Best bandsaw blade for slicing exotics

[dirk martin]

I've got a Minimax MM24 bandsaw.
I've also aquired some beautiful Bubinga billets, as well as some other exotics, that I want to slice into guitar backs and sides.
This wood is in the 8" - 9" wide range.

Bubinga, Mahogany, Teak, Purpleheart, Eucalyptus, for starters.

What bandsaw blade would some of you suggest I buy to use for slicing?

[Jamie Buxton]

Carbide tipped, for sure. I use a Lenox Woodmaster CT. Good performance and lifetime. Other folks like the Lenox Trimaster or the Laguna Resaw King, at a considerably higher price point.

[Michael Roberts]

+1 for the Woodmaster CT. I run on on my MM24.

[dirk martin]

I should also point out I have a 15" wide belt sander.

The kerf's not too big on the Woodmaster CT?

[dirk martin]

$159.88 at Spectrum supply....Not cheap....yes, cheaper than a Resaw king....

[Jamie Buxton]

I should also point out I have a 15" wide belt sander.

The kerf's not too big on the Woodmaster CT?

The kerf is .05".

[Erik Loza]

'Nuther vote for the Woodmaster CT.

Best,

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[John Lanciani]

Trimaster. More money buys a better cut. I had and sold two resaw kings, there is no comparison in my opinion.

[Erik Loza]

Trimaster. More money buys a better cut. I had and sold two resaw kings, there is no comparison in my opinion.

John, have you tried a Woodmaster CT, out of curiosity? I am big fan of the Tri-master but find that the Woodmaster is 90% that blade for about 2/3rds the price.

Thanks,

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[John Lanciani]

I have not Erik. The 1" trimaster on my MM20 is just such a perfect combination for the way that I use the saw that I'm reluctant to try anything else at this point. Do you find that you can rip thinner stock (+/- 1") with acceptable quality with the woodmaster CT? The 2-3 TPI trimaster will go from 1" up to 16" thickness for me, and as I've mentioned before when I cut veneer I do not need to do any additional work to the back face of the veneer before glueup. I also have the luxury of two bandsaws in the shop, The MM20 is just used for ripping and resaw, I have a 14" saw for curves and GP work so I don't ever have to change blades on either.

I hate to sound snobby but truth be told I don't give any real thought to the cost of tooling. My time is too precious to me and I just want the best result possible in the shortest amount of time.

John

[Herr Dalbergia]

I use the Woodmaster CT, and I like it. About the Laguna Kerfmaster, which is BTW produced in Germany not far away from my hometown, I dislike the quite high TPI. I do not know how thick the kerf of the Trimaster is, but I assume it will be about the same. The quality of the surface is not so important when resawing tone-wood, because you will thin it down with a sanding machine anyway. I would like to try the Trimaster, but when I bought the Woodmaster I had to buy 5 sawblades, and since I can resharpen them it will take some more time until I have to buy new ones...

I aslo run two saws, the Bäuerle for resawing, and the Meber for everything else. Once the Woodmaster is set, I don´t have to readjust anything...for weeks or even month.

If you are into resawing tone-wood, you might enjoy my picasa page.

https://picasaweb.google.com/115793185519493121307

cheers, alex

[Clay Fails]

Trimaster. More money buys a better cut. I had and sold two resaw kings, there is no comparison in my opinion.

Lenox Trimaster changed my bandsaw life! Very clean and no drift. Worth the extra cost, IMHO.

[dirk martin]

Nobody recomending that super thin blade from Hiland Hardware?
(I forget the name of the blade...)

[Tai Fu]

Yea, it's great until it becomes dull, which from what I hear gets there by the time you get your guide adjusted...

[Jamie Buxton]

Nobody recomending that super thin blade from Hiland Hardware?
(I forget the name of the blade...)

That's the Woodslicer, from Highland Hardware. 03" kerf, IIRC. Good blade, but it is steel, so it wears much faster than carbide. If you do enough resawing that you dull a carbide blade, you would have spent more money on steel blades in that time. If you rarely do resawing, then maybe steel makes economic sense. Or if you're resawing $500/bdft wood, so the marginally thinner kerf saves enough money to pay for the short life, then maybe steel makes economic sense

[Gus Dundon]

Carbide tipped blade for sure.; exotic woods dull blade faster.

[Richard McComas]

Not to hi-jack this thread but, I have a 1" 1.3 WoodMaster CT that needs sharpening. Where can I send it to be sharpened?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I use the Woodmaster CT, and I like it. About the Laguna Kerfmaster, which is BTW produced in Germany not far away from my hometown, I dislike the quite high TPI. I do not know how thick the kerf of the Trimaster is, but I assume it will be about the same. The quality of the surface is not so important when resawing tone-wood, because you will thin it down with a sanding machine anyway. I would like to try the Trimaster, but when I bought the Woodmaster I had to buy 5 sawblades, and since I can resharpen them it will take some more time until I have to buy new ones...

I aslo run two saws, the Bäuerle for resawing, and the Meber for everything else. Once the Woodmaster is set, I don´t have to readjust anything...for weeks or even month.

If you are into resawing tone-wood, you might enjoy my picasa page.

https://picasaweb.google.com/115793185519493121307

cheers, alex

Alex, thanks for sharing, very impressive!

[dirk martin]

$159.88 at Spectrum supply....Not cheap....yes, cheaper than a Resaw king....

Since I can resharpen it, that certainly helps with the cost....
How many sharpenings do you folks figure I'd get out of one of those things?
And, if I was resawing 8" wide stock for 4 to 6 hours a day, do you have any guess how long it'll go before it starts getting dull enough to resharpen?

[dirk martin]

The kerf is .05".

Is there no tooth set?

[John Lanciani]

And, if I was resawing 8" wide stock for 4 to 6 hours a day...

Time to step it up; http://www.baker-online.com/Baker_Model_A_Single_Head___Baker_Model_A___AX_Sin gle_Head_.aspx?pannel=3&productid=2526&categoryid=679

[Jamie Buxton]

Is there no tooth set?

There's no tooth set on any carbide-tipped bandsaw blade I've seen. The tips are wider than the band (just like a carbide table saw blade), so there's no need for set.

I think the lack of set is why carbide blades give such a smooth cut.

[Jamie Buxton]

Not to hi-jack this thread but, I have a 1" 1.3 WoodMaster CT that needs sharpening. Where can I send it to be sharpened?

I've never found a place that sharpens the Woodmaster CT. Look closely at the tips. The tips are like a triple-chip grind on a table saw blade. That is, any given tip is not the same shape as the ones flanking it. A resharpener would have to invest in pretty fancy machinery to do it right.

[Tai Fu]

Just wondering if you got lots of time, why not do it by hand with a fine grit diamond paddle?

[dirk martin]

hmmmm, well if the Woodmaster CT isn't sharpenable, but the Trimaster is....that certainly narrows the price difference.

[Julie Moriarty]

Carbide tipped, for sure. I use a Lenox Woodmaster CT. Good performance and lifetime.

+1
I've resawn a lot of exotics with the 1" wide version on a Jet 18" bandsaw cutting up to 9" with no problem.

[dirk martin]

How many times can the Trimaster be resharpened, and has anyone done that, and at what cost?

[Bruce Heys]

Would the Trimaster or Woodmaster also be suitable for softwoods? I'm preparing to build a coldmolded 20' sailboat that is constructed with 3 layers of 3/16" CVG Western Red Cedar veneers. There will be a tremendous amount of resawing for this project and speed of cut is one of the criteria I'm interested in. The width of the veneers will be approx. 5" and I'm using a 3 hp 19" saw. I also could use my 5 hp tablesaw but would loose more to sawdust.

[Kelby Van Patten]

I've had several Resaw King blades, and I've been happy with them. I have cut quite a few guitar backs/sides with exotics, and I've had no problems (other than when I've tried to use one after it got too dull).