resaw band questions for Centauro 600

[Tom M King]

I've narrowed the choices down to a Lenox Trimaster, but the max blade thickness I see in metric specs online doesn't make sense to me. Will it tension the 1-1/4" .042 blade, or will the 1" .035 be better, or neither.......... All I can find is max blade width 35mm.

[ian maybury]

I've no directly comparative experience Tom, but others no doubt will. I have a Woodmaster on an Agazzani NRA. One consideration may be which model Centauro 600 you have. (i looked at the models a couple of years back) There's a CO600 which is a heavier machine with more tensioning capability than the SP600 - they are rated for 35 and 30mm maximum width blades respectively. Many makers seem to suggest a maximum width a bit larger than is ideal for resawing.

Again no hands on comparison to report, but reading between the lines of what people write on the topic it seems like the coarser Woodmaster may be a freer and faster cutting blade than the Trimaster - but that the latter delivers a better finish. I'm wary (based on bad experience) of getting caught with too small tooth gullets on deeper cuts.

Can't really advise on band thickness and width, other than that my personal instinct (which could easily be mistaken) is to go for the thinnest and narrowest band capable of comfortably accepting the max tension/max PSI stress in the blade your saw can apply - on the basis that most of the rigidity and straightness comes from the tension, while going thicker and wider than is ideal for the available tension may open the way to potentially problematical minor misalignments. Which is where experience needs to come in.....

[Tom M King]

It's an older CO600. Thanks for your input Ian.

[Jim Becker]

Tom, I'll caution you about the Trimaster relative to wheel diameter...they are not the "best" on the 16-18" wheels because of the band's thickness. It's not just about tension. And they are darn expensive to replace if something goes wrong. (DAMHIKT!) That said, the cut is amazing...

[Tom M King]

The 600 is about a 24".

[Tom M King]

I have about 8,000 lineal feet of resawing to do on random width Cypress with nothing wider than 6" and nothing narrower than 4-3/4". I have no experience with anything larger than a 20" bandsaw. I was thinking 2-3V teeth for compromise between speed and finish.

[Andrew Hughes]

Isn't the Tri Master a metal cutting blade? From what I remember he Tri master would cut wood but thought it was slow.I use the Woodmaster Ct 1.2 TPI.On my Aggi B20/20.I haven't had both blades at the same time but maybe have a look at the woodmaster Ct.The one on the saw now is still going good for a year now.Its seen hickory alder even some plywood .

[Tom M King]

I was looking at the Woodmaster. They skip from 1" to 2" and the 1" is 1.3 tooth. I was told that the Trimaster would leave a smoother cut, and if the shingles are finished with no other step, it will be a good thing. Fast is good, but smooth is worth some sacrifice in speed. The wood we'll be cutting is only about a third more Janka than Basswood.

[David Kumm]

1" Trimaster 2-3 varitooth or CT 1.3. I would get the Trimaster unless you plan on resawing wider stock. You don't want the wider .042 thick blade on that saw. I run an old Oliver which will tension the wider blade but have never needed it. Tension the Trimaster to 25000 and you will be a happy guy. Dave

[Andrew Hughes]

I think the Trimaster I had was a 3tpi,So maybe that was too slow for me.The cut on the Woodmaster is very good would even worry about that.I know it's none of my business just wondering what kind of Cypress are you gonna resaw?Maybe Bald Cypress.Out here everyone calls cypress cedar.Because of the smell.Good luck with your project.

[Tom M King]

Thanks a lot David!! That was my suspicion, but with no experience to back it up. The cost of the blade will be easily worth it for this one job, but I didn't really want to buy more than one to find out. I'll start with the 2-3V, and see how it goes. If it is too slow, I'll get the larger teeth. Heart Bald Cypress, Andrew.

[Tom M King]

Andrew, would you have a close-up picture of the Woodmaster 1.4 cut quality???

[David Kumm]

If you are hand feeding, that will be the limitation to cut quality more than the blade.322329322330322331 I tried to show the ripples in the light but the faces are both sawn and referenced off the fence. Referencing off the sawn side is a tough test. 0.040 thick +- .004. Trimaster that has been on the saw for a long time and a straight 3 tpi. A feeder will give the best finish as any start stop or uneven feeding will telgraph to the cut. The oliver runs at 6750 fpm so it will be faster than your Centauro. Keep in mind that one tooth filed off a little will cause ripples too. Dave

[Tom M King]

Thanks so much! I think they will look fine from the ground like that.

[Andrew Hughes]

Thought I had one on my iPad.But it was not a Lennox blade.Tomorrow I can put some wood to the blade and get a pic.

[ian maybury]

8,000ft sounds like the sort of job where a power feeder would bear thinking about anyway...

[Andrew Hughes]

Heres a video that hopefully shows the cut.My IPad doesn't take very good videos.
Also liked to point out that I am not trying to compare saws with David's oliver,my saw runs at 4500 Fpm its a lot slower than the oliver.Im also a big fan of Oliver machines.
A new Woodmaster Ct cuts pretty fast even on my slow poke saw.
http://youtu.be/VAtJbTgBk3Q

[Tom M King]

Andrew, I can't tell you how much I appreciate that!!! You have changed my mind to the Woodmaster like yours. This was exactly what I needed to see, and you have gone above and beyond any advice I expected to get.

[Tom M King]

Looks like my saw is 5300 fpm, so this is especially encouraging.

[Jim Becker]

The 600 is about a 24".
You should be fine then. I wasn't sure about the wheel size.

[David Kumm]

You might want to check with the sales guy and ask which tooth count the cypress will like best. I was sawing hard maple and the Trimaster lasts longer. Softer wood sometimes benefit from a different tooth count and I've not sawn cypress. Dave

[Tom M King]

Yeah, I talked to the salesman, and he thought the 1.3T Woodmaster would be the best choice. I ordered the blade, and it only cost 199.10 for a 14'10" blade. This was a bit surprising considering that a Resaw King for a 14" saw with riser costs a hundred and fifty bucks. It seems like it will be worth having this blade for future use even if I decide to try one with more teeth after I see what this one will do.

[Tom M King]

Andrew, I came back to this thread to thank you again for your efforts to help. I ended up getting a Woodmaster CT 1" 1.3TPI blade and it's AWESOME. We just started resawing the Cypress shingles, and with this blade it takes 3 to 4 seconds to resaw a 24"+ 4/4 board into two shingles, with nary a waver, and smooth surfaces. I can't imagine anything any faster and smoother unless it was on a larger saw that spins the blade faster. The cut was as smooth, or smoother, than the Trimaster I tried on the little 14" saw. Resawing speed is not the slow part of this job now.