Opinions on bandsaw blade thickness.

[Jeff Willard]

I have recently acquired a Laguna LT14SUV. I'm now shopping for a dedicated resaw band. I think I'm pretty much settled on a Trimaster. When I bought the saw I also bought a selection of steel blades from Laguna. Among them was a 1" 3TPI blade. At the time I questioned the ability of this saw to properly tension a blade this wide and was told it was no problem. I no longer have any concerns about that. What concerns me is that the thickness of the blade is .035". In scanning old threads, it seems that many feel that a saw this small should be fitted with a thinner blade. What say You? Am I asking for trouble with a blade this thick? And if so, what is the maximum thickness that I should run on this saw? Also, does blade width in any way affect the thickness of the band I could run on this saw?

[Pete Bradley]

A 1" band is probably overkill for a 14" saw, but it wouldn't hurt to load it up and try it. Anyone who tells you a hard and fast rule for what you can run is making it up. Look for responses from people who actually have that saw, or just get some experience with what works best.

The force necessary to tension the band is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the band (width X thickness), so wider and thicker blades want more tension. Thicker bands especially also want more horsepower. When it comes to resaw, what delivers optimal results varies by machine. My normal resaw band on my 20" old iron machine is a 1/2" 3TPI, works great so that's what I use.

Pete

[Anthony Whitesell]

IMO, in my experience, and for what it worth, a Timberwolf 0.035" thick 3/4" blade is tto thick for the (or atleast my) Grizzly G0513X2 17" bandsaw. When I do tension it, the pointer ends up right off the high side of the little tension scale Grizzly put on the saw. Someday I will get a thinner blade and try it.

[Jeff Willard]

Thanks guys. Actually my concern isn't for the saw. I don't know if either of you are familiar with this model, but it's far more substantial than the typical 14" saw-3 hp, 14" resaw cap. The ability to tension a 1" blade seems to be engineered into it. As I said, I purchased a 1" carbon steel blade with it and the results were admirable. So now I'm shopping for carbide, but I'm not sure of the longevity of a blade that thick, running around wheels this small. I don't want to be replacing a $170 band anytime soon. I've heard that most manufacturers recommend that a blade this thick not be run on a saw this small. Laguna seems to feel that it's O.K. Of course, that's for blades that they are selling. FWIW, their Resaw King only comes in at .032", could 3 thou be enough of a difference to be significant?

[chris dub]

I just got a 1/2" trimaster for a 14" PM band saw. I was looking at the Resaw king, but the thickness and width were a concern, since it comes in 3/4" Width and .032 thickness. Both for tensioning and the blade possibly breaking on a 14" saw. For the test cuts I have done on 6" wide maple I really like the trimaster. I'm sure on a heftier saw the Resaw King would perform just as well. But I figured why take the chance.

[Jeff Duncan]

Jeff I'm not familiar with your particular saw but it sounds like the tension you've accounted for. That's only the first obstacle, the second, and the reason some don't recommend wider blades on smaller saws, is as you mentioned the thickness of the blade. The smaller wheels cause the blade to flex much more going around than it would on say a 20" or bigger saw. Therefore you'll probably not get nearly as long a lifespan out if it, metal fatigue will take it's toll. That doesn't mean you can't run thicker blades though. You'll have to try it out for yourself and see if it works for you.
Alternatively you can try re-sawing with narrower blades to see the difference if any. I've been doing a fair amount of maple re-sawing lately and using a 1/2" blade on my 20" bandsaw with good success. Like anything your going to get a whole bunch of different advice so I suggest using the blades you have and seeing what you prefer before ordering any more.
good luck,
JeffD

[Barry Vabeach]

Jeff, in theory a 1 inch blade will be much stiffer ( in terms of being pushed back against the thrust bearing) than a 1/2 blade but in practice I haven't seen anyone say they have observed results that are any better and most posters say a 1/2 wide blade is plenty, even on a 17 inch or larger saw. I can't honestly say that is true because I don't have a 1/2 and 1 inch blade from the same manufacturer with the same tooth configuration. I can say the 1/2 inch blades I have work very well and that the 1 inch blade I have is a pain to put on and off the saw ( the Grizzly 17 inch 513 x 2 ) , so I very rarely use it.

[Nelson Howe]

I have a 1" Resaw King on my 16" Grizzly bandsaw. My saw doesn't have a tension guage. Although I haven't used it extensively, I can say I am really impressed by how smoothly it cuts. It's much better than the woodslicer.

Nelson

[george wilson]

I paid big bucks for an 11'9" carbide blade for a 20" bandsaw. It broke at the weld after not much use,and the blade got ruined. I don't advise buying them when you run the risk of weld failure,and could buy several regular blades for the price. Also,carbide blades aren't as sharp as regular blades,and do not cut as well in my opinion.

[Barry Richardson]

I have a 14 inch band saw, and I find .035 will difinitely fatigue and break quicker that a .025 on it. Not really a problem otherwise, they just dont last as long. Makes me wish I had a bigger bandsaw .:(

[Dan Friedrichs]

Jeff,

I have the LT-14SE (less accessorized version of your 14SUV). The widest blade I've had on it is 7/8", and have had no problems with either tensioning or unexpectedly short blade life. That being said, I get better resaw results with a 1/2" blade (seems to be a common theme emerging from responses to this thread).

For some of the other posters (and to reinterate what Jeff said earlier), this is no Delta-clone 14" bandsaw. I'll steal Laguna's picture and attach it here so you can see what this saw looks like (if you aren't familiar with it). I think Laguna's market for this saw is people who would buy a 18" saw, but want to save a little space and still get the same features. Comparing it to other 14" saws is probably only results in accurate comparisons about blade life (because it's still only a 14" wheel that the blade has to bend around). Otherwise, this saw will easily tension and move whatever you want...

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a 16" bandsaw, so it is a bit larger wheel than you're talking. However, here's my history with it.

I've had three Resaw Kings (1" or 1.25") on it. I bought the first one very soon after the blade was introduced (maybe eight years ago or so). It work-hardened and died within a year. Laguna replaced it without argument. There were online rumors that they'd had bad lifetimes with the first batch of blades, and they'd changed something about the blade. There was no work hardening of the second or third blades. I sawed with them until they dulled, then sent them to Laguna for re-sharpening. After a half-dozen sharpenings or so, there wasn't enough tooth left to sharpen. When the last one wore out, I bought a Lennox Woodmaster CT. As you say, it does have a band which is slightly thicker than the Resaw King, so in theory it should work-harden faster. I've had it in service for something approaching a year now, and I haven't seen any work-hardening yet.

[Doug Mason]

I have an MM16 and find my 1 inch carbide blade is too big (it would be better suited for an MM20). In addition, I find the 1/2 and 1/4 blades do pretty much everything I need. I doubt I'll ever buy another 1 inch blade for this saw.

[Jeff Willard]

Well, the general consensus seems to be that there is none. So I went ahead and ordered a 1" Tri-Master. If it fractures, oh well, I'll just consider it a $150 experiment. Surprisingly, the 1" band is cheaper than any of the thinner bands.

[Tai Fu]

IMO, in my experience, and for what it worth, a Timberwolf 0.035" thick 3/4" blade is tto thick for the (or atleast my) Grizzly G0513X2 17" bandsaw. When I do tension it, the pointer ends up right off the high side of the little tension scale Grizzly put on the saw. Someday I will get a thinner blade and try it.

The frame should be able to handle the blade, but oftentimes the spring is the weak link... replace it with a better one (Iturra Designs have one) if it completely compresses... It could also be why my 18" bandsaw doesn't have a spring, less part to wear out I suppose...

$150 seems cheap for Trimaster... last time I checked it's close to $200 dollars for a trimaster in 133" length.

I just got the woodmaster CT in 1.3 TPI, and it cuts fairly smoothly, if you feed a really thick stock through it. Anything under 3" thick it seems to make rougher cut. I think I'll dedicate this blade for resaw only. On the plus side I end up with much less dust on the table resawing (meaning most of the sawdust ended up in the dust collector).

[Danny Burns]

I have recently acquired a Laguna LT14SUV. I'm now shopping for a dedicated resaw band. I think I'm pretty much settled on a Trimaster. When I bought the saw I also bought a selection of steel blades from Laguna. Among them was a 1" 3TPI blade. At the time I questioned the ability of this saw to properly tension a blade this wide and was told it was no problem. I no longer have any concerns about that. What concerns me is that the thickness of the blade is .035". In scanning old threads, it seems that many feel that a saw this small should be fitted with a thinner blade. What say You? Am I asking for trouble with a blade this thick? And if so, what is the maximum thickness that I should run on this saw? Also, does blade width in any way affect the thickness of the band I could run on this saw?
From Laguna's site " Min-Max blade width: 1/8" to 1" (http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaws/bandsaw-lt14suv#) "

The only thing pretty much that the Laguna 14" SUV has in common with other 14" band saws is the throat size, and that's about it.

I have a Delta 14" saw, and the problem that I run into, even with an aftermarket spring, is getting the correct tension on a blade.
So the biggest blade I run is a 5/8" x .025" x 3TPI tungsten impregnated silicon blade, the Little Ripper (http://www.tufftooth.com/ripper-blade.php). Before the aftermarket spring, the biggest I could run was a
1/2" x 0.025" TimberWolf blade. If this blade were 0.035" thick, then I would not be able to tension it correctly. The Laguna can easily though handle higher tensions than most 14" saws.

Blade life is the problem caused by the small 14" diameter wheels.
The somewhat more flexible 0.025" blade has to wrap around a 14" diameter wheel, which when the blade is heated up, and then allowed to cool, takes on a certain amount of 'set'. If the blade is 0.035" thicker, it is less flexible so then having only a 14" diameter wheel is usually not recommended because of this heat 'set'.

Wide blades are used when resawing to gain 'beam strength' to handle the large loads, and to avoid the blade deflecting/bowing in the cut.
I would recommend that if you are looking for a relatively inexpensive, yet good performing blade, then try the Wood Slicer blade at 3/4" wide at about a third the cost (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer34resawbandsawbladescustomlengthb122to14 2.aspx).

The enemy on a band saw for smooth cuts, is vibration, and the Wood Slicer is designed with this in mind.
"Its outstanding performance is due to its 3-4 tpi variable tooth pitch design, in which uneven spacing between the teeth nearly eliminates vibration during a cut." - from above link

A nice tip I have picked-up along the way, IIRC from Rob Cosman, is to have a dedicated blade for resawing only, and to never cut any curved cuts on it.
This way the blade is equally sharp on both sides, or should I say, equally dulled on both sides.

Oh I should mention that the Little Ripper could be sent back for resharpening, which meant a longer working life. SO see how long your Trimaster lasts, and then compare it to say the Wood Slicer, and you will get an idea of what you are paying for. If you are getting 3 times the distance then things are about even.

[Jeff Willard]

$150 seems cheap for Trimaster... last time I checked it's close to $200 dollars for a trimaster in 133" length.



$169.25 today at Spectrum for 125". Four years ago...

[Erik Loza]

Jeff, I am curious to hear your results with the 1" Tri-Master on the 14" saw. I'm sure you already know this but you will DEFINITELY want to de-tension that blade after each use and also, never use that blade for cutting green wood. Only dry wood on the Lenox carbides.

Best of luck with it. The Tri-Master is my favorite Lenox blade.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Gus Dundon]

Very well explained Danny. 14" band saws perfectly accept 0.25 thick blades because it can be tensioned properly.
Thicker blades can't be properly tensioned on small saws like 14" band saw.

[Mike Tekin]

Jeff,

Don't do a .035 thick blade on the Laguna 14" saw - I am betting against it working properly and its not worth trying for that kind of money. The only reason why Laguna states a 1" max for that saw is because their Laguna resaw king is .024" wide behind the teeth which is what other posters mentioned can be tensioned properly on this specific model saw.

[Jeff Willard]

The Tri-Master does a terrific job. I must admit that it spends very little time on the saw, and then very rarely. It is a one-trick pony, and I don't stress it. I've managed consistent veneers, 1/16" thick, 11" wide, and 5' long out of sipo. Blade marks are minimal, requiring only light sanding.

Shortly after purchasing the band, I sawed some small, wide pieces of ash into veneer, and showed them to the guy at a local hard wood supplier. He was so impressed that he wants to farm out some resaw jobs to me, because the results are far superior to what they can do.

[Mike Holbrook]

I bought a L14 SUV last year. It came with a 1" Resaw King. I was troubled about it at first. I called Laguna and talked to them, they were very reassuring about the ability of the machine to handle it. They said the machine was designed to handle a blade of that size. The Resaw King blades are thinner and more flexible than most blades of that size. I also heard from a poster or two on SMC who use this blade on their saw without any problems. Laguna frequently offers this saw in package deals with a 1" Resaw King. Mine came with the 1" Reasw King and a Driftmaster fence. The feature set on the 14 SUV is the same as on much larger saws. If you go to the Laguna site and look at the end of the video for the 14 SUV you will see a 1" blade resawing 3/32" from a 8" piece of Walnut.

Laguna has very reasonable rates for sharpening compared to competing companies.

[Tai Fu]

The only thing that has kept me from going with the resaw king is that since I live in Taiwan, shipping it back to Laguna for resharpening is going to be very expensive, and I hear they need frequent resharpening. I doubt anyone in Taiwan has the machine or know-how to resharpen a "carbide" blade. The Woodmaster CT will work if your saw has 18" or larger wheels... not sure if it would last longer than a few minutes on a Laguna 14" bandsaw, even if it could handle it.

Woodmaster CT is also cheaper than most other carbides because of its smaller carbide tip.