Bandsaw Blades for Ripping?

[Jason Williams]

I'm rather new to bandsawing and need a little guidance. We manufacture carving blocks out of basswood and we were having trouble ripping thicker stock on our table saw. We invested in a 3hp bandsaw and we are looking for carbide tipped blades that would be good for ripping and also for making smooth cross cuts (if such a blade exists). We were looking at a Magnate M124E1T3 for ripping but we are open to any suggestions.

[Erik Loza]

Lenox Woodmaster CT is my go-to carbide blade. As wide as your machine will properly tension.

Be advised, though: Carbide-tipped blades require A LOT of frame strength on the part of the machine in order to get them cutting straight. Not sure what bandsaw you have but there are a lot more bandsaws that won't tension a 1.0" carbide properly, than will.

Erik

[Jason Williams]

Lenox Woodmaster CT is my go-to carbide blade. As wide as your machine will properly tension.

Be advised, though: Carbide-tipped blades require A LOT of frame strength on the part of the machine in order to get them cutting straight. Not sure what bandsaw you have but there are a lot more bandsaws that won't tension a 1.0" carbide properly, than will.

Erik

Thanks for the reply. We ordered the Rikon 10-351 14" Bandsaw

[Lee Schierer]

Thanks for the reply. We ordered the Rikon 10-351 14" Bandsaw

A 14" bandsaw will not handle a 1" blade. 1/2" or maybe 3/4" is the upper limit for a 14" saw.

[Patrick Curry]

Since you mentioned this was a business I'll suggest you consider a larger bandsaw.

I've not used a 1/2" blade on a 14" saw as was suggested, but my guess is that in the long run the company would be better off with 1" blade on a 18" saw if your resawing wide stock.

I have that setup and it cuts smoothly & effortlessly.

[Tom M King]

The same cut that takes 20 seconds on a 14" saw with a 1/2" Trimaster takes 3 seconds on a 24" saw with 1" 1.3 TPI Woodmaster CT. I actually timed it not too long ago. No difference in surface of cut quality. I sold the resaw blades for the 14" saw since it will never be used for resawing again. Both are as good a carbide tipped blade as you can get for those sized saws. The larger the saw, not only the larger blade it can tension, but the faster it can turn the blade.

I didn't try either blade for crosscutting.

[Bill Adamsen]

The same cut that takes 20 seconds on a 14" saw with a 1/2" Trimaster takes 3 seconds on a 24" saw with 1" 1.3 TPI Woodmaster CT.

Thanks for that scientific approach Tom. What a great way to baseline a blade and understand the performance degradation not only saw over saw, but also on the same machine over time. I've been cutting with that same Woodmaster CT (16'8" - 800mm saw) for about a year and was so pleased I bought a backup. Wish I baselined the blade as you have when new ... though I could swap out with my new blade to get that number. It would be great to see how the cutting changes over time. Having a way to log the amount of wood ripped (length X height X hardness) to estimate wear would also be good.

[Tom M King]

Mine has cut 8,000 lineal feet of Cypress, average depth of cut 5", and it feels as sharp as new to finger, and feed.

[Erik Loza]

This isn't meant to sound smug but probably 50% of my MM16 sales come from folks like the OP. I've heard the same story so many times: Bought such-and-such bandsaw because on paper, stated that it would "resaw" this or that or that it it has a 1-inch blade capacity (which I'm sure it does). Then, spent months fighting with it, unsatisfactory performance with wide blades, maybe even spent more money on "upgraded parts" like springs or guides in an effort to make it do what you want. Yet, it never really seems to.

This is not a knock on smaller bandsaws. They are fine for what they are fine for but in my experience, the moment a customer starts asking about wanting to use a 1.0" blade (carbide or not) on any sort of routine basis, the budget needs to expand. Just my 2-cents as always. OP, best of luck with this.

Erik

[Jason Williams]

A lot of good advice here. I only gave $500 for the 14" so it is still a good buy for the shop whether it works out for ripping or not. I'm certainly not against buying a larger saw if necessary.

[John TenEyck]

You may or may not benefit from a larger bandsaw. You didn't say how many feet of material you need to cut/day. If it's not all that much that 14" machine may serve your needs just fine once you put an appropriate blade on it. I'm a mostly hobbiest woodworker and have an old 14" Delta BS with riser block. I have no trouble resawing 10" thick maple and oak, nor any trouble slicing very nice veneer from them either. The saw only has a 1.5 HP motor on it. Of course a larger BS and motor would be faster, but it's fast enough for my needs and the quality is as good as nearly any saw/blade combination. FYI, on my saw a 1/2" wide blade is the widest you can use and get good results.

Make no mistake, though, I dream of a MM16 sitting in my shop some day.

John

[Tom M King]

For what it's worth, the 14" saw I quoted in my earlier post in this thread is the exact same saw and hp motor that John just mentioned. It will do fine, just slow.

[David Davies]

Any recommendations on where to buy the Lenox Woodmaster?
Thanks,
Dave

[Jason Williams]

We will mostly be cutting 2" basswood. I am optimistic with this saw and a good blade. I guess my dream saw would be a 21" Grizzly. Maybe one day I will splurge and get me one or find a good deal on a used saw. Next priority is a 37" wide belt sander and a AAA spray system.

[Kent Adams]

Any recommendations on where to buy the Lenox Woodmaster?
Thanks,
Dave

Highland Woodworker.

[Tom M King]

I ordered my Woodmaster CT from this place. It runs perfectly smooth. http://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com/band-saw-blades/woodmaster-band-saw-blades?gclid=CjwKEAiAh560BRDu-aD93r-J_zoSJACrxZG2TOQr9ruvWrdiru-bQ2ALQNyykq16PRzlzZfj5jkbNRoCLDfw_wcB

[Mike Cutler]

Jason

The Rikon 10-351 is not the same type of bandsaw as a Delta 14" clone. It is much more robust in construction than the Delta Clones, or the lighter Rikon 10-325.
"Generally" bandsaw blades for resaw, or ripping, are dedicated blades. You don't want the set of the teeth to be compromised by cutting against the grain, or doing curves, or you may encounter blade wandering issues when resawing. Resaw blades are low TPI( teeth per inch) blades.
In a saw the size of the one you have, no more than 4 TPI for resawing. The gullets are deep to clear the waste.
A blade for cross cutting is more TPI. It would seem that an 8-10 TPI blade might be a good place to start, based on your description of need.
You may not be able to run a 1", I'd be a little surprised though, but a 3/4" is certainly within it's capability.
I've been running a 1" Lennox TriMaster ,2/3 Varipitch on my Rikon 10-340 for 10 years now and it works just fine.
If that saw doesn't cut those softwood blanks, then you need to contact Erik. ;)

PS
That saw is a little brute. If you got it for $500.00, that was a very sweet deal. Gloat worthy.;)

[Kent Adams]

I agree, that is a fantastic deal on that bs. :D

[Erik Loza]

Spectrum Supply is another popular vendor for Woodmasters.

Erik

[David Davies]

Erik,
1.3 tpi or 2 tpi for the woodmaster CT for my S600?
Thanks,
Dave

[Erik Loza]

Erik,
1.3 tpi or 2 tpi for the woodmaster CT for my S600?
Thanks,
Dave

I'm pretty sure the one in the shop is 1.3 but I doubt it really matters that much on machines that size.

Erik

[Myk Rian]

A lot of good advice here. I only gave $500 for the 14" so it is still a good buy for the shop whether it works out for ripping or not. I'm certainly not against buying a larger saw if necessary.
If you bought that one used, you did ok.
It also means you are not adverse to buying a used machine. Look around for a 20" Delta, or something similar such as a Powermatic.

I don't think you have to go hog-wild on a blade if you're sawing basswood.

[Jason Williams]

I never thought of it that way but it makes perfect sense to use different blades for the ripping and cross cutting. My saw changes blades very quickly so it will be no problem to switch out. Thanks a bunch for those tips!