Resaw King vs Trimaster

[Justin Roberts]

I have a MM16 with the 3.6HP motor. I am going to upgrade to a carbide blade. First does anyone have a 1" carbide on this saw? Is it possible to properly tension it or will I have to go down to 3/4"? Lastly, which blade is better, or should I just get some non-carbide blades for resawing? Thanks.

[Karl Laustrup]

Justin, I've got a Laguna 16HD with the Resaw King 3/4" blade. I've never used the Trimaster so I can't comment on that, but I will say that the Resaw King does a great job of resawing. Very little has to be done to the face after you've run it through the BS. Some light sanding is about it.

My $1.398 cents worth.

Karl

[Bill Reed]

You should check carefully with Laguna. I don't believe the Resaw King is really a carbide blade.

Bill

[jerry cousins]

i've been using the 1/2" tri-master for years - cuts anything i put it up against.

jerry

[Jamie Buxton]

You should check carefully with Laguna. I don't believe the Resaw King is really a carbide blade.

Bill

In the past, Laguna has presented the Resaw King as a carbide-tipped blade. However, the Laguna web site currently says the Resaw King has "C-8 steel" tips. C is normally a designation for a carbide type, but "steel" is pretty unambiguous. Maybe it is a typo. But it sure is confusing.

[Jamie Buxton]

..which blade is better?...

I don't have experience with the Trimaster, so I can't answer your question directly. However, what made me buy the Resaw King is that Laguna has a resharpening service. If you find an embedded nail, or saw high-silicate wood, it is nice to know that you haven't ruined a $200 blade. I was unable to find a sharpening service for the Trimaster.

[Justin Bukoski]

Have you guys tried the woodslicer from Highland hardware? I have one of these and I produce paper thin veneers pretty easily with these blades on my 19" Griz bandsaw. The 3/4" is less than $40. I've never used the resaw king blade but I couldn't wish for a better blade than the woodslicer.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=295

[Mike Spanbauer]

Justin,

I've owned an MM16 (4.8hp version) for 18mos and it's had a 1" tri-master on it since purchase. I like it and it cuts very well even after many, many 100's of resaw. It should have no issues tensioning a blade with no complications.

Your second question hasn't been addressed I don't think though, so I'll take a shot.

I would actually recommend the Trimaster as your primary resaw blade and suggest a more narrow blade for normal use. Resaw blades generally benefit from a wider blade (3/4"+), but lose radius ability by doing so. If you plan on doing any bandsawn boxes or tight curves you'll need something in the 1/4"-1/2" range. I've a 3/8" that I use for that purpose.

Also, the teeth required for each operation is different. I find an alternating tooth (2-3 or 3-4 TPI) best for resawing as you have large gullets to hold saw dust as it travels through a big piece of wood. The finer teeth versions leave a smoother finish, but can plug up when resawing thick stock.

I'll replace my 1" trimaster w/a 1/2" when I dull this one... someday :)

mike

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Very little has to be done to the face after you've run it through the BS.

I have you one better. I let my wood listen to the evening news. That's way more effective than conventional BS.

[Bill Reed]

Justin,

I've owned an MM16 (4.8hp version) for 18mos and it's had a 1" tri-master on it since purchase. I like it and it cuts very well even after many, many 100's of resaw. It should have no issues tensioning a blade with no complications.

mike

I think I read somewhere in this forum recently that Lenox doesn't recommend use of the trimaster blade on bandsaws smaller than 20". I bought a MM16 today and am shopping for blades, so I'm interested to hear that you have had no trouble with this blade for 18 months. Maybe I'll give one a try. Where's the best place to buy one?

Bill

[Doug Shepard]

I think I read somewhere in this forum recently that Lenox doesn't recommend use of the trimaster blade on bandsaws smaller than 20". I bought a MM16 today and am shopping for blades, so I'm interested to hear that you have had no trouble with this blade for 18 months. Maybe I'll give one a try. Where's the best place to buy one?

Bill

That's the 2nd time I've read that statement in recent months and I'm a bit puzzled by it. I've had the same blade on the same saw as Mike for close to 2 years and no problems. Is this a de-recommendation by Lenox after originally endorsing it for a 16" BS? I got my TriMaster from MM at the same time I bought the saw. Is MM steering MM16 buyers away from the TriMaster now as well? Other than the few random posts I've read, I hadn't heard or read anything about these not being recommended for a MM16. I'm just curious if there's something official from Lenox on their site somewhere or whether this is just hearsay that got started somewhere.

[Jack Briggs]

Have you guys tried the woodslicer from Highland hardware? I have one of these and I produce paper thin veneers pretty easily with these blades on my 19" Griz bandsaw. The 3/4" is less than $40. I've never used the resaw king blade but I couldn't wish for a better blade than the woodslicer.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=295


+1. The Woodslicer is a super thin kerf blade that leaves such a smooth surface. I've actually sawn a 1/2 log of African Blackwood - some of the hardest most resinous stuff one could saw. The Woodslicer and 1 hp motor did amazingly well.

[Mark Singer]

I really like the Trimaster! It does it all...

[Mike Spanbauer]

I think I read somewhere in this forum recently that Lenox doesn't recommend use of the trimaster blade on bandsaws smaller than 20". I bought a MM16 today and am shopping for blades, so I'm interested to hear that you have had no trouble with this blade for 18 months. Maybe I'll give one a try. Where's the best place to buy one?

Bill

Hi Bill,

I've had the 1" on my saw w/ zero issues and it's seen wet walnut through 15.5" maple slabs without so much as a flutter or a flinch.

As to the location, well if you just ordered it from MM then they usually will offer 1/2 price blades with the initial purpose which is cheaper than any place I've seen them since.

There are a few locations, but honestly I've not purchased one independently yet as my original is still cutting fine. They last a very, very long time :)

However, I believe that the 1/2" would track just as well as the 1" and frankly the thinner kerf would be nice for retaining as much original material as possible. It's .025 kerf vs. .035 for the 1" I believe. It's not much cheaper though, so it's your choice. The 1/2" would not necessitate the removal of the 1" for several curves that I have to currently remove the 1" for though.

I've not heard any information recently that Lenox has changed their position on the use of the 1" blade on 16" machines (so long as the machine is capable of tensioning the blade... and trust me, the MM16 can tension it).

g'luck :)

mike

[David Micalizzi]

Justin,

I wish I could join the happy bandwagon here and give you the thumbs up on the Trimaster Blade. However, my experience was quite different than most here. I have an MM16 Bandsaw 2005 build year. That means 4.8HP 16" resaw a very nice machine. I was given the blade by Mini Max because of some issues with my machine. A nice gestue on MM's part. I was reluctant to accept it because of all the stories I read on the web about a 16" wheel work hardening the blade and causing pre mature breakage. But with some proding by my MM salesman I agreed. The cost is close to $200.00 to put this blade on my machine. I was told by my salesman not to use it as an everyday blade only on the rare occasion I cut exotic woods and situations like these. I did this for the first year or so and had some success, being very care to use it occasionaly and for short runs. Recently, when I sent my Lenox Bi metal to be sharpened I put the Trimaster on and used it for about three hours cutting time and thats when it broke. Also, I would add that I religously detension after every cutting session, sometimes more than one a day. Now this blade did not cost me anything and when it broke I was really mad. I would really hate for you to spend a lot of money on one and have the same thing happen to you. Listen to the manufactures when they say not to run this blade on anything less than 20" wheels. I have had good success with Lenox Bi metal blades they cost less can be sharpend 3 times and don't work harden like the carbides with 16" wheels. If you really want to run carbides get a machine with a bigger wheel or be prepared for it to break after a small amount of use. I'll also add not one other blade has broken on my machine in two years of use only the Trimaster. Keep us posted here on what you decide and if you go for the Trimaster I would like to know how you make out.

[Brad Olson]

FYI, Lennox had a big problem with their bands a few years back on small saws. The bands were originally designed for 18" wheels at the absolute minimum. The problem is that they were breaking on less than 18" wheel saws very early into the band life

They have since re-designed the bands such that they work just fine on saws down to 14".

This information is direct from Louis Iturra of Iturra design.

As to the woodslicer, it is a great band, but they don't last very long resawing in my experience.

As to the Resaw King, if the tips are steel and not carbide that is news to me. Last time I visited with Laguna they were telling me thy were carbide. C-8 is carbide IIRC, but maybe calling it steel is a typo??

[Charles Grosjean]

In the past, Laguna has presented the Resaw King as a carbide-tipped blade. However, the Laguna web site currently says the Resaw King has "C-8 steel" tips. C is normally a designation for a carbide type, but "steel" is pretty unambiguous. Maybe it is a typo. But it sure is confusing.

See the following thread for other thoughts on what the Resaw King is.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=62880&highlight=stellite

If the tips are stellite, the "C8" nomenclature is quite misleading...

For carbide blades, here are two sources for sharpening.

1) Timberwolf (Suffolk Machinery) sells and sharpens their own carbide blade. The blade cost is comparable to Tri-Master, but only available in 1" I think. One could call to see if they would sharpen a Tri-Master.

2) Eagle Tools apparently works with a vendor that will sharpen a Tri-Master, this info from Mark Duginske & Mark Singer.

http://sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=515570&postcount=8

[Charlie Plesums]

At AWFS I talked to Lenox... The TriMaster was originally designed for cutting steel (although everyone - including me - knows it does a great job with wood). But they have a new Carbide tip blade, designed specifically for resawing wood, called the WoodMaster CT... the narrow blade is 1 inch, and it is also available in 2 inch! There are fewer teeth than the TriMaster, and the cost is roughly 40% less than the TriMaster. I got one, and it is every bit as good as the TriMaster, if not better. The smaller/fewer teeth probably means it won't last as long, but at half price, I'm game!

If you can't use the full 1 inch width of the WoodMaster CT, or need a narrower blade, then the recommended blade is still the TriMaster.

I had heard the reports of the older Lenox (and other) carbide blades developing fatigue on smaller wheels (if you call 16 and 18 inch wheels small). But the Lenox guy did spend a lot of time bragging about the progress they have made in the metal for the band. He said fatigue isn't a problem... he even runs a 3/8 TriMaster (.032 thick) on his 14 inch Delta. He also recommends the 1/2 inch Trimaster (thinner at .025 inches) for those small saws.

His recommendation was a 3/4 inch (.035 thick) blade for 16 and 18 inch saws, and jump to the 1 inch WoodMaster CT for 20 inch and larger. He did not say that the 1 inch WoodMaster couldn't or shouldn't be used on the MM16, but he persisted in his recommendation of a 3/4 inch for 16 inch saws - I'm not sure why.

The big news, to me, is the great quality of the cut with the new WoodMaster CT blade, and the relatively low price. They are or will be available from any place that sold the TriMaster.

[Doug Shepard]

+1. The Woodslicer is a super thin kerf blade that leaves such a smooth surface. I've actually sawn a 1/2 log of African Blackwood - some of the hardest most resinous stuff one could saw. The Woodslicer and 1 hp motor did amazingly well.

I burnt 2 of those up on Ipe though, so there are some things it doesn't like:D . But I used to keep the Woodslicers on my 14" Jet and it did a great job, but the saw wasn't up to some of the stuff I asked it to do. Haven't tried one with the MM16 yet though so I cant comment on how well it resaws compared to the TriMaster. BTW - I checked out your website Jack. Those are some sweet looking axes.

[Jim Becker]

I run a 1" Trimaster on my MM16 of the same vintage of yours. No problems for about three years now...and it's the older formula blade. The current version has a more flexible/forgiving back. The Resaw King from Laguna isn't the same kind of blade as the Trimaster as we pointed out in a recent thread...