Fastest cutting resaw bandsaw blade

[Bobby Tsioles]

Folks,

Looking for some advice. I have a project that's going to require me to resaw a bunch of standard pine 2x6 dimensional lumber. I currently have a 3/4" timberwolf blade. The feed rate on a test 2x6 was way too slow, like 10 minutes or so for 1 pass, which required a fair amount of pushing to get it through the saw. Now I am running a Jet 14" with the 6" riser block. I know, not a great saw, but I'd think it should be good enough with the fastest / easiest cutting blade.

I've been searching for other blades, and am wondering what your opinions are on which blade is the fastest cutting bandsaw blade available? I'm guessing it's going to be a "carbide" tipped blade like the resaw king or trimaster.

Again, the main thing I'm looking for is speed. I don't care much about the quality of the cut because I'm going to run everything through the planer afterwards.

Thanks!
Bobby

[Art Mann]

I think you may be surprised about the carbide tipped blades. I haven't tried one of them but I speculate it will cut more slowly, due to the wide bite. These are created for quality cuts, an attribute that you don't care about. If it is taking you 10 minutes to resaw a pine 2 X 6, then there is something wrong. I used to use a 1 horsepower Carftsman/Rikon bandsaw with a thin Timberwolf resaw blade that would cut considerably faster than that.

[Bobby Tsioles]

Thanks Art. That's interesting you're thinking those blades would be slower. My test 2x6 was 8 feet long. How fast would you guess a properly setup saw with a standard blade like mine should be able to cut that piece?

I guess I need to learn more about saw setup. I'm guessing my main issue would be blade tension.

Hopefully someone who has used the carbide tipped blades can weigh in on the speed difference between those and a standard blade.

[glenn bradley]

Even at one inch every two seconds you should be done in just over 3 minutes and that is pretty slow. I wonder what kind of horsepower you are applying; it may not be a blade issue at all. I don't find my Resaw King to cut any faster than a Timberwolf 2-3 VPC. The Woodslicer cuts pretty fast in properly prepared and dried lumber, much faster than the Resaw King. Of course, carbide blades last much longer so, if you just factor the cost of the Woodslicer into your project, any life left after you're done is a bonus.

[Dave Cav]

HP is more important than blade style, assuming all the blades are sharp. I agree that given the same saw and HP a carbide blade will probably cut SLOWER than a steel blade. I use a 1" Woodmaster CT on a Minimax with a (more or less) 4 HP motor and it generally will cut as fast as I can comfortably feed the stock.

[Brian Holcombe]

I think you may be surprised about the carbide tipped blades. I haven't tried one of them but I speculate it will cut more slowly, due to the wide bite. These are created for quality cuts, an attribute that you don't care about. If it is taking you 10 minutes to resaw a pine 2 X 6, then there is something wrong. I used to use a 1 horsepower Carftsman/Rikon bandsaw with a thin Timberwolf resaw blade that would cut considerably faster than that.


His saw likely won’t tension a carbide blade.

[Bobby Tsioles]

Thanks a lot guys. It sounds like my main issue is an underpowered saw.

[Dick Mahany]

Folks,

Looking for some advice. I have a project that's going to require me to resaw a bunch of standard pine 2x6 dimensional lumber. I currently have a 3/4" timberwolf blade. The feed rate on a test 2x6 was way too slow, like 10 minutes or so for 1 pass, which required a fair amount of pushing to get it through the saw. Now I am running a Jet 14" with the 6" riser block. I know, not a great saw, but I'd think it should be good enough with the fastest / easiest cutting blade.

I've been searching for other blades, and am wondering what your opinions are on which blade is the fastest cutting bandsaw blade available? I'm guessing it's going to be a "carbide" tipped blade like the resaw king or trimaster.

Again, the main thing I'm looking for is speed. I don't care much about the quality of the cut because I'm going to run everything through the planer afterwards.

Thanks!
Bobby

If you do think about a Resaw King on the Jet 14", I would suggest reading this recent thread.https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?270252-Laguna-Resaw-King-On-cast-iron-bandsaw

[Nick Decker]

Thanks a lot guys. It sounds like my main issue is an underpowered saw.

Not so sure about that. Wouldn't cost much to try a 1/2" Woodslicer blade, might seem like a whole new saw.

Doing what you describe on my 14" Rikon would probably take well under a minute.

[Mark Bolton]

You dont say what TPI your blade is? Are all the 3/4" timberwolf blades the same tooth count?

[Lee Schierer]

Thanks a lot guys. It sounds like my main issue is an underpowered saw.

Your saw may not be under powered but could be suffering from too little belt tension. When I first tried resawing taller cuts I had the same frustration with my 1_1/2 Hp 14" Delta. What I noticed when the blade would stall while resawing, was that the motor continued to run. Once I added tension to the belt the saw walked through resawing faster and with far less pushing. This was with a 1/2" Tmberwolf blade.

Your saw may not be tensioning that 3/4" blade properly.

[Art Mann]

It's hard to remember because I use a better bandsaw now but I doubt if it would have taken more than a minute to resaw an 8 foot pine 2 X 6 on my old saw.


Thanks Art. That's interesting you're thinking those blades would be slower. My test 2x6 was 8 feet long. How fast would you guess a properly setup saw with a standard blade like mine should be able to cut that piece?

I guess I need to learn more about saw setup. I'm guessing my main issue would be blade tension.

Hopefully someone who has used the carbide tipped blades can weigh in on the speed difference between those and a standard blade.

[paul dyar]

Woodslicer was the fastest cutting blade I have ever used (for a while) I think it dulled to fast. I have the 1/2'" Tri Master now, it is slower. I have had it well over a year, I dry and surface my own lumber, so I have resawed a few boards. It is still cutting as slow as it did new.

[Dick Mahany]

Thanks a lot guys. It sounds like my main issue is an underpowered saw.

I don't know about being underpowered. I only have a 1HP on my 14" Delta and it powers a Woodslicer (non carbide) as fast as it did with the Resaw King. I'm now running a 1/2" Kerfmaster (same as Woodslicer but less expensive) and it does a wonderful job. In my experience, the feed rate difference between it and the RK carbide blade is not significant with the Kerfmaster actually being a bit faster. The finish is very good although not quite as good as the RK, but since you will be planing afterwards it shouldn't matter. The variable pitch and gullet design make this blade feed very differently than the Timberwolves that I have used. It will dull sooner than a carbide however it is waaaay less expensive in the first place.

[Van Huskey]

I could write multiple pages on this question but the key here is you are looking for the blade that will accomplish a specific task as quickly as possible. One key here in determining the blade is you are cutting construction grade SYP so that has to be accounted for. The Woodslicer/Kerfmaster/Bladerunner bands are not a good choice here. They have essentially zero set and won't be able to clear the waste from wet/pitchy pine 2X stock.

The "best" blades for this job are too big for your saw but my choice for this saw would be a Lenox 3/4"x .032" Flexback 2tpi Hook with a Raker set. This is all the blade this saw can take and will require full tension. Keep in mind the saws blade speed and horsepower will limit you in speed and this blade is a wider kerf than you would normally like on a 14" Delta clone saw but you need it to clear the waste. The Woodslicer type blades will cut faster initially but especially in 2X SYP they are going to heat up and dull very quickly. You are simply going to have to accept this won't be a "fast" job and just dive in and get it done.

[Bobby Tsioles]

You dont say what TPI your blade is? Are all the 3/4" timberwolf blades the same tooth count?

The blade I have is the 3 TPI blade. I'll verify saw blade tension, and motor belt tension and try again.

I'll check out the Lenox blade mentioned.

Let's say I can find a more powerful motor for my saw, like 1.5 - 2 HP setup for 220v, do y'all think that'll show a pretty big improvement in speed?

[Mike Kees]

Hi Bobby,here is my advice FWIW. I have been down the exact same road you are walking right now. I own a Delta 14''saw. I wanted more power for resaw so bought a 1.5 h.p. baldor motor and installed it and new machined pulleys,and a 6'' riser kit .Still have the saw but rarely try to resaw anything more than a foot long. These saws are not built for Resawing and "improving " them with bigger motors,new tension springs etc does slightly improve performance . The gains however are not sufficient enough to warrant the expense and effort . If you intend to Resaw more than an occasional piece here and there, I would advise spending your money on a different saw. Mike.

[Lee Schierer]

Let's say I can find a more powerful motor for my saw, like 1.5 - 2 HP setup for 220v, do y'all think that'll show a pretty big improvement in speed?

Changing motor voltage to operate on 240 volts won't gain you any power unless you are currently operating at a low voltage condition due to wire size or supply length. Only a HP change larger than the existing motor will give you more power.

[Curt Harms]

Hi Bobby,here is my advice FWIW. I have been down the exact same road you are walking right now. I own a Delta 14''saw. I wanted more power for resaw so bought a 1.5 h.p. baldor motor and installed it and new machined pulleys,and a 6'' riser kit .Still have the saw but rarely try to resaw anything more than a foot long. These saws are not built for Resawing and "improving " them with bigger motors,new tension springs etc does slightly improve performance . The gains however are not sufficient enough to warrant the expense and effort . If you intend to Resaw more than an occasional piece here and there, I would advise spending your money on a different saw. Mike.

I think Mike has it. A 14" saw will resaw but not fast. A motor upgrade may help but IMO a 14" cast iron saw will not support a 'real' resaw blade - 1 or 2 teeth/inch and deep gullets to carry away the saw dust created by cutting thru 10" or 12" of solid wood.

[Thomas L Carpenter]

If I understand what you are doing, why not make a pre-cut on your table saw (if you have one) so instead of resawing 5 1/2 inches of wood you would only be resawing 2 1/2 or so. Should cut the time down significantly.

[Bradley Gray]

If I understand what you are doing, why not make a pre-cut on your table saw (if you have one) so instead of resawing 5 1/2 inches of wood you would only be resawing 2 1/2 or so. Should cut the time down significantly.

+1 on this. Or just do the job on your table saw in 2 passes

[Rod Sheridan]

Folks,

Looking for some advice. I have a project that's going to require me to resaw a bunch of standard pine 2x6 dimensional lumber. I currently have a 3/4" timberwolf blade. The feed rate on a test 2x6 was way too slow, like 10 minutes or so for 1 pass, which required a fair amount of pushing to get it through the saw. Now I am running a Jet 14" with the 6" riser block. I know, not a great saw, but I'd think it should be good enough with the fastest / easiest cutting blade.

I've been searching for other blades, and am wondering what your opinions are on which blade is the fastest cutting bandsaw blade available? I'm guessing it's going to be a "carbide" tipped blade like the resaw king or trimaster.

Again, the main thing I'm looking for is speed. I don't care much about the quality of the cut because I'm going to run everything through the planer afterwards.

Thanks!
Bobby

Bobby, that blade must be extremely dull, you should run an 8 foot board through in about 1/4 of that time............Rod.

[John TenEyck]

There was a test of blades for 14" BS's in FWW #169. You might want to take a look.

I'll add my opinion to others who have said that if you want to do much resaw work you should look for a saw designed to do it. I have a Delta 14" with riser. I put a 1.5 HP motor on it; it helped some. I've tried quite a few different blades, including the Woodslicer (great for a few feet but dulls very quickly in hardwood). I made due with it until I just couldn't stand wasting so much time and finally ponied up for a BW designed for resawing. It's amazing what a BS with a heavy steel frame and a 5 HP motor driving a low tpi carbide blade at 4500 fpm will do.

John

[Earl McLain]

Bobby, that blade must be extremely dull, you should run an 8 foot board through in about 1/4 of that time............Rod.

Or gummed with resin from cutting pine. Construction lumber is horrible for sap--which will create enough drag to make it feel like a very dull blade. Quickly. Hope to never again have to do a piece of "farmhouse" furniture!!
earl