In need of recommendations on maximum band saw blade

[david paul miller]

I have a Grizzly 514x2 19" band saw, the manual says max. blade is 1-1/4," I've always heard 14" band saws can handle a 3/4" blade, but most people say it can't tension it properly, is that the case with my saw, should I stay under the max.? I want to get a "laguna resaw king" carbide blade, while there is a 25% disc. but not sure on a 3/4", 1" or 1-1/4" ?

[Dan Hintz]

My 18" claims 1-1/4", I think, but I don't see much reason to go above 1/2"... I might use a 3/4" someday if I really see the need.

[Van Huskey]

Carbide blades need a SIGNIFICANT amount of tension. I would be most comfortable with a 3/4" blade on that saw and definately not with the 1 1/4". If you want to push it you could try the 1". The quality of cut goes way up when you can tension these blades as high as they are designed for, I am not saying you can't use the wider blades just the proper tension on the more narrow blades will produce a better finish IMO.

[Alan Wright]

David I have the same saw (I think... 514x) I have a 1" carbide blade in it for resawing and I've had no problems getting tension right. Alan

[Van Huskey]

David I have the same saw (I think... 514x) I have a 1" carbide blade in it for resawing and I've had no problems getting tension right. Alan

Curious what tension do you use for the carbide blade?

[David Kumm]

Once you get to a .035 thick blade there isn't much benefit to going over 3/4" unless you can tension the wider blade. A Lenox carbide will work at 15000 psi but not as well as at 25000. They don't last as long either IMO as the lower tension often pushes the blade back against the bearings and heats it up which fatigues the band sooner. I would experiment fist with woodslicer or timberwolf 3/4 blades that are lower cost and then move up to a $200 blade if they don't work well. Dave

[Van Huskey]

Once you get to a .035 thick blade there isn't much benefit to going over 3/4" unless you can tension the wider blade. A Lenox carbide will work at 15000 psi but not as well as at 25000. They don't last as long either IMO as the lower tension often pushes the blade back against the bearings and heats it up which fatigues the band sooner.

Indeed. Not only does the less than ideal tension increase band fatigue but it also diminishes the quality of the cut. The two biggest positives regarding resaw quality and carbide blades are being able to use high tensions and the blade having no set. The reduced tension affects the quality in two ways. First, you have reduced beam strength which allows the blade to be deflected more easily both from side to side and from front to back, it should be clear we want to avoid side to side motion as much as possible if the goal is high quality cuts. The second by-product of low tension is the vibration of the blade in the cut. Bandsaw blades vibrate as they spin and this results in less than optimum cuts. These variations in the cut are most evident in tall resawing. The two basic ways to reduce this vibration are variable pitch blades and increased tension. With low tension the blade oscillates at a lower frequency but at a higher amplitude thus causing a more significant effect on the quality of the cut. By increasing the tension the blade vibrates at a higher frequency but at a lower amplitude resulting in a better cut quality.

Bottom line to get the best cut quality from the blade, especially a $200+ blade you want to make sure the saw can get the carbide blade to the optimum tension for that blade, which in the case of the Resaw King is going to be at or above 25,000 PSI. The maximum width blade spec for bandsaws and the tension scale are usually a rough guide based on an carbon band with average thickness backer gauge, so about 15,000 PSI for this "standard" blade. You can do the math but I think the best cut quality on that saw will result from the 3/4" blade. Even though in this case the price is the same more is not better. The extra width of the blade is not going to overcome the loss of quality as a result of lower than optimum tension.


Just a note about tension gauges on bandsaws. One must keep in mind that they can not possibly be accurate for all bands of a given width. They only measure ABSOLUTE TENSION. The absolute tension that would create 15,000 PSI on a 3/4" .025 gauge band would be significantly lower on a 3/4" .035 gauge band due to the increased cross section of the thicker band. What would be the "perfect" 15,000 PSI for a carbon band would be significantly below the optimum tension on a bi-metal or carbide tipped blade of the same cross section. So we have to keep in mind the scale is just a starting point, that said most of them seem to be "close enough" for a direct setting if you are using a sharp carbon band with a pretty "normal" cross section for the given width. As the blade dulls it will usually benefit from some additional tension and bi-metal, carbide and thick gauge bands will need more tension than the scale shows for the given width as well.

[david paul miller]

Thanks Van, that makes sense, bigger is not always better even when the price is the same. think I'll go with the 3/4". and David I do have the woodslicer blades 1/2" and 3/4", and a bunch of Timberwolf blades, I like them both, but want to try a carbide blade, hoping for even smoother cuts.