Bandsaw blades?

[John Kendall]

I went out and found a decent bandsaw I think will work for resawing some hardwood I have, but I'm not sure where or what kind of blade will work the best.

I have a Jet 24" (JWBS-24) bandsaw that can handle from a 0.25" to a 1.5" blade width. The few places I've looked so far don't carry a 176.5" length blade, which is what the specs in the user's manual says it takes. I'm open to your professional suggestions on which and who's blades to buy. Any technical help is appreciated!

BTW, I am going to be working with Gocolo Alves (Tigerwood)

Thanks!

[Mark Singer]

Lenox Trimaster 1"

[John Kendall]

Thanks! I'll see if I can find them on the net. If not, who should I call?

[Vaughn McMillan]

Another (probably a little less expensive) suggestion would be to contact Highland Hardware (http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=CONTACTUS) or Suffolk Machinery (http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/contact.asp) and tell them what saw you have, and what you want to do with it. They should be able to recommend a good blade or two. I've purchased blades from both places and been happy.

That said, the Trimaster is expensive but very highly spoken of, and when guys like Mark recommend it, you're not likely to be unhappy. ;) Like most things, you generally get what you pay for with bandsaw blades. And life's too short to use bad blades. :)

Oh, and welcome to the Creek, John.

- Vaughn

[Mark Singer]

The Lenox Trimaster is approx $160 for your saw. It does a fantastic job at resawing and general cutting. For tight radius you need a 1/2"' wide blade or smaller. The Trimaster will handle exotics without any problem. I am making a sofa from Burmese Teak and it is very abrasive wood....no problem. The blade is not epensive when you consider it will outlast 30 or more rgular blades.....it becomes a really good value. I just made a 5' handle from goncalo alves and it was easy to ct with the blade.

[John Kendall]

I've been told that Goncolo Alves is very tough and I'll be sharpening everything I use and to use carbide blades.

I'm hoping to reline the inside of an inset wall cabinet and reface it with Goncolo Alves as an experimental piece. If this works out ok, I've been asked to build kitchen cabinets out of the same wood. Ever hear of anyone building them out of this wood? I may be back for more help when I get to that project:o.

Thanks for the tips and places to get blades from! I know I'll be needing other blades for this saw. I do think I've stepped into something a little bigger than I had expected when I bought this saw at a local school auction and hope I chose the right saw to do the job.:eek::)

Oohh... I found out to never take your girlfriend to the lumber store with you... that's what got me into this mess.:o:eek:;)

[Roy Wall]

John,

Another source to Call for the Trimaster (and other) blades is:

Louis Iturra - Iturra Designs

866-883-8064

An extremely knowledgeable man about the bandsaw, accesories, and blades..

[Jim Becker]

Roy provided the supplier I was going to suggest for the TriMaster. Please remember that these blades are expensive up-front, but last many, many times longer than "regular" blades. For your application, they will likely be less expensive in the long run.

[John sexton]

Laguna is selling off their stock of Lenox carbide blades for $.50 per inch., The tri-master included.I think that have a lot of 180" blades and they will cut it to fit your saw. They will charge you for the full 180" or $90.00.
Still a great buy. I bought two.

[Alan DuBoff]

The Lenox Trimaster is approx $160 for your saw.A 3/4" Wood Slicer (http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1298) from Highland hardware is only about 1/3rd the price, and I doubt you will see a cut that is 3 times better from the Lenox. I got one for my Jet 18 and it's a nice blade, IMO. All of our milage varies...;)

[Gary Keedwell]

The Lenox Trimaster, does anybody know if it has carbide teeth?

Gary K.

[Roger Meeker]

Yes it has carbide teeth, which is why it's so expensive. The Highland blades have hardened teeth, but not carbide. IMO, the difference between the two is one extra pass through the planer: 2 needed for the HH blade, while the Lenox only requires one cleanup pass. If 1/3 the price is worth an extra pass through the planer, then the HH blade is the way to go.

[Frank Fusco]

As suggested, Suffolk Machinery, the Timberwolf people, will reccomend and make whatever size you need.

[Jim Becker]

A 3/4" Wood Slicer (http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1298) from Highland hardware is only about 1/3rd the price, and I doubt you will see a cut that is 3 times better from the Lenox. I got one for my Jet 18 and it's a nice blade, IMO. All of our milage varies...

The woodslicer is a nice blade. But the carbide tipped Lennox TriMaster will cut nicer and longer...like comparing days to years in some cases. My TriMaster leaves a surface nearly as nice as a ripping blade on the table saw.

[Alan DuBoff]

Laguna is selling off their stock of Lenox carbide blades for $.50 per inch., The tri-master included.I think that have a lot of 180" blades and they will cut it to fit your saw. They will charge you for the full 180" or $90.00.
Still a great buy. I bought two.John, I wonder if they have any 137" blades, that would only be $70 for my Jet 18. That might be a good price to compare against the Wood Slicer. Since I have no used the Lenox, this might be a good option to try one.

Maybe Mark is right. ;)

[Jake Helmboldt]

John, et al.

Go to Lenox's website and find a local dealer. I have not used their carbide blade, but I do use their other blades and I can get them made to whatever length I need for dirt cheap (far less than Woodslicer, Timberwolf, etc). Not all dealers have such good pricing, but it is well worth a phone call. I can have them made the same day that I call, which is also a big plus.

OK, I just looked and I don't see their dealer locater anymore, but you can call and ask them for local dealers:

http://www.lenoxsaw.com/contactususcan.html

Jake

[John sexton]

John, I wonder if they have any 137" blades, that would only be $70 for my Jet 18. That might be a good price to compare against the Wood Slicer. Since I have no used the Lenox, this might be a good option to try one.

Maybe Mark is right. ;)

Call them.

[John Kendall]

I'm taking all this down and calling folks as soon as the holidays are over. I'm still on vacation, so I can take my time talking to everyone and hopefully getting educated along the way. This is great information! Thanks!

[Charlie Plesums]

The Lenox Trimaster is awesome beyond belief. I have the 1 inch 2-3 tpi carbide on a MM 24 bandsaw...

I had a 3/4 inch thick piece of highly figured walnut wood, and cut 7 veneers for drawer fronts... Sanded once after about 3-4 veneers were cut, to get a new flat reference face, then no sanding until after they were glued on - hand sanding with ROS was all that was required.

I had another piece ... larger, more figure, less stable, so wasn't as lucky, but got 4 good pieces and was able to 4 way bookmatch - again, no planing at all and no sanding until after the glue up. (The first veneer that I cut was so fragile that it fell apart after it was cut, so I make 4 thicker veneers)

The steel blades that came with the saw were like a chainsaw compared to the Lenox. I'm sure there are good steel resaw blades (I did a fair amount with timberwolf blades on a cheaper bandsaw) but there is no comparison to the Lenox carbide on a good saw.

[tod evans]

another vote for the trimaster....02 tod

[Frank Fusco]

This thread has convinced me to consider the Tri-Master (not trimaster) for my next bandsaw blade purchase. Especially for my resawing needs. Maybe Timberwolf isn't the end-all after all when it comes to bs blades.
A company called Kaufman sells the Tri-Masters http://www.kci2.com/st_main.html?p_catid=10005

[Russ Massery]

I use a 1/2" Tri-master on my little 14" Delta. I don't do a lot of resawing. But it's by far the cut finish is the best I have ever gotten off this saw. It's well worth the price IMHO........

[Jake Helmboldt]

Since many of you are using the Lenox carbide how is doing as to lifespan (compared to a typical bi-metal blade)?

Also, is anyone resharpening these, or just pitching it when used up? If resharpening, who does it and how much?

thanks, Jake

[John Kendall]

I was able to get a call through today to Laguna. They told me they are out of the 1" Lenox Tri-Master blades. I'll keep shopping with the suggestions I've gotten so far. They do still have the 1/2" Lenox blades though. :cool:

[Mike Cutler]

John.

Cyber Woodworking may have the blade that you are interested in.

Try this link. It's expensive, but at least it's a place to start.

http://www.toolcenter.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=09&Product_Code=TM1x.035x2/3tpi&Category_Code=TM

[David Rose]

I used a Lenox carbide on my Delta 14" as my "primary" saw for about 3 years. Then the next year, it was run off and on. It was a discontinued model band, but was a 1/2" 3tpi blade. Until an unnamed visitor turned on my saw one day with it detensioned, the blade would cut almost like a circular blade. Before the kink, which was hard to remove completely, the blade/band took 1 light pass on the planer to remove resaw marks on an 8" piece. Now it takes 2 passes. It is truly awesome. It still cuts cleaner than any of my all steel bands. And it is still sharp. I built a lot of projects with everything that wouldn't fit the miter saw cut on it. I'm going to try to snatch a new one...

David

[David Eisenhauer]

Let me also recomend Iturra for any bandsaw needs. Louis is very knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to bandsaws. I wish he would get a website, but call him and get a catalog sent. Best of luck. Oh yeah, if you have the cash to spend on it, the Lennox carbide blade will outlast all of the other blades beyond the cost of buying it in the first place, unless you booger the blade up in some fashion.

[tod evans]

Since many of you are using the Lenox carbide how is doing as to lifespan (compared to a typical bi-metal blade)?

Also, is anyone resharpening these, or just pitching it when used up? If resharpening, who does it and how much?

thanks, Jake

jake, i`m on my second blade in over 3 yrs. of moderate industrial use with a feeder. never checked on sharpening? the first blade still cuts 8" and under well but i notice the motor grunting over 12" so i bought a second for tall resawing..these blades outlive the timberwolf blades 10-1 easily....02 tod

[rick fulton]

John -

Just to complicate your decision - The thinner kerf of my WoodSlicer (0.022") reduces HP requirements, reduces waste, and also supplies a smoother cut than my Tri-Master (0.035"). But, that said, I use the Tri-Master from Iturra Designs 95% of the time. I'll save my WoodSlicer for slicing exotic ($$$) veneers. I'm sure you'll have fun with that Jet 24", whichever blade you choose.

rick