Does the lenox trimaster really cut smooth as glass

[Philip Johnson]

I have had a new trimaster laying in the garage for a few months finally got around to putting it on the saw. From what I read on here I expected a very smooth cut. It was not too bad resawing a 10 inch piece of oak but to rip some 3/4 oak or pine it was a pretty rough cut. I guess I expected the ripping cuts to be almost glue joint ready. Am I expecting to much or is something wrong with my setup or blade.

thanks
Phil

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Yes, something is wrong. I know of one Trimaster that cuts as you expected, mine. Can't speak for all the others, but mine cuts very well. It is still a bandsaw though, so you will not get glueline ready like you would off a jointer. Hard to describe I guess, and even harder to photograph, but it resaws finish ready with a few passes of a handplane or scraper.

[lou sansone]

I have a lenox carbide blade for my MOAK super 36" band saw and it cuts decent, but not like glass. I hardly ever put it on, because it has a wider kerf than my normal timberwolf blades and they seem to cut fine for me. For exotic woods the carbide are the thing you need, but for regular old oak, the timberwolf blades seem fine and cost 1/10 what the lenox costs.

lou

[Jeff Willard]

Smooth is relative. What one would consider smooth for a bandsaw blade, would be rough for a tablesaw blade.

[Philip Johnson]

I don't have much experience with a band saw so maybe I expected too much. Everyone on forums seems to rave about how smooth they cut. I guess I expected a cut close to tablesaw quality. Now the resaw of some 10 inch oak was by far the smoothest cut, but cutting some 3/4 left something to be desired. I have some timberwolf blades I will have to play with too.

Phil

[John Thompson]

I don't have much experience with a band saw so maybe I expected too much. Everyone on forums seems to rave about how smooth they cut. I guess I expected a cut close to tablesaw quality. Now the resaw of some 10 inch oak was by far the smoothest cut, but cutting some 3/4 left something to be desired. I have some timberwolf blades I will have to play with too.

Phil

What is raved about on a forum compared to reality is not always the same. In 38 years I have never seen a cut from any BS blade that will rival the cut of a TS with the proper blade. It's fine for the glue side but the show side is going to require clean-up. And neither a BS blade or TS blade will produce glass smooth as a jointer. Reality is reality! :)

[Dino Drosas]

I have been using the TriMaster on my Laguna 24 for about two years now and it still cuts smooth as glass. Never knew a band saw could cut that smooth and I use it more than the table saw. It does require a great deal of tension (30000 psi) so tighten down just about as hard as possible. I also take the time every few months and tune the saw completely including removing the blade for a cleaning. If you ever cut aluminum with it you can kiss the quality of the cut in wood goodbye.

Dino

[Doug Shepard]

What you need to see to appreciate the TM smooth as glass statements is what a standard BS blade leaves behind.

[bob hertle]

Philip,

I have found the trimaster to be feed rate sensitive. Most cuts I've made with mine have very smooth areas, and rougher areas where I've changed feedrate (unintentionally). It's also tension sensitive and wants to be at 25-30,000 psi in order not to washboard. I guess I'm not a huge fan but I believe that with a power feed and a new (sharp) trimaster you could get really close to a glue ready surface if you've got the saw set up well. I get great results from bi-metal, and even carbon, (not Timberwolf though). The abrasion resistance of the carbide is fantastic though, and I've done lots of Osage orange, exotics with high silica content, and never found anything that would hold up like the trimaster. All my roughing of anything hard or abrasive is done with the trimaster.

Regards
Bob

[Tom Jones III]

I'm very happy with my trimaster, but as others have said smooth is a relative term. With a top of the line BS you will probably get a cut much closer to TS. On all BS you have to work carefully to get the setup right. If I just "throw it on" I'll get cuts that are finish ready with just a quick pass with a hand plane. If I'm very careful with the setup then it just needs a light pass with a scraper or a minute with sandpaper. FYI I'm using an 18" Jet.

[Philip Johnson]

Maybe I did not have enough tension, someday maybe I will find a tension gauge cheap. I was afraid of putting too much tension on it, I know tension gauges on saws are inaccurate, so I went by a book I had which said to go to the size blade and then one or two sizes over. I guess if nothing else I have a reason to buy a spindle sander.

[Rick Fisher]

I have a 1" Trimaster on my 24" Saw.. It cuts very nice, but not smooth.. Not glue ready...

I use my bandsaw alot.. what I like at the Tri-master is that it cuts effortlessly.. I resawed some 5 1/2" tall Padauk today, it was as if the wood was an inch thick..

I do believe that technique and feed rate makes a huge difference.. I get stop-start marks when resawing.. With a feeder, that wouldn't happen..

I have never considered the quality of the cut to be bad.. one pass on the jointer and its perfect..