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Thread: Best resaw blade

  1. #1
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    Best resaw blade

    Went for the Rikon 10-326 and want to upgrade the blade for resawing up to a max of 10". What would be the best blade to get and 1/2 or 3/4?

  2. #2
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    First, does your budget include carbide blades? Are you cutting veneer or just sizing down boards? All dry lumber some (all) green?
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  3. #3
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    Yes on carbide, sizing down for small box construction and some veneer when I get good at making small boxes, all dry.

  4. #4
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    Best option is a 3/4" Laguna Resaw King, the Lenox carbide blades are too thick for that saw to tension properly the RK have a much thinner gauge backer.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  5. #5
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    Thanks Van...heard a lot about the Laguna Resaw King.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Van Huskey View Post
    Best option is a 3/4" Laguna Resaw King, the Lenox carbide blades are too thick for that saw to tension properly the RK have a much thinner gauge backer.
    Minor hijack but same topic (same saw)- what would you go with for non-carbide and again what width - 3/4 or half?
    " (not that I'm judging...I'm all for excessive honing) " quote from Chris Griggs

  7. #7
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    Not a hijack because I was wondering the same

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Bowman View Post
    Minor hijack but same topic (same saw)- what would you go with for non-carbide and again what width - 3/4 or half?
    Assuming dry wood and cutting veneer I would suggest one of the impulse hardened spring steel blades in 3/4". You can get them from Highland (Woodslicer), Iturra (Blade Runner) and Spectrum Supply (Kerfmaster) they are all the same blade stock but sell for significantly different prices and are listed from high to low. These have a very thin kerf (saves wood) and the lack of set and variable pitch leave a finish nearly as good as a carbide tipped blade but they dull quickly. In the long run carbide is cheaper but upfront is MUCH higher and you may not do that much resawing. The have virtually no set so they aren't useful for even sweeping curves and they don't clear swarf every well so green wood is a no go.

    A much more durable blade would be a 1/2" Lenox Diemaster II in 3TPI, it will have even greater beam strength than a 3/4" carbon blade due to the higher tension you should run them at and outlast a carbon blade by at least 7 times. Costs more than the blades above but MUCH less than carbide. It won't leave nearly as good of a finish as the "Woodslicer" type blades but it can be used in green wood and for sweeping curves.

    The cheapest route would be a carbon Lenox Flex Back 3/4" in 2, 3 or 4 TPI.

    I tend to use and recommend Lenox blades but there are plenty of other brands that make similar bands, my second choice is Starrett, then Morse.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  9. #9
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    Thanks again Van for the help on this. You're a great resource.

  10. #10
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    Resaw king from Laguna...great blade

  11. #11
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    Is Laguna still offering a SMC discount?

  12. #12
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    There's a sale at Woodcraft

  13. #13
    Thanks Van
    " (not that I'm judging...I'm all for excessive honing) " quote from Chris Griggs

  14. #14
    Van,
    I have been using the Lenox Tri-Master 1/2" for resawing and veneer cutting for years. I was drawn to it because the thinner .025 body was easier on my saw. I see from your post that the Laguna blade is wider and has a thinner body also.

    How would you compare the 1/2 Tri Master to the 3/4" Laguna Resaw King in terms of performance and application? Thanks

  15. #15
    I have run all 3 on my Rikon 14".

    This is one instance where its not a good idea to jump straight up to the most expensive bands. Theres a significant learning curve and you will destroy even the best bands before you know what you did wrong and how not to do it again. Start resawing with a good bimetal band and go from there.

    Why start with HSS? You will destroy a cheap carbon band before you even know what you did wrong.. It just starts wrecking wood and you dont know what happened. With carbide - the learning curve is more painful because they are so expensive. You will make dumb mistakes and end up kinking or breaking the band or knocking the teeth out of whack.. And you will be out $200 or so.... Bimetal blades cut well but will give you room for learning from mistakes... And you can go buy a new one once you wreck a band without crying too much over the cost.

    Now - more in depth......

    Once you have resawing down - the right choice really depends on what sort of woods you are cutting to determine the best overall economy for these saws.

    Its not at all a one size fits all proposition..

    If you are sawing very expensive wood into veneers where every thousandth of an inch = profit... Nothing beats the super thin kerf impulse blades mentioned above like the Iturra when resawing rosewood veneers. You will burn up a lot of blades - but ONE single slice pays for all your blades. These blades are a poor choice for common and/or abrasive woods that dont really cost all that much because they simply dont last... Its just not worth the cost of constant replacement of these blades on cherry,white oak, or Jatoba..

    if you are sawing more common woods that are more abrasive, but dont require a super fine kerf because of the wood cost - Carbide will outlast everything else. The downside of carbide is that it takes more power because the kerf is usually larger and it cuts like a half dull steel band. As such - its not a good choice for small bandsaws and super hard woods. You will never beat a carbide band on stuff like oak, cherry, mahogany, and pine. They will run almost forever so long as you dont do dumb things. They also dont always leave the best surface finish - which is a big deal with expensive woods like rosewood.

    Then there are the bimetal hss tooth bands. These are sharper and thinner than carbide - so generally tend to work better in very hard woods because they dont require as much power to run and so they dont bog down the saw... But - they are way less expensive. When I bought mine - I could buy 5 HSS bands for 1 laguna resaw king.

    The general rule of thumb is that a HSS lasts 7-10x a steel band and carbide can last 50x.... But thats also within the limitations of above. For example - it doesnt matter if it theoretically lasts longer but your saw can't run it well because it takes toouch power. Carbide also doesn't make any sense if every extra 0.001" or kerf + cleanup will cost you a fortune..

    theres just no way I am going to saw $300/bdft Brazilian Rosewood or $100/bdft high figure koa on a Carbide band. I am going to go buy a case of Bladerunner bands and throw it away as soon as it even hints its getting dull... On the other hand - if I am going to resaw 200 bdft of cherry into 1/8" stock - I am going straight for carbide.

    But - Carbide makes no sense for resawing a couple times a month...

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