Totally impressed! - Woodturners Bandsaw blade - a review

[Roger Chandler]

This Thursday, I am scheduled to be a guest at the DAMP Wood Society gathering at Tony DeMasi's place....Tony sent me an email and said prepare some blanks for the session.........

Last December, I posted a thread on the Woodturners BS blade from Highland Hardware..http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?177809-Bandsaw-blade-for-woodturners&highlight=

.it was listed for good performance on green wood blanks, etc. I ordered two last year....one for my Jet 18" BS and one for my 14" BS, and I just got around to putting one on my 18" Jet because well.........frankly, I hate to go to all the trouble as the big bandsaw......if you change the blade width, then you have to take the table off to be able to get to the adjustment for the roller bearings underneath........not the best design, but that is another story!

Anyway, I started out with my Timberwolf 3/4" x 3 tpi blade that was on there already........found out quickly that it was way past time to change blades.......before I hurt myself! :eek: A dull blade is a safety hazzard! I installed the new woodturners blade on the 18" saw [137 inch blade] and wow! What a difference!

This blade is 3/8" and has 3tpi and is .032 thickness, and the teeth are set so it makes a fairly wide kerf for chip clearance. This blade was designed for what we woodturners do in preparing wood blanks for the lathe.

It is my belief that on a properly set up saw, that this blade tops everything I have used to date, for cutting blanks for the lathe, including the Timberwolf blades, which I really like, and have used a lot.

I have some pics below of a few blanks I prepared and the cut-offs on the floor........what a mess! :eek: Now I have to do some clean up!

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[Tony De Masi]

Glad you kept the mess at your shop.....:) Not that mine won't be a disaster zone at the end of the day but that's what will happen with 6-7 tuners for about 8-10 hours. Looking forward to seeing you Roger.

[Jim Underwood]

They cut green wood well. I have had a few, however, where the weld wasn't lined up too well. However, Highland Woodworking shipped me another free of charge.

My problem is that they are so agressive that if your blank isn't entirely flat, it will grab it and ram it through your throat plate if you're not careful. I've ruined a couple of brand new blades that way.

[Roger Chandler]

Glad you kept the mess at your shop.....:) Not that mine won't be a disaster zone at the end of the day but that's what will happen with 6-7 tuners for about 8-10 hours. Looking forward to seeing you Roger.

Wow......that is going to be a lot of curlees Tony!

[Mike Cruz]

Sounds like you really like that blade, Roger. I'm thinking that I need to order another blade for my 20" Delta. Was thinking of just reordering the same one that I have on now (can't remember the name Woodmaster II or something like that). I like the one I have, but hear that the one you have is fairly inexpensive. I like that because, with cutting blanks out of green wood, you find the occasional nail, wire fence, or bullet (though lead doesn't hurt much). I might check those out...

See ya that the next meet!

[Roger Chandler]

Sounds like you really like that blade, Roger. I'm thinking that I need to order another blade for my 20" Delta. Was thinking of just reordering the same one that I have on now (can't remember the name Woodmaster II or something like that). I like the one I have, but hear that the one you have is fairly inexpensive. I like that because, with cutting blanks out of green wood, you find the occasional nail, wire fence, or bullet (though lead doesn't hurt much). I might check those out...

See ya that the next meet!


I have not used the Woodmaster II Mike.........I cannot make a comparrison for you with that blade, but some of the discussion back last year mentioned that blade as a good one.......I have used the Timberwolf a great deal, and it is a really fine blade........on turning blanks, this Woodturner's blade from Highland is the best I have used to date......other kinds of things......flatwork and such, I like the Timberwolf.

[Jamie Donaldson]

Why not just sharpen the old blade Roger? I do that on my MiniMax, and with a 148" blade it only takes about half a day!:(

[Erik Johanson]

I have some pics below of a few blanks I prepared and the cut-offs on the floor........what a mess! :eek: Now I have to do some clean up!



you call those cut off's I see them as potential bottle stoppers, pens, etc. Although I am as frugal with my wood as I am my money. Great looking blanks.

[Dan Hintz]

you call those cut off's I see them as potential bottle stoppers, pens, etc. Although I am as frugal with my wood as I am my money. Great looking blanks.
The vast majority of my blanks for peppermills on down to pens come from cutoffs destined for the landfill at prior DAMP meetings. That one piece sitting on top alone looks like it has some great figure in it.

[Roger Chandler]

Trust me guys...........those pieces that are big enough for a pen blank or bottle stopper will get utilized.....some might become a knob or something on another box or something, but I am not one to let wood go to waste!

[Roger Chandler]

Why not just sharpen the old blade Roger? I do that on my MiniMax, and with a 148" blade it only takes about half a day!:(


I do sharpen my blades Jamie.......the one I took off has been re-sharpened twice.......might have one more in it......after about 3 sharpenings, there is hardly no gullet left......and tooth size gets pretty small.

[Bill Bulloch]

I use the Woodturners Bandsaw Blade from Highland. As-a-matter-of-fact, I just put a new one on my saw yesterday. I like how aggressively it attacts the wet log, however I have had two of them break on me at the weld. In my fifty years, or so, of woodworking these are the only bandsaw blades that have ever broken. Fortunately, both lasted long enough that I consider I got my monies worth out of them.

[Roger Chandler]

I use the Woodturners Bandsaw Blade from Highland. As-a-matter-of-fact, I just put a new one on my saw yesterday. I like how aggressively it attacts the wet log, however I have had two of them break on me at the weld. In my fifty years, or so, of woodworking these are the only bandsaw blades that have ever broken. Fortunately, both lasted long enough that I consider I got my monies worth out of them.

Bill.......a question for you......do you think that possibly the tension of your bandsaw was not set properly, and was the cause of premature failure? From 50 years of woodworking, no doubt you have plenty of experience with these things......just wondered if the tension should be less or more with the Woodturners Blade from Highland Hardware???

[Reed Gray]

If a blade breaks at the weld, it is a bad weld. I take a pile of bimetal blades (Lennox diemaster) to a local saw shop and they sharpen them for me. 4 or so 150 by 1 1/4, and teeth at 3/4 inch apart, and a couple of 96 by 1/2 by 3 tpi cost about $40 to have sharpened. They do a way better job than I can do.

robo hippy

[Mike Cruz]

Maybe I could figure out a way to use my chainsaw sharpener to work on band saw blades! :eek:

[Russell Eaton]

Bill I believe that Highland will replace those blades even if they are used. That is what I have been told. As close as we are to them it is good excuse to go shopping!

[Harry Robinette]

Roger
Those blanks don't look to wet, Wet to me is still water laying on the cut surface. Those look maybe a little damp. :D:D I've been using a cheap Olson All Pro 1/2 3tpi I find them better then the Timber Wolfe. Timber Wolfe's blades didn't seam to remove the saw dust very well and that causes them to bind. I want to try a blade I think they're called Wood slicer someone said they do good on "wet" wood.

[Thomas Canfield]

I have used several (at least 4 or 5) of the Woodturner blades on my 14" Delta and had good luck on green wood. I did dull one rather quickly trying to cut a dry section of Mesquite, but that section seemed to be extremely hard and dulled my bowl gouges and even a Hunter tool. I did have the last blade I bought break at the weld after cutting one 6"D x 3" round and just starting a second. Highland did send a replacement blade and that is the first blade that I have broken without any mistake on my part (don't ask how many I have been responsible for breaking).

[Baxter Smith]

Glad they worked well for you Roger. I have had a couple of them and they do cut great when sharp/new. Never tried to resharpen one. Cheaper to use my chainsaw (which I can resharpen) whenever possible.

[Mike Cruz]

Harry, are those the carbide tipped ones? If so, I'm sure they work awsome. But I usually have too many uh-ohs to justify the price for one of those...though I have to admit, I've thought about it...

[Mike Cruz]

Baxter, I'd love to see a chainsaw circle cutting jig. Uh-oh, I may have just given someone cause to to invent something stupid and dangerous... Gotta love America!

[BILL DONAHUE]

Roger, Having to be the most un-handy guy on this site I really appreciate this thread. The lathe was my first experience with tools of any kind. In fact, I got started woodturning after seeing a guy on TV news showing his turnings made by a lathe. I called him up, visited his shop and my first question was to show me what a lathe looked like. Recently I've had a lot of problems using my Delta 14" bandsaw and when a neighbor came by to try to set it up for me, he laughed because I referred to it several times as a drill press. I really have never been exposed to tools. It turned out that I had the wrong type of blade in the bandsaw and it and it wasn't set up nearly correct. I always buy blanks that are ready to turn so I don't have to mess with the bandsaw. So any info I can get like this helps and I appreciate it.

[Reed Gray]

Carbide tipped blades are for cutting veneers, and are lousy for cutting wet wood blanks. There is no set to the teeth. I did that once. I get far more miles out of the bimetal blades.

robo hippy

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Baxter, I'd love to see a chainsaw circle cutting jig. Uh-oh, I may have just given someone cause to to invent something stupid and dangerous... Gotta love America!

A chainsaw circle cutter, or at least close to a circle I use every time I have a large blank.

Bandsaws are fine for smaller blanks, for bigger and heavier blanks the chainsaw will do a very fine job, and the small points of the blank are taking less time to turn down than the hassle would be with a bandsaw, at least for me ;) :D.

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[Roger Chandler]

Roger, Having to be the most un-handy guy on this site I really appreciate this thread. The lathe was my first experience with tools of any kind. In fact, I got started woodturning after seeing a guy on TV news showing his turnings made by a lathe. I called him up, visited his shop and my first question was to show me what a lathe looked like. Recently I've had a lot of problems using my Delta 14" bandsaw and when a neighbor came by to try to set it up for me, he laughed because I referred to it several times as a drill press. I really have never been exposed to tools. It turned out that I had the wrong type of blade in the bandsaw and it and it wasn't set up nearly correct. I always buy blanks that are ready to turn so I don't have to mess with the bandsaw. So any info I can get like this helps and I appreciate it.

Bill!!! You need a mechanically inclined buddy!!! :D If you are a member of a turning club [with your obvious skills, one would automatically assume you are] you should see if someone in your club would come over to your shop and set that bandsaw up correctly........adjustment of the guides, tracking and such will do wonders for you along with the correct blade.......you will find lots of wood available that you won't have to pay for either!

[Bill Bulloch]

Bill I believe that Highland will replace those blades even if they are used. That is what I have been told. As close as we are to them it is good excuse to go shopping!

It never entered my mind to return them. After all I did got some use out of them and they only cost about $20. It would cost me that much to drive down there. I may, however, consider that if it happens again; I really like going down there. Like they say in their video; "It's like Disney Land for Woodworkers".


Roger: I don't recall the circumstances at the time of the breakages. I don't think, though, that I had the blade too tight, but guess it's possible. I still use them, but only for cutting logs. I use the general purpose blade they sell for other cuts.

[Bob Bergstrom]

Gave up on using band saws to cut blanks some time ago. I cut too many big blanks to lift and hold in place on the saw. I bought a Makita electric chainsaw and cut the blank into a octagon. Nip off any thing sticking out and mount it on the lathe. I will pay off the chainsaw in a couple of years just in saved bandsaw blades.

[Mike Cruz]

Good to know, Reed, thanks!

[Mike Cruz]

The circle cutting jig I made for my band saw works great! And for now, I can cut up to 19" diameter blanks. All I need to do to go bigger is add a few more holes/inserts. My only limits are my resaw capacity (12", but with the circle jig and such, more like 10") and how much I can lift up onto the BS. Though at 44, I still have the strength to lift 20+" slabs up there. Don't know how long I'll be able to do that...

[george wilson]

I weld my own,but a blade welder is pretty expensive. I do this because I've always done it at work,and because I kept running into NOS boxes of coiled blade stock. Also,years ago,I ordered more than 1 or 2 special blades from Woodcraft and they all quickly broke at the weld. I informed them that whoever was welding their blades was not doing them good service. Just to inconvenient to keep mailing blades back,plus the shipping costs.

When I taught shop in the 60's,we had no welder,so I made up a simple wooden jig to hold the ends of the blades in alignment,scarfed the joints and silver soldered them. I squeezed the joint with pliers (the only thing I had) just as the solder melted. Then,I re heated the joint to remove any brittleness caused by rapidly cooling the joint. I found that these joints seemed VERY difficult for the boys to break compared to welded joints,so all was well. A lot of the time it's not the weld,its failure to polish off the weld and heat it to blue slowly afterwards that causes the problem. Even a seemingly perfect weld is too brittle unless the joint is softened by re heating.

[Peter Elliott]

Roger, it will be nice to meet you in person... I think someone was keeping it a secret :rolleyes:

[Roger Chandler]

Roger, it will be nice to meet you in person... I think someone was keeping it a secret :rolleyes:


It will be nice meeting you as well Peter. Secret? What secret? :confused:

[Ron Rutter]

Maybe I could figure out a way to use my chainsaw sharpener to work on band saw blades! :eek:

Mike. I use a 7/32" cylindrical stone meant for sharpening chainsaws in my Dremel for sharpening BS blades. Works great. There are probably 5/32" stones available as well.

[Jon Nuckles]

I use the Highland Woodturners' blades as well and just received a shipment of 3 new ones. They are reasonably priced and work as well as the more expensive blades I have tried. I may look into an electric chainsaw for the shop, though, as I like to turn pieces larger than my 17" bandsaw with 12" resaw capacity handles well. (To be honest, it is probably my nearly 52 year old body that doesn't handle the large blanks well!)

[Reed Gray]

Since I got my Laguna 16HD, I never use the electric chain saw any more. There is a very small market for bowls over 14 to 16 inch diameter. The bandsaw does a far better job of cutting a slab with parallel sides than I could ever come close to with the chainsaw, even when marking parallel lines on both sides of the blank (plumb line front and back, then strips of plywood to make parallel lines). Following marked lines, cut the slab in half, or more depending on the size. Lay the flat side down on the bandsaw table and cut one end square to the table. Stand on end, mark and cut the bottom of the bowl/slab. Only problem is the long shavings tend to clog up the bottom of the bandsaw. I have never seen a bandsaw with efficient dust/shaving collection ports. Kind of reminds me of the old Star Trek episode, the Trouble With Tribles. Lots of hair balls. I never used a circle cutting jig. A compass works fine, and when using a face plate, or in my case, forstner bit recess, for mounting, they never go on exactly centered, so perfect circle is a waste of time.

robo hippy

[robert baccus]

Harry--you might look into those woodslicer blades before buying one for bowl cutting. I've used 3 in the past for cutting veneer, which they are unbeatable at. They are very expensive, very flexible/thin and may not take the wrestling around bowl blanks often need. Also they have almost no kerf which makes me nervous. Good luck.

[Doug Herzberg]

I went through a few Timber Wolf blades before I paid attention to the chart on the back. They only recommend a few of their blades for green wood and our local WC didn't stock any of them. Finally ordered one from the factory and it works great. It is a thicker the other Timber Wolf blades.