TriMaster on a 14" Saw?

[Peter Quinn]

Hello 14" bandsaw users. Is anyone using a trimaster or other carbide tipped resaw blade on a 14" saw? If so, how does it perform and where are you buying them? I know the trimaster is a trusted blade on bigger machines, but I see a 1/2" 3TPI band for 105" (14" with riser) saws, and I don't recall hearing anything about these good/bad/ or otherwise. Thanks for any input.

[Rye Crane]

Peter,

I use this band on my MM24 bandsaw, it likes upwards of 30,000# of tension. I am pretty sure my other 14" Delta won't pull that much tension even with it's "improved tension spring by Inturra". Your cut quality with the proper tension is wonderful, very smooth and with the MM24 there is no drift with the flat tires, high tension, and sharp carbide teeth.

Rye Crane
Pittsburg, Ca.

[John Thompson]

As stated.. a carbide blade requires a ton of tension.. When I had (I still do but only use it for curve cutting) a 14" BS I wouldn't have even considered one as I feel that the springs on a 14" just want handle them. Even with upgraded springs I personally feel it over-loads them and the tire reducing the life. If I want to haul granite blocks.. I don't use an S-10 for a job meant for a more sub-stantially suited vehicle.

[Jeff Willard]

I have a 1" TM on a 14" saw, but the saw is a Laguna, not a Delta or one of the clones. Laguna tells me that this saw will adequately tension a 1" band, so I went ahead and did it, and I'm getting terrific results from it. I don't think I'd hesitate putting a 1/2" band on your saw, provided it's in good repair and properly tuned. I certainly wouldn't attempt anything over 1/2" though.

Bought my band from Spectrum Supply.

[Van Huskey]

You need to get at at least 25,000 psi on a carbide blade. There aren't many 14" saws that are going to be able to get even close to that. This is particularly true with any of the cast clone saws, even if they get to 25,000 psi the deflection is going to be off the chart you will probably have to bottom out the spring to do this which isn't good at all. You also have the issue of fatigue but that would be secondary.

[Peter Quinn]

Hmmm. Well that is disappointing, except to the extent it renews my conviction to get a bigger saw. I wonder why they make the 1/2" 3TPI resaw format in a 105" length if the saws wont tension them? Its a bit too much money to try on a gamble. Any luck with bi-metal bimaster blades? I'd guess those won't be much good for resawing rosewood and teak?

I guess a last option is a .060" kerf skill saw blade on the cabinet saw for resaw? Not sure that will give me the height I need.

[Van Huskey]

Hmmm. Well that is disappointing, except to the extent it renews my conviction to get a bigger saw. I wonder why they make the 1/2" 3TPI resaw format in a 105" length if the saws wont tension them? Its a bit too much money to try on a gamble. Any luck with bi-metal bimaster blades? I'd guess those won't be much good for resawing rosewood and teak?

I guess a last option is a .060" kerf skill saw blade on the cabinet saw for resaw? Not sure that will give me the height I need.


There may be some 105" saws that can tension them correctly, or they just sell something that people want, you may get away with it, I just wouldn't invest in a blade worth so much for a cast 14" saw.

Try this http://www.spectrumsupply.com/kerfmaster-2.aspx for resawing, gotta love the price. These are fine for resawing most woods but the harder woods you mention would be better served with a bi-metal blade, won't last like carbide or stellite but will outlast carbon my a long shot.

[bob hertle]

Peter,

Bi-metal will work fine for rosewood and teak. You won't get the life of the carbide, but it will be 5 to 10 times longer than carbon. Timberwolf and woodslicer you can forget for the exotics. They cut well when new, but dull rather quickly. Get an Olson MVP 1/2 inch 3 hook for resawing exotics on your saw. Tension it to the 3/4 setting or just shy of solid height on the spring. This blade cuts a .039 kerf and leaves a really nice surface.
There are other bimetals out there including Lenox and Starrett, but you may find it hard to get them in 1/2 inch 3T in the .025 thick body that you need for the 14 inch wheels.

Bob

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks for the tips guys. Bob, I think i'll give the olson MVP a shot. I was given a pile of bolivian rosewood (morado) stickers in the 2 1/2"-4" range, 4/4 8'-10' lengths. Sort of a weird pile of stuff, but resawing tests with a fairly new timberwolf have been marginal. The stuff is hard. I'm thinking of using it as a bent lamination for a sort of pedestal under a desk or perhaps a sofa table. Not a lot of material, maybe 10 boards, but I'm a seagull by nature and want to make something of it. I have bits of odd teak left over from a job at work, same story.

I was looking through the Iturra catalogue last night and may also give him a call to see what h thinks about the possibility of a 3/8" carbide tooth band for a 14" saw. I have a coil spring upgrade on it, clearly it won't produce 30,000psi, but his writing seem to suggest that manufacturers theoretical number is not critical on the smaller bands? In any event, the olson blade is significantly cheaper, and I have a good rum sander, so I don't need a glue line ready cut.

Thanks again for your thoughts and insights guys.

[Tom Veatch]

Don't forget, the tension that's being talked about, 25000 psi for example, is stress in the blade, not pounds of tension. I don't know know the thickness of the trimaster band, but assuming about 0.025 and a half inch blade, that's 25000*.025*.5 = ~310 pounds of tension in the blade or ~620 pounds of load on the wheels/spring since the blade does a 180° wrap.

The force required is directly porportional to the blade thickness and width for a given tensile stress (Suffolk recommends about 12500psi for their Timberwolf blades).

Don't know what the saw manufacturer uses as a blade stress when it claims it can tension a "x" width blade, but a call to customer service "might" get an answer to the "Can my saw handle an X by Y trimaster blade at Z psi tension".

[John Terefenko]

Man I don't know what you all are talking about but I use my Delta 14" saw with a 105" Lennox trimaster 3/4" blade all the time for resawing. I saw a ton of exotics and rosewood is one of them and never had a problem. I tension to the max of the saw and let it rip. My problem the motor is undersized so it will trip from heat build up but I deal with that. So anyone saying it can't be done is wrong. Now has it worn the saw more so than one that is designed for such things, maybe yes and maybe no. I can switch out to a 3/16" blade and do some scroll work with it with no problem. Now I will say I do not get the super smooth cuts that I see advertised at these woodworking shows but that is why I own a drum sander. Works for me. Good luck .

I had cut alot of rosewood to make these bases for last years craft show and just last month I cut up a bunch more. It is rosewood with red oak and I sliced them both on the bandsaw using that blade. I have many examples of cutting bloodwood which is a bear to cut. The carbide blade is a must for me. Any of these woodslicers or timberwolf blades are great for domestic woods but get into woods with silica in it or hard grain, you would tear one of those blades up quickly. Been there done that.

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[Tom Rick]

Interested in this as well.

I have one of the ancient Rockwell/Delta 14" saws- mine is one of the metal/wood versions that came out of a high school shop.
I was looking around for a option to get this saw set up with carbide if possible.

[David Christopher]

I run a 3/4" resaw king on my 14" rikon with no problems