Bandsaw Blade Life

[Cody Colston]

I've been using Timberwolf bandsaw blades practically since I started woodworking. They cut extremely well when new but I don't think they retain their sharpness very long. I recently put a new 3/4", 3 tpi blade on to saw some veneer and after just an hour or so of resawing 3/32 veneer from ~8" stock that I had in the shop, I could tell the blade was not cutting as well. I had only cut maybe 20 slices in clean wood. IMHO, the blade should not have dulled so quickly.

Does anyone have a recommendation on bandsaw blades that retain their sharpness well?

I have a GO513 17" bandsaw.

[Jeff Willard]

If you resaw frequently, I think a TriMaster, or something similar would be a good investment.

[Stephen Edwards]

I've gotten considerably more mileage than you have from Timberwolf blades. Though I don't understand why, the 1/2" blades seem to stay sharp longer than the 3/4" blades. It's a mystery to me.

I haven't yet tried the more expensive blades. Maybe one of these days.........

[John Thompson]

You can go the carbide route Cody but.. I went to bi-metal route with a Lennox 3/4" which last about 6-7 times the lenght of the standard steel. A carbide will last around 15-16 times as long I am told. I have used them but never to the point they were trashed as I was using a neighbors saw up the street.

I pay around $58 shipped for one and buy two at once for around $108. If I go with a Lennox carbide I pay around $200. 5-6 vs 15 times relates to the fact I have to have 3 bi-metals to last as long as carbide which is around $160 shipped. So.. my theory is I can get 4 bi-metal for about the same price as carbide which will last me longer.

The carbide will give a slightly smoother cut but I have never seen any BS blade that was finish ready on the show side without touch-up. The glue side is another story with both being sufficient smoothness on that side. Just my theory and why I use what I use.

Good luck...

[Mikail Khan]

I use a trimaster on a G0514. No problems with resawing 10" teak and mahogany.

Check out the $75 Carbide Blade offer from laguna in the deals and discounts forum.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=123989


MK

[Cody Colston]

Will a carbide tipped blade work on a 17" saw? I was under the impression that they wouldn't, that a 20" was the minimum size for carbide.

[george wilson]

Three TPI blades are only presenting 3 teeth to do all the work. You guys will think I'm nuts,but 1/4",6TPI skip tooth Lennox blades do everything I need them to do. I sawed a 12" deep genuine Cuban mahogany block of wood I had, to produce a very accurate 1/16" thick piece of veneer. Real Cuban is VERY hard and heavy,not at all like the more common mahoganies today. The conservation department needed a veneer for a tall case clock they were repairing. Half the Cuban mahogany veneer had long since gotten lost from 1 side of the case. It had 2 rather large knots on the remaining side of the veneer. I remarked that I had a piece of Cuban just like that at home.

It was almost a miracle how perfectly my slice of veneer matched up!

I bought an expensive carbide blade years ago to do some heavy resawing in rosewood. The blade popped in its weld,and got ruined tangling up in the lower wheel. I didn't get very much use out of it before that happened. I also didn't like the way it felt cutting. Carbide doesn't feel as sharp as steel,and the blade felt dull from the start.

I am known for knowing how to use a bandsaw accurately,and by applying the right pressure to the saw,I find I can get by quite well with my 1/4" blade.

[Van Huskey]

Will a carbide tipped blade work on a 17" saw? I was under the impression that they wouldn't, that a 20" was the minimum size for carbide.


Never heard that, I have used carbide on 14" saws.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

In a email from Mark Duginske, he advised Olsen bi-metal as having the best life. He stated they were not as sharp as Timberwolf to begin with but they retained their sharpness 5-6 times longer.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I have had the same 6 TPI, hook pattern, 1/4", 0.025" bi-metal blade on my band saw for years (since 2000). Two weeks ago, when the photographer from Wood magazines was here, I set up one of my other Delta 14" BS with a new 3/8" blade from another manufacturer. I can tell you that my old bi-metal blade cuts circles around this new blade. The saw with the bi-metal is a 3/4 HP open stand Delta, and the one in the photo shoot is an enclosed stand Delta 14", with a 1.5 HP motor.

[Cody Colston]

Never heard that, I have used carbide on 14" saws

I went and looked up the thread but it was referring to the 1" Lenox blade which supposedly is heavier than comparable blades of the same width.

Three TPI blades are only presenting 3 teeth to do all the work.

Uh, in a 12" high re-saw, there would be 36 teeth doing the work, would there not?

Thanks for all the replies. I'll have to think about the answers for a while

[John Thompson]

Carbide will work fine on your 17" saw if.. if you can find one is narrow enough. I have a 18" BS and run 3/4". It will take 1 1/4" but I see no need for the wider taxing the tire and wheel.. and the wider the band the more spring tension required to tention it. Carbide requires much tension.. bi-metal less but much more than carbon steel and your saw should handle the bi-metal fine or the carbide likely but... I personally don't see need for a very wide blade after using a 1/2" on a 14" for many years to re-saw.

Good luck Cody...

[Paul Atkins]

We never think you are nuts, George! Amazing,but not nuts. I too use 1/4" blades on my 20" saw and have had good luck with thin slices.

[Dan O'Sullivan]

Cody I'm not sure what you are looking for? You mentioned the Twolf got dull then I think you asked about a blade that holds its sharpness. My question is what task is the blade you want to purchase going to do?? General cutting of shapes and straight cut in relatively narrow wood or heavy resaw work. George Wilson mentioned a popular Lenox blade that many have probably used and they like it real well. For heavy resaw work I have found nothing that compares to the Lenox bimetal for the bucks. I have a TriMaster and a CT for really important "one time get it right" resaw work. For cutting 12-13" walnut and maple into usable boards(500-700'), I love the 3tpi Lenox bimetal. I have gone thru 3 of them while resawing... lots of wood at a feverish pace. I have used several Suffolk blades for resaw work and one Olsen. They are nice when they are new but they give out noticeably after a "short work span" as compared to the Lenox Bimetal. Now, the bimetal will not give you the surface off the saw that the Carbide Tip or the Trimaster will produce but its good. I have an old Rockwell 20" BS with urethane tires and Lenox bimetal blades for resaw and hard straight work. I can get any blade from them cut to length delivered to the door at a very good price. The 141" blade length is not custom so I can find sales all over the place and dicker with some of the suppliers. I know I sound like a Lenox salesman but I have really beat them to death and they just keep going. Most of the time I shake my head in frustration at some of the junk I find in front of me.. the Lenox blades have been a joy and they are price just right for my tastes.
dan

[Cody Colston]

Cody I'm not sure what you are looking for? dan

I'm looking for a blade that holds it's sharpness longer than the Timberwolf blades do. Re-sawing, scrolling cuts, milling short logs, cutting bowl blanks...I do all that and more with my bandsaw (not the same blade) and it just seems that the Timberwolf blades go dull prematurely.

I think I will try the Lennox bi-metal for a comparison.