First post: setting up a new shop and a resaw blade question

[PAUL A DALEN]

Hi. Retired Army officer here. My wife and I are closing on 21 Jul on our first nice home ever and she has given me a blank check to set up at woodshop in 2/3 of the 3-car garage.

So far I have ordered and picked up a Laguna helical planer, a SawStop contractor saw, a 650 CFM Rockler dust collection, and a OneFinity CNC (33x33). I ordered a 14" Jet resaw bandsaw today. I still need a drill press, but I'm getting concerned about the cost. I have some other smaller tools, and a good set of antique planes and hand tools I got from my dad.

Anyways, what is the best resaw blade our there for the weird 116" length that the Jet takes?

Thanks, and I'm looking forward to being a part of this community. I've been lurking here for many years.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome to the Creek Paul! Thanks for your service! I will let others with more bandsaw experience answer your question.

[Christopher Herzog]

I am happy with timberwolf or the starrett versions. My go to is 3/4" and I hardly ever change to other sizes.

My two cents,
Chris

[PAUL A DALEN]

Welcome to the Creek Paul! Thanks for your service! I will let others with more bandsaw experience answer your question.

You're welcome for my service. :).

[Jamie Buxton]

Highland Hardware's Woodslicer is a very respected resaw blade for those 14" bandsaws. Highland will weld up any length of blade you want. https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer12resawbandsawblades705to137.aspx

[Lee Schierer]

Welcome aboard, we look forward to seeing your work.

[Tom Bender]

I use a 1/4" blade for everything. Most suppliers will make a blade in whatever length you need.

If you give your location you might get some direct help and stuff. Least we can do for a vet and a new WW'er

It will be good to separate the shop from the garage to keep the garage stuff cleaner. A plastic tarp could serve on a budget. Also you can whack it with a car for with no damage. Easy to shift and open temporarily.

[Curt Putnam]

I started with and still use a Timberwolf blade. I suggest that you start with an inexpensive blade. I strongly suggest watching Alex Snodgrass' videos in YouTube about setting up your saw. Recently, Derek Cohen and John Teneyck posted threads about sharpening bandsaw blades with a Dremel tool - well worth reading.

[Jim Becker]

Historically, I've used Timberwolf blades from Suffolk Machinery pretty much exclusively, but have decided to try something different when I next buy. I love the TW when they are new, but find they seem to dull quicker than I'd prefer and then tracking gets more finicky.

[Mark e Kessler]

Wood slicers are nice for the money and if you are looking for Carbide the Laguna carbide is pretty nice as well - i had it on my laguna1412 and could resaw 6-8 pretty darn well but couldn't apply enough tension to do great above that. The Woodmaster ct is an excellent blade but that saw probably can't tension it to its fullest potential...

[John TenEyck]

"The best resaw blade out there" may mean different things to different people. A 1" x 1.3 tpi Woodmaster CT on my 5 HP 17" bandsaw is a thing to behold in 12" stock, but there's no way it would work well on a light duty saw that couldn't put 25 ksi on it. For your saw the Resaw King might very well be the best resaw blade out there. It's thinner and I think offered at 3/4" and maybe even 1/2". Whatever you get, make sure your saw is capable of putting adequate tension on it. What's adequate? At least 20 ksi on a carbide blade, preferably 25 ksi. Those are good numbers for any blade, actually. And to confirm your saw can do that, before spending big bucks on a Resaw King, I would buy some lower end blades of the size you are contemplating and measure the tension.

IMO, the best all around blade is a 3/8" x 4 tpi, and I would buy one or more of those regardless of what else you buy. You can do nearly anything with that blade; resaw up to 6", cut pretty tight curves, cut thin stock, too.

John

[Jonathan Jung]

For your saw, I'd recommend a 1/2" Lennox Trimaster. Buy it from Industrial Blade (industrialblade.net). Great price and service.

[glenn bradley]

Welcome. Another Timberwolf user here although I have tried many others. Once you are more comfortable with which blade width you prefer (I ended up at 1/2" for resaw) you will probably want to move to a carbide blade of some type. I use a Laguna Resaw King but, there are many others.

A couple of "shares" from my experience:
- You will read that others think this blade or that blade do not last long enough. Woodslicer and Timberwolf come to mind. Steel bandsaw blades are wear parts like the brakes on your car. When they are past their usable life, you replace them. Accept this as a reality and you will be happier ;-)
- Carbide blade breakage gets reported on smaller wheeled saws (certainly not exclusively). I challenge those 14" machine owners who use carbide blades to chime in to give Paul some current experience data for him to take away from this thread.

A random helpful tip. When you find the blade sizes you like buy two of each. It is never a bad thing to have a spare in the stable when your blade goes south mid-project. Suffolk (Timberwolf) often has a "buy three, get one free" offer going but, you pretty much have to ask them over the phone. I have only seen it advertised once years ago but, have taken advantage many times. I run them on 17", 14" and 10" machines.

[Charles Coolidge]

I still need a drill press, but I'm getting concerned about the cost.

I feel your pain having put together a woodworking shop from scratch over the past 3 months. Sawstop table saw, planer, bandsaw, drill press, mortiser (used), cyclone dust collector. I upgraded to a new Powermatic drill press but you can achieve fine results with a modest priced drill press. I just sold my Porter Cable 15 inch floor drill press last weekend. It served me well for several years. I think it was $299 new.

I went with a Lenox TRI-MASTER Carbide bandsaw blade for my 15 inch bandsaw.

[PAUL A DALEN]

Once the house is put together and the SawStop, bandsaw, drill press, and assorted implements of destruction are functional I am building a wall between the 2 car and 1 car stalls.

[glenn bradley]

I still need a drill press, but I'm getting concerned about the cost.

Follow up comment. Drill presses are apparently an incredible challenge for makers to bring to market without having a lot of the quality stripped off between design and manufacture. I have been running a 17" Delta for nearly 20 years because I cannot find anything enough better under $2000 to make me switch. I really want a better drill press but you have to break $1500 today before anything even gets close.

My point is that since you can't get a very good one for under $1500, buy a decent one for half of that and spend some money on quality cutters. Using high quality drill bits is very much like the first time you used a really sharp chisel or a well tuned hand plane . . . or a decent jig saw for that matter ;-). The value of this advice will vary with how much work you do on a DP. I use one quite a bit but, not enough to spend what a entry level cabinet saw costs on one. YMMV.

[Charles Coolidge]

I cannot find anything enough better under $2000 to make me switch.

Agree, I didn't see much in the new category that was better than the many used drill presses for sale until I got to the Powermatic 20 inch DC motor variable speed gear drive (low, high) PM2820EVS. It also had some innovative features for wood working, table tilts 90 both left and right. Cast iron table insert that can be removed for other clamp tables, spindle sanding, etc. I ordered mine in April for $1,999 with free shipping.

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[Bill Dufour]

I feel that a used drillpress is seldom very worn. At most new bearings for the spindle and maybe the motor. If you get a old three phase unit it will be good quality and better then most sold today. Add a $150 VFd and run it from regular 120 or 240 volt single phase giving you variable speed, instant reverse, power brakes etc.
On a drill press pay attention to the stroke length. Walker Turner is a great old brand but not the 15" model just the 20 inch model. They became delta/rockwell and the name disappeared but not the dp.
Bill D

[Curt Putnam]

Once the house is put together and the SawStop, bandsaw, drill press, and assorted implements of destruction are functional I am building a wall between the 2 car and 1 car stalls.

Wall space is valuable and that would give you more. Floor space is also valuable and a permanent wall would give you less because you would then be unable to slide machines into that 3rd space for the day or project duration. Tough choice.

[Charles Coolidge]

Wall space is valuable and that would give you more. Floor space is also valuable and a permanent wall would give you less because you would then be unable to slide machines into that 3rd space for the day or project duration. Tough choice.

Agree it's a coin toss. Though depends on how he's going to use that 3rd bay. If he's going to park a vehicle there I'd wall it off to keep the shop dust out. I have my tractor parked in my 3rd bay so it matters not.

[Jonathan Jung]

+1
I agree. It's near impossible to find a new drill press not made in China. Drill presses are simple. An older used Delta / Rockwell / Walker Turner, much better.


I feel that a used drillpress is seldom very worn. At most new bearings for the spindle and maybe the motor. If you get a old three phase unit it will be good quality and better then most sold today. Add a $150 VFd and run it from regular 120 or 240 volt single phase giving you variable speed, instant reverse, power brakes etc.
On a drill press pay attention to the stroke length. Walker Turner is a great old brand but not the 15" model just the 20 inch model. They became delta/rockwell and the name disappeared but not the dp.
Bill D