Bandsawing Merbau/Kwila

[David Dalzell]

:confused:I have a thick plank of Merbau (AKA Kwila) that I need to resaw. The plank is 8/4 by about 8" wide. I have a 1" WoodSlicer bandsaw blade from Highland Woodworking which I have used to resaw Cherry and Walnut with very satisfactory results. It has seen little use and is still sharp. My bandsaw has a 19" wheel @ 5HP so ther is no power problem. My concern is the wood itself. I have never resawn Merbau/Kwila, but the Hobbithouse website says "cutting edges are gummed up easily and dulled quickly". Since I will have to resaw twice (for 3 pieces) and each piece will be about 50" long I have concerns about dulling the blade before I have completed the resaw. Dulling to the point that the cuts are not straight and flat. Does any one have any words of wisdom re Merbau and or the Woodslicer blade for this task?Thanks

[Jim Rimmer]

I can't tell you what will happen to your saw but I looked at the Janka scale ratings and found 3 for Merbau (1712, 1840 and 1925).
For comparison Hickory is 1820, Chestnut 2300 and Rosewood 1780. If you have had any experience with these woods you may have feel
for what Merbau may work like. I have worked with Hickory and find it to be a very dense and heavy wood. I didn't cut anywhere near
the length you are considering but i had no problem resawing it and didn't notice any premature dulling. However, my pieces were short.
http://www.bellforestproducts.com/info/janka-hardness/

[Erik Loza]

I feel like the Woodslicer could very well gum up quickly in those woods. And also be very sensitive to feed rate. Sounds like an ideal subject for a 1.0" Lenox Woodmaster CT blade.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Chris Padilla]

Cut...clean...cut...clean...cut...clean. You'll probably be fine but I'd try at least one cut and see how it goes from there.

[David Dalzell]

Well The Kwila planks are longer than I need. I need 50" and the plank I will use is around 90". I guess I could cut off a shorter section and try it, but I don't know if this would really tell me anything unless the cut goes bad from the start.