Bi Metal BS blade needed....Which one Exactly?

[Peter Quinn]

I've been using timber wolf blades since I started my home shop, and they do what I want well enough for most things. But I'm starting to tire of the short life span for tall resaw, and I wouldn't mind a bit better surface quality, glue ready is not a requirement presently. I know carbide is the obvious best choice in the long run, but in the short run thats not a possibility right now due to $$$$$. But bi metal is. I've even heard a good argument that bimetal is actually cheaper long run than carbide on a per foot of wood cut basis, but thats a dog for another fight on a different day.

Specifics, 20" Meber , 12 3/8" resaw max, 3 HP, very rigid frame, takes up to 1 1/4" blades, average resaw is 8-12". Which bimetal blade EXACTLY would you recommend. I see lots of "bimetal is a good middle ground" statements in archives, haven't found many specific recommendations (brand, size, tooth config.). I see "diemaster" suggested a lot, that maxes out at 1/2" 4t and is marketed by lennox as a curve cutter, not a rip blade. Is the "wood master B" series the one for a vertical band saw? Spectrum lists these under "band mill" blades. Thanks for any input guys.

[david brum]

Hi Peter. I really liked the Diemaster that I got from Woodcraft Bands (http://www.woodcraftbands.com/Pricing%20page.htm). I used the 1/2" 3T hook. It was wicked sharp and stayed that way. Unfortunately, my saw wouldn't properly tension the .32 blade and it broke more than once. They sell it also in 3/4" 3T and 1" 3 -4, which probably leaves a cleaner kerf. BTW, all of the blades I've gotten from those guys have been super straight welds.

I'm currently using an Olson MVP bimetal blade. It's much thinner, I think .25, and works fine, but doesn't seem as sharp as the Diemaster.

[Mike Cutler]

Peter

I use a 1" Lennox Tri Master in my 18" Rikon 340 bandsaw. Prior to that I used a 1" Lennox Wood master B. The Bi-Metal B gave just as good a cut and finish as the Tri-Master, but it does wear out quicker. I still use the Bi-Metal when I'm cutting rough stuff. The Bi-metal blade was approximately $35.00 the Tri-Master $150.00. Last time I bought them. There is also the Woodmaster CT, but I haven't used one. It should be nice though.
Specifically I would recommend the Lennox 1" Woodmaster B in 2tpi. If your bandsaw is setup correctly, you will need a single pass through a drum sander, maybe two if the resaw length was long and you had to stop and change hand position in the middle.
The Wood master and the Tri-Master have the same cross sectional dimension and 18" is probably about the minimum wheel diameter that can be used before stress cracking becomes something to worry about. The Tri-Master on my Rikon has been in place for over three years with no evidence of stress cracking. I didn't know that the woodmaster was marketed as a bandmill blade until after I bought it. It worked though. I don't think the blade knows it's vertical and not horizontal.:eek:
I did break one Bi-metal, but I'm pretty certain it was my fault and not a problem in the blade.
The Lennox classic Bi-Metal comes in a 2/3 varipitch. It would certainly be worth checking out.

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks for the info guys. I was figuring to order from spectrum supply, they don't list the diemaster in the 3t configuration nor in sizes above 1/2" width. But it's interesting to see that other sources do. Good to know the wood master B will run on a medium sized machine, I guess I just can't tell the saw its wearing a blade meant for a band mill? I can keep it secret. But 3/4" Bari tooth was sort of my mental picture of the ideal sized blade for this saw, so maybe the larger diemaster is a better choice? At least I'm now focused on those two options, might come down to a coin toss or a phone call to each vendor.

[Peter Quinn]

I just got an email from Suffolk announcing their new sales web site, went to check it out, seems they sell Bimetal timberwolf blades in a 2/3 th config at 3/4" and 1" width. Anyone ever tried the timberwolf Bimetal bands?

[James Conrad]

One of the best kept secrets for re-sawing is the bi-metal Lenox Diemaster 2, I get them from here: http://www.spectrumsupply.com/diemaster2.aspx I use a 168" blade on MM20 and they run around $50. I would say they are about a 2 to 1 replacement for the tri-master which runs about $200 for a 1/2" 3tpi for a 168". I use to run these on my older smaller BS, and I think they run even better on my MM20.

I use a 1/2" 6tpi for most woods and a 4 or 3 tpi for really dense exotics, finish is very nice with either but the 6 tpi is really quite good, and I'm slicing veeners with this blade 3/32. A pass through the drum sander and some scraping and they are ready to go!

[John TenEyck]

I've been using Olson MVP bi-metal blades, 3 tpi. They cut like a maniac. I haven't run any of them long enough yet to know how long they will last, but I've resawn quite a bit with one and it still seems sharp. The 3 tpi is great for resawing thick stock, but is not quite as smooth as I'd like for cutting veneers. They cost around $35 with free shipping if you spent more than $100 when I bought them about 9 months ago.

John

[Peter Quinn]

I've been using Olson MVP bi-metal blades, 3 tpi. They cut like a maniac. I haven't run any of them long enough yet to know how long they will last, but I've resawn quite a bit with one and it still seems sharp. The 3 tpi is great for resawing thick stock, but is not quite as smooth as I'd like for cutting veneers. They cost around $35 with free shipping if you spent more than $100 when I bought them about 9 months ago.

John

I ran Olson MVP's on my 14" saw and liked them a lot but I haven't found a source for the 20" saw, takes 156" blades (13'). Do you know a source for Olson blades that long? I've done an Internet search and come up empty.