Best resaw blade

[Bill Sutherland]

Went for the Rikon 10-326 and want to upgrade the blade for resawing up to a max of 10". What would be the best blade to get and 1/2 or 3/4?

[Van Huskey]

First, does your budget include carbide blades? Are you cutting veneer or just sizing down boards? All dry lumber some (all) green?

[Bill Sutherland]

Yes on carbide, sizing down for small box construction and some veneer when I get good at making small boxes, all dry.

[Van Huskey]

Best option is a 3/4" Laguna Resaw King, the Lenox carbide blades are too thick for that saw to tension properly the RK have a much thinner gauge backer.

[Bill Sutherland]

Thanks Van...heard a lot about the Laguna Resaw King.

[Doug Bowman]

Best option is a 3/4" Laguna Resaw King, the Lenox carbide blades are too thick for that saw to tension properly the RK have a much thinner gauge backer.

Minor hijack but same topic (same saw)- what would you go with for non-carbide and again what width - 3/4 or half?

[Bill Sutherland]

Not a hijack because I was wondering the same

[Van Huskey]

Minor hijack but same topic (same saw)- what would you go with for non-carbide and again what width - 3/4 or half?

Assuming dry wood and cutting veneer I would suggest one of the impulse hardened spring steel blades in 3/4". You can get them from Highland (Woodslicer), Iturra (Blade Runner) and Spectrum Supply (Kerfmaster) they are all the same blade stock but sell for significantly different prices and are listed from high to low. These have a very thin kerf (saves wood) and the lack of set and variable pitch leave a finish nearly as good as a carbide tipped blade but they dull quickly. In the long run carbide is cheaper but upfront is MUCH higher and you may not do that much resawing. The have virtually no set so they aren't useful for even sweeping curves and they don't clear swarf every well so green wood is a no go.

A much more durable blade would be a 1/2" Lenox Diemaster II in 3TPI, it will have even greater beam strength than a 3/4" carbon blade due to the higher tension you should run them at and outlast a carbon blade by at least 7 times. Costs more than the blades above but MUCH less than carbide. It won't leave nearly as good of a finish as the "Woodslicer" type blades but it can be used in green wood and for sweeping curves.

The cheapest route would be a carbon Lenox Flex Back 3/4" in 2, 3 or 4 TPI.

I tend to use and recommend Lenox blades but there are plenty of other brands that make similar bands, my second choice is Starrett, then Morse.

[Bill Sutherland]

Thanks again Van for the help on this. You're a great resource.

[Raymond Seward]

Resaw king from Laguna...great blade

[Dave Cav]

Is Laguna still offering a SMC discount?

[Bill Sutherland]

There's a sale at Woodcraft

[Doug Bowman]

Thanks Van

[Edwin Santos]

Van,
I have been using the Lenox Tri-Master 1/2" for resawing and veneer cutting for years. I was drawn to it because the thinner .025 body was easier on my saw. I see from your post that the Laguna blade is wider and has a thinner body also.

How would you compare the 1/2 Tri Master to the 3/4" Laguna Resaw King in terms of performance and application? Thanks

[John C Cox]

I have run all 3 on my Rikon 14".

This is one instance where its not a good idea to jump straight up to the most expensive bands. Theres a significant learning curve and you will destroy even the best bands before you know what you did wrong and how not to do it again. Start resawing with a good bimetal band and go from there.

Why start with HSS? You will destroy a cheap carbon band before you even know what you did wrong.. It just starts wrecking wood and you dont know what happened. With carbide - the learning curve is more painful because they are so expensive. You will make dumb mistakes and end up kinking or breaking the band or knocking the teeth out of whack.. And you will be out $200 or so.... Bimetal blades cut well but will give you room for learning from mistakes... And you can go buy a new one once you wreck a band without crying too much over the cost.

Now - more in depth......

Once you have resawing down - the right choice really depends on what sort of woods you are cutting to determine the best overall economy for these saws.

Its not at all a one size fits all proposition..

If you are sawing very expensive wood into veneers where every thousandth of an inch = profit... Nothing beats the super thin kerf impulse blades mentioned above like the Iturra when resawing rosewood veneers. You will burn up a lot of blades - but ONE single slice pays for all your blades. These blades are a poor choice for common and/or abrasive woods that dont really cost all that much because they simply dont last... Its just not worth the cost of constant replacement of these blades on cherry,white oak, or Jatoba..

if you are sawing more common woods that are more abrasive, but dont require a super fine kerf because of the wood cost - Carbide will outlast everything else. The downside of carbide is that it takes more power because the kerf is usually larger and it cuts like a half dull steel band. As such - its not a good choice for small bandsaws and super hard woods. You will never beat a carbide band on stuff like oak, cherry, mahogany, and pine. They will run almost forever so long as you dont do dumb things. They also dont always leave the best surface finish - which is a big deal with expensive woods like rosewood.

Then there are the bimetal hss tooth bands. These are sharper and thinner than carbide - so generally tend to work better in very hard woods because they dont require as much power to run and so they dont bog down the saw... But - they are way less expensive. When I bought mine - I could buy 5 HSS bands for 1 laguna resaw king.

The general rule of thumb is that a HSS lasts 7-10x a steel band and carbide can last 50x.... But thats also within the limitations of above. For example - it doesnt matter if it theoretically lasts longer but your saw can't run it well because it takes toouch power. Carbide also doesn't make any sense if every extra 0.001" or kerf + cleanup will cost you a fortune..

theres just no way I am going to saw $300/bdft Brazilian Rosewood or $100/bdft high figure koa on a Carbide band. I am going to go buy a case of Bladerunner bands and throw it away as soon as it even hints its getting dull... On the other hand - if I am going to resaw 200 bdft of cherry into 1/8" stock - I am going straight for carbide.

But - Carbide makes no sense for resawing a couple times a month...

[Bill Sutherland]

There's a lot more to all this than I ever imagined. I had a Woodslicer on my old Shopsmith BS but since I have the new Rikon and am just learning to make small boxes I didn't want to buy a blade that would not work well with the 10-326 Rikon.

[Van Huskey]

Van,
I have been using the Lenox Tri-Master 1/2" for resawing and veneer cutting for years. I was drawn to it because the thinner .025 body was easier on my saw. I see from your post that the Laguna blade is wider and has a thinner body also.

How would you compare the 1/2 Tri Master to the 3/4" Laguna Resaw King in terms of performance and application? Thanks

The RK is just slightly thinner than the 1/2" Tri-master but are essentially the same gauge so the 1/2" TM will be easier to tension so depending on the saw it may be a better choice.

The 1/2" TM will not have quite as good of a finish as the 3/4" RK since the RK is variable pitch and a higher TPI so for veneer work it would be my choice but the TM will be slightly more aggressive for milling. They are roughly the same price for smaller saws (the TM tends to have an advantage in longer lengths from most suppliers). The RK is easier and cheaper to get resharpened, the only place I know of that sharpens the TM is Daily Saw. When you get up to the 1" TM it is available in variable pitch and similar TPI to the RK so the finish advantage gets very small. I really like and use both blades in 1" as well as the Woodmaster CT and they each have pros and cons but it may not be enough that most people would even care about.

When you wear out your TM you might try the 3/4" RK assuming your saw can tension it.

BTW I must admit I have never used the 1/2" TM or the 3/4" RK but have used them both with the same tooth pattern in their respective 1"

[Edwin Santos]

When you wear out your TM you might try the 3/4" RK assuming your saw can tension it.



Very helpful feedback! Yes, my TM is a little long in the tooth (ha!) and I have been happy enough with it that I will definitely get another however it sounds like the RK would be a good one to add to the arsenal. I've left the all-purpose-blade club and joined the use-the-optimal-blade-for-job-at-hand camp. Even the subtle differences you've described is enough for me to justify having both.

My saw by the way is slightly obscure saw called a Meber P400, 16" wheels, 12" resaw capacity. I think the motor which says CEG, is 2.5hp but I'm not 100% sure. I've been quite happy with it but I do not believe it to be as robust as the Italian bandsaws sold by MiniMax and Laguna these days. I put a borrowed Starrett tension gauge on it once and it maxed out at about 28,000 lbs, but that was maxed out and not something I'd care to do for regular operation. Thanks again!

BTW, this may or may not be responsive to the OP's question, but once my local supplier gave me the Lenox NEO type carbon blade in error instead of the Flexback. This was a 3/8" hook tooth 3tpi. I went ahead and used it and I find it to be a very good blade for woodworking even though they don't specifically market it for wood.

[Van Huskey]

My saw by the way is slightly obscure saw called a Meber P400, 16" wheels, 12" resaw capacity. I think the motor which says CEG, is 2.5hp but I'm not 100% sure. I've been quite happy with it but I do not believe it to be as robust as the Italian bandsaws sold by MiniMax and Laguna these days. I put a borrowed Starrett tension gauge on it once and it maxed out at about 28,000 lbs, but that was maxed out and not something I'd care to do for regular operation. Thanks again!

BTW, this may or may not be responsive to the OP's question, but once my local supplier gave me the Lenox NEO type carbon blade in error instead of the Flexback. This was a 3/8" hook tooth 3tpi. I went ahead and used it and I find it to be a very good blade for woodworking even though they don't specifically market it for wood.

While the self-branded Meber P400 is kinda rare in the US you do occasionally see the Laguna branded version the LT 16 SEC which they sold in the US during the 90s. While not as robust as the current ACM (Laguna LT HD) and Centauro (Minimax MM) saws it isn't the al dente noodle most Asian 16" saws of that era were. It will be fine with 3/4" RK but will be happiest at full tension, no need to fret over cranking it up as long as you don't bottom the spring. I am guessing yours has a 1.85kw 50hz TM motor which equates to almost exactly 2.5hp. It is a nice saw, if I saw one local for the right price I'd pick it up, for whatever reason the ones I see for sale are usually either pristine or completely ragged out with that I sat outside in the rain for 3 years look.

Edit PS I am not sure the differences are large enough to have both, they are pretty subtle and I honestly tend to use them interchangeably.

Interesting about the Lenox NEO, not surprised it cuts wood well even if it is "off label", for years Lenox didn't list wood on the Tri Master cut sheet. My only concern is the hardened backer on smaller wheels. I am curious if you are able to wear it out prior to fatigue cracks developing. Some supply houses won't weld a hard backed blade shorter than 15-16'.

[Jason Lester]

Does the 10-326 take the same 111" blade as the 10-325? I tried two different Woodslicers on my 10-325 and never got it to tension right. It's like they were just barely too big. I ended up with Timberwolf from Suffolk, but haven't done much resawing yet.

[Van Huskey]

Does the 10-326 take the same 111" blade as the 10-325? I tried two different Woodslicers on my 10-325 and never got it to tension right. It's like they were just barely too big. I ended up with Timberwolf from Suffolk, but haven't done much resawing yet.

Yes, the 10-326 takes a 111" blade. Did you measure the Woodslicer? In any case both Iturra and Spectrum weld their own blades (from the same blade stock) so they can give you an exact 111" or adjust it by a small amount either way if you think you need it. I should mention Highland can get custom sizes as well but they don;t weld in-house which is at least part of the reason they are more expensive. All saws actually work with a range of sizes, the smaller the saw the smaller the range but most manufacturers just specify a single number which is usually in the middle of the range.

[tom lucas]

I'm far from an expert, but I've had better luck with Timber Wolf blades than I did with woodslicers. Maybe it's as John Cox says. I did my first cuttings on woodslicers. They cut nice at first, but did not last long (hard Kempas, green cedar). Then I tried Timber Wolf. The Timberwolves are lasting much longer. I have one saw set up with a 3/4" bimetal for resawing, and another with a 3/16" for curved cutting. Both cut great. The 3/16" is a little aggressive on thin materials, but it cuts nice curves in 4" hickory without any problem.

Diamond Sterling are also good blades.

[Van Huskey]

I'm far from an expert, but I've had better luck with Timber Wolf blades than I did with woodslicers. Maybe it's as John Cox says. I did my first cuttings on woodslicers. They cut nice at first, but did not last long (hard Kempas, green cedar). The Timberwolves are lasting much longer. I have one saw set up with a 3/4" bimetal for resawing, and another with a 3/16" for curved cutting. Both cut great. The 3/16" is a little aggressive on thin materials.

The Woodslicer blades (and the other ones that are the same blade stock) have softer teeth than standard carbon blades so while they are initially sharper they dull quicker, they have their merits but they are a niche blade but people usually don't include the proper caveats when extolling their virtues. BTW you should never gut green wood with one of these blades. They have no set so they can't clear wet swarf effectively and you can dull them in one cut.

As for the Swedish steel TW blades I don't have much use for them. They are silicon steel so they have softer teeth than a standard carbon blade (Rc60 vs Rc64) so though harder than the Woodslicer type blades they still dull much quicker than quality carbon blades though sharper initially. Their bi-metal blades are fine but tend to be priced higher than Lenox and Starrett who are both the industry leaders in bi-metal blades, the Starrett ones are probably better than the Lenox but are often harder to find in wood cutting tooth formats.

[John C Cox]

This whole discussion is kinda demonstrates the trouble with resawing. Its a very tricky proposition and you have to pick the right horse for the course.

Its like drag racing vs stock car racing vs touring vs a daily driver that goes 250,000 miles.

Thats part of the reason the wood slicer type blades are so nice for super expensive wood. Very sharp teeth, small kerf, smooth cut, short life. Drag racing. Its the band I want when Expensive wood is on the line..

The carbide band is like the old delvery truck. It just grinds and grinds and grinds away. Not a super smooth finish. Takes a lot of power. Takes a fairly heavy kerf... May have problems bogging down. Always cuts like its half dull... May have more issues with barrel cutting, wandering, and doing things that make it look like its not got enough tension... But it grinds away forever till you finally break the band in half.

The Bimetal blade is the family sedan. Easier to deal with and a lot more economical than Mr. delivery truck carbide. Takes a lot less power and is a lot easier on your smaller saw. Reasonably easy to setup and decent enough life. The cost isnt so high that you freak out over loosing one.

The Timberwolf type hardened carbon steel blade is the economy car. Cheap and decent enough for right now.. But thats all you get out of it. These are super handy to have around for stuff you dont do all the time because it doesnt force you to sink a ton of money on bands you use 1x a year like a tight circle cutting band or a resaw band if you only do it 1x or 2x per year.

[Van Huskey]

This whole discussion is kinda demonstrates the trouble with resawing. Its a very tricky proposition and you have to pick the right horse for the course.

Its like drag racing vs stock car racing vs touring vs a daily driver that goes 250,000 miles.

Thats part of the reason the wood slicer type blades are so nice for super expensive wood. Very sharp teeth, small kerf, smooth cut, short life. Drag racing. Its the band I want when Expensive wood is on the line..

The carbide band is like the old delvery truck. It just grinds and grinds and grinds away. Not a super smooth finish. Takes a lot of power. Takes a fairly heavy kerf... May have problems bogging down. Always cuts like its half dull... May have more issues with barrel cutting, wandering, and doing things that make it look like its not got enough tension... But it grinds away forever till you finally break the band in half.

The Bimetal blade is the family sedan. Easier to deal with and a lot more economical than Mr. delivery truck carbide. Takes a lot less power and is a lot easier on your smaller saw. Reasonably easy to setup and decent enough life. The cost isnt so high that you freak out over loosing one.


The Timberwolf type hardened carbon steel blade is the economy car. Cheap and decent enough for right now.. But thats all you get out of it. These are super handy to have around for stuff you dont do all the time because it doesnt force you to sink a ton of money on bands you use 1x a year like a tight circle cutting band or a resaw band if you only do it 1x or 2x per year.

You have some things right but IMO some things wrong. While I love a good car analogy I realized in trying to come up with good ones I as getting very esoteric and most people wouldn't appreciate the difference between F1 cars in the grounds effects vs blown diffuser eras...

Your assessment of the impulse hardened spring steel blades like the Woodslicer is pretty much spot on and add to that they are easy to fully tension on smaller saws.

You are off on the carbide blades though. The best carbide tipped blades will give you the best finish of any bandsaw blade, period. They don't take much more power per inch of resaw than say a bi-metal blade. The kerf depends on the blade but most of the ones we discuss are as thin or thinner than the kerf on wide set bi-metal or carbon blades. Carbide blades need more tension than carbon blades, with the right tension they will have a higher beam strength than most other blades of similar cross section so they will have higher resistance to barrelling and wandering. They are less likely to have blade drift since the teeth are ground vs set. They are simply the best resaw blade money can buy.

Bimetal blades are less economical than a carbide tipped blade. A carbide blade will outlast a bi-metal blade about 10 to 1 and only cost 4-5 times as much and can be resharpened 3-4 times for about 1/4 to 1/3rd of a new blade. They require very similar tension as the carbide blades so they don;t give a small saw a break in tension and with similar kerfs don;t really need noticeably higher power as long as the tooth pitch is similar. None of these blades should be any more difficult to setup a saw for if they have similar widths.

TW Swedish steel blades have teeth softer than a standard carbon blade. Carbon blades are a much better value for general purpose work than silicon steel but TW sells more than just Swedish steel blades.

There are a lot of factors in choosing the best blade for the job balanced with the individual needs of the woodworker and their saw(s) so an infinite number of possibilities. Each person has to look at their saw, their cuts and their budget try to wade through all the blade variations to pick what works best for them. Like life even with good research and advice one still has to make choices and try to learn from them. Often we have to try a lot of frogs before e find a princess/prince.

[Bill Sutherland]

So, after all this useful and informative information, what would you suggest for an old guy to get for doing 90% resaw for small box construction? Or, should I be looking at getting a couple of blades?

[Gary Muto]

I have a 10-325 saw and have used Woodslicer and Resaw King blades along with others. I agree with 2 points made prior:
1. try out your set up with a lower priced blade to make sure you are good to go.
2. The 3/4" resaw king is a great blade. I got very close to table saw quality cuts right away. I had set up my saw from top to bottom prior to intalling the resaw king though.

Enjoy your saw!

[Bill Sutherland]

When you say "I had o set up my saw from top to bottom prior to installing the resaw king" what did you have to do for that blade?

[Van Huskey]

So, after all this useful and informative information, what would you suggest for an old guy to get for doing 90% resaw for small box construction? Or, should I be looking at getting a couple of blades?

For the saw in question it is basically impossible to beat a RK for resawing. That said if you ever cut veneer from rare and.or expensive wood I suggest having a Kerfmaster 5/8" blade from Spectrum on hand (Highland does not stock this variety). It has a VERY thin kerf and can be more than worth it even though it dulls fast. For example a sq ft of really nice veneer can easily be worth $10 or more. Getting 1, 2 or even 3 extra sheets out of a log/board it could pay for the blade in one shot.

If 90% of your work is resawing I don't see the point in buying bi-metal curve cutting/general purpose blades Lenox Flex Back carbon blades make sense. If you just want one then a 1/4" 6 TPI blade will handle most everything, I say 6 tpi instead of say 4 tpi since 6 allow you to keep 3 teeth in the stock down to 1/2" material. Most of my curve cutting tends to be sweeping curves and I use 3/8" or 1/2" blades for contour cutting most of the time as I have better control with the wider blades. In the end there is very little you wont be able to do with just a 3/4" and 1/4" blade.

[Erik Loza]

...My saw by the way is slightly obscure saw called a Meber P400, 16" wheels, 12" resaw capacity. I think the motor which says CEG, is 2.5hp but I'm not 100% sure. I've been quite happy with it but I do not believe it to be as robust as the Italian bandsaws sold by MiniMax and Laguna these days....

We (Minimax USA) actually sold that saw for several years. Re-badged as the "Minimax S16". Nice machine, very well built. I did not personally use one very much but seem to recall using a 1/2" Lenox carbide on it. Don't know if I would go with anything wider than that. As Van said, an RK blade might be the ticket if you need that type of blade. Like the Minimax S45, it was a machine that on paper, you could fit a 1.0" blade on it but in the real world, not enough saw for that. Best of luck with it.

Erik