few of us can use the 2") only comes in low tooth counts and non-variable pitch. The Trimaster and RK both have higher variable pitch geometry both of which lead to a finer finish. That said it is important to note that when hand feeding being able to distinguish the difference in finish will be almost impossible unless one can hand feed the particular stock nearly as consistently as a power feeder.

[Mastruca e Cambales]

Another thing to note is flat tired wheels are kinder to bands and less likely to produce fatigue cracks, that said few small (18" and under) saws with crowned wheels can produce enough tension to cause issues and the large old iron saws that can usually have (much) larger wheels.
are the finish carbide blade of choice.

Very interesting topic, Van. Any other specification about advantages and disadvantages of crowned vs flat tires? (Sorry for my English)