resaw blade question

[John Ziebron]

Hello everyone. :)

This is my first post and after looking around I wish I had discovered this forum a long time ago. I'm a serious hobbyist with moderate skills, having done woodworking for about 20 years now. I just upgraded my bandsaw to the Rikon 18 incher (couldn't pass up Woodcraft's sale). After wiring up a new 220 outlet I was able to cut my first pieces of wood and a little aluminum this weekend. What a difference compared to my old Sears 12 inch tilt head. I don't plan on doing a lot of resawing but that was one of the primary reasons for the upgrade (along with spending some unexpected bonus money from work before my wife thought of something else). I had purchased a 1/2 inch blade designed for resawing for my Sears unit, the widest it would accept, but it was still a risky proposition at best. I want to get a good blade for the Rikon but have a couple of questions. Reading some other posts on this subject with this caliber bandsaw folks talk about using a 1 inch blade. Since the Rikon, and many others I'm sure, can accept a wider blade like 1 1/4 inch wouldn't a wider blade be better for resawing.:confused: Also looking for a blade recommendation. It seems as though if money were no object the Lennox carbide would be the only choice. But I can't justify that much money for the resawing use it would get so I'm wondering if anyone has experience with the Lennox bimetal, the Wood Slicer, Timberwolf or any others in this range. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Mike Cutler]

John.

First, Welcome to Sawmill Creek. Pleased to meet ya'.

I have the Rikon, model 10-340, 18" bandsaw. I currently use a 1" Lennox 2-3 varipitch Bi-metal blade,a nd I also have a Tri-Master in the same configuration.
I know that the saw states that the size can go up to 1 1/4", I think that is a little advertising liscense based on the width of the wheels. Personally I think 1" is about the outside due to the ability to tension the blade properly and the limitation of the bandsaw wheel circumference versus the blade thickness to prevent micro cracking, and premature fatigue. The lennox blades are .035. I have heard that there is a 1" .025 blade from one of the manufacturers, but I haven't seen it yet.

People resaw successfully with varying widths of blades. I use a 1" on an 18" bandsaw, and some people are using a 1/2" and even a 3/8" on a 36" bandsaw. I will say though that I am looking to try a 3/4" on my Rikon, or even a 1/2" just for an experiment. These blades are usually quite a bit cheaper than a 1". Resawing really comes down to blade sharpness and set, and proper machine setup. Of course, technique is important also;).One limiting factor for the Rikon is the size of your guide bearings, they are pretty big and I may modify them, or build a seperate set to run thinner blades. The minimum distance from the thrust bearings to the front of the guide bearings is just under 3/4" if both guide bearings are installed. I haven't really bothered to see if one bearing can be dropped from the set yet.
I'm a believer in less tension is better. Apply the minimum amount necessary to accomplish the task. A 1" bandsaw blade can place a lot of pressure on the saw frame, and wheel bearings. Why apply more force than is necessary.

Congrat's on your new bandsaw by the way. I like mine a lot. Of course your post constitutes a "stealth gloat" on the new saw, and pictures are the accepted "social norm" here for gloats.;)

Be sure and post a pic of your new saw before the pic police get ya'.:eek:,;)

Once again tho'. Welcome, and pleased to meet ya'/

Mike

[richard poitras]

Mike , the blades you are talking about I think are the Woodslicer and the Blade runner they are both .025 and both made by the same company but the Blade runner is cheaper in price

[John Ziebron]

Thank you both for your help. I think I'll try one of the thinner resaw blades first. I had a chance to cut a little more wood and am happy with the overall results. I did slice off a couple of thin pieces of hard maple about 5" tall with good results. This was using the 3/4" blade that came with the machine. However, when I tried to resaw a 9" piece of red oak the blade started bowing the the outfeed side badly even though I was feeding the stock slowly(about an inch every 10 seconds). Very disappointing, but I'll reserve further judgement until I get a real resaw blade. The only other disappointment with the Rikon is the lack of a work light. And I think I'll add one underneath the table to help these old eyes make those bearing adjustments better. Sorry I didn't post a pic of my new baby but I promise to do so after my light modifications.

JohnZ

[Carroll Courtney]

John, I have a 14" bandsaw and use the 1/2 Timberwolf blade made for resawing.I have only resaw up to 6" wide boards.Check out their website,and fine out how to get the max performance from your bandsaw and how to propertly set it up for resawing.I'm no pro, but it sure help me.