Laguna ResawKing vs Lenox Woodmaster CT

[Jamie Buxton]

I’ve been using the Resaw King on my bandsaw for several years. I use the saw primarily for resawing hardwoods. I do a lot of bandsaw veneering. I’ve used up three Resaw Kings, so I’m pretty well-calibrated on them. When the last one died, I decided to try a Woodmaster CT. I’ve had it for a couple weeks now. Here’s some comparisons….

The Woodmaster CT cost me $125. (My saw takes a 144” blade.) The Resaw King has had a recent price hike, and would now cost $250.

The Woodmaster CT is 1.3 tpi, whereas the Resaw King is 2 tpi. As you might expect, the Resaw King has a slightly smoother cut face, but the Woodmaster requires less feed pressure for a given feed rate. Both blades give a remarkably smooth cut compared to conventional steel blades.

The CT has teensy carbide tips. They’re about .04” deep. The Resaw King’s tips are about .15” deep. My Resaw Kings have been resharpened five times or so before they run out of tip. Resharpening helps amortise the initial purchase price. The CT also has unusual tip shapes. A full-kerf-width tooth is alternated with a narrower tooth. This too may present challenges to a resharpener.

According to dealers, the CT has carbide tips. Lenox itself seems silent on the issue; the Woodmaster CT does not appear on Lennox’s site. Laguna is not clear what the Resaw King is tipped with. IIRCC, the introductory ads said “carbide”. The web site now says “C-8 steel”. Their reps say “carbide alloy”, but fail to be any more specific than that. (The carbide on woodworking tools is tungsten carbide particles cemented together by cobalt. That is, all carbide tools are actually carbide alloys. Steel, in contrast, contains iron, carbon, and many possible alloying metals. Steel is not carbide, or vice versa.)

The CT has a band thickness of .035”, whereas the Resaw King is .025”. On my 16” saw, this may be an issue. One of my Resaw Kings failed from work-hardening of the band. The thicker CT band might fail faster. The CT has a nominal kerf width of .051”, while the Resaw King is .042”. I don’t think this will make much difference in my use.

On the initial analysis, the CT is the better value. The performance is very similar, and the cost is half of the Resaw King. Of course, the big question is lifetime. How many miles will I get before the teeth dull or the band work-hardens to death? If the blade has only half the life of the Resaw King, the purchase price difference washes out. I’ll repost when I know more.

[Dave Tinley]

Jamie-
I know this is an old post from you but I found it via Google.
I am wondering if you have any updates on the Woodmaster CT. IE-How you like it ? Is the cut still good? Etc-
Also, who do you use to resharpen your bandsaw blades?
I have a tri-master that nobody locally can resharpen.

Thanks
Dave

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Laguna is not clear what the Resaw King is tipped with.


HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
That's laguna.

[Jamie Buxton]

Dave, the CT is still running okay. It only has a couple months on it, so I would have been surprised if any wear showed up. I also would have posted that to this thread.

As for sharpening carbide bandsaw blades, I've had Laguna sharpen my Resaw Kings. I don't know of any shop which sharpens Trimasters. I've asked this question before ---http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=39110&highlight=sharpen+trimaster

[Jamie Buxton]

It is now a year since I put my Woodmaster CT into service, so it is time for an update. The blade is still going strong. There's no sign of work-hardening, and the teeth are still sharp.

It is clearly a better value than the Resaw King.

[Rob Wright]

Great write-up and comparison. Thanks for the insight into these two and following up on the CT- I have been looking at both of them for my 16" Griz.

- Rob

[Andrew Joiner]

Thanks Jamie,

So 1- CT lasts as long as how many Resaw Kings with out sharpening 2 or 3?

Is it fair to say the CT now roughly 1/2 used up and somewhat dulled,cuts smoother than a 1/2 used up King? This is a key to value of course. Another way to ask is does cut smoothness drop faster on either blade? On my TS blades I don't really notice much drop in smoothness as they age, but do notice I have to feed slower.

Also what saw do you have? What species have you been resawing? If one blade sawed more abrasive woods it may skew the value opinion.

Thanks for keeping us updated!

[Chris Padilla]

I'll post my usual displeasure of my Woodmaster CT. The only reason I got it was that it is cheaper than the Trimaster and has a slightly smaller kerf (0.051" vs 0.063") and I'm on a mission to find the ulitmate veneer resaw blade that maximizes yield of veneer from a plank of wood.

I have a Minimax 20" bandsaw, euro guides, and have been resawing lottsa ~3/32" walnut veneers for my Tansu (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=92396) project and then drum sanding them down to 1/16". The MM20 takes a 168" (14') long blade.

My blades I've used for resawing veneers:

Lenox Trimaster 1" : 2/3 var tpi, 1/16" kerf, carbide
Lenox Diemaster2 1/2": 6 tpi hook, 0.035" kerf, bimetal
Lenox Woodmaster CT 1": 1.3 tpi, 0.051" kerf, carbide

In my experience, I've found the Woodmaster CT to leave a much rougher cut over the Trimaster and the Diemaster2. The Diemaster2 costs ~20% of the Trimaster and CT (roughly). By my best estimates, the Diemaster2 is pretty darn close to the type of blade David Marks like to use to resaw veneers on Woodworks.

[Mike Heidrick]

My MM20 uses 171" blades (newer saw maybe). I will get pictures up of all three blades as well if folks want to see them.

I have:
Lenox Trimaster
Woodmaster CT
Resaw King
and heck I will get the Diemaster 2 up as well

Mikie

[Chris Padilla]

Mike,

How would you rate the blades?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I have a tri-master that nobody locally can resharpen.
Thanks
Dave

Contact these people:
http://www.hastingssaws.com/
I hear they sharpen the Tri-Master blades

[Jamie Buxton]

One more update on the Woodmaster CT. I've declared it used up. The blade still cut, but it took more feed pressure, and the quality of cut became more like a standard steel blade. So the blade lasted about a year and a half in my usage, with no sharpenings. The Resaw Kings would have been getting sharpened every three or four months, and would by now have been getting to the end of their lifetime too. The Resaw King for my saw costs $290 (incl S&H), and a sharpening costs about $50 including shipping. The Woodmaster CT costs $111 (incl S&H). So the total lifetime cost of the Resaw King is about 5 times that of the Woodmaster CT! Needless to say, the replacement blade I bought is a Woodmaster CT.


One more thing... When I bought the first Woodmaster CT, the Lennox site didn't mention it. They've finally updated their site, and this blade is now listed.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/1_carbide_blades.asp

[Andrew Joiner]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton
One more update on the Woodmaster CT. I've declared it used up. The blade still cut, but it took more feed pressure, and the quality of cut became more like a standard steel blade. So the blade lasted about a year and a half in my usage, with no sharpenings. The Resaw Kings would have been getting sharpened every three or four months, and would by now have been getting to the end of their lifetime too. The Resaw King for my saw costs $290 (incl S&H), and a sharpening costs about $50 including shipping. The Woodmaster CT costs $111 (incl S&H). So the total lifetime cost of the Resaw King is about 5 times that of the Woodmaster CT! Needless to say, the replacement blade I bought is a Woodmaster CT.
One more thing... When I bought the first Woodmaster CT, the Lennox site didn't mention it. They've finally updated their site, and this blade is now listed.
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Thank you Jamie for keeping track of all this!

Laguna say's here:http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=122393
"The Resaw King tips are a Carbide Alloy. They contain just enough high grade steel to allow bonding to the bandstock, and resharpening, but really primarily Carbide."

Your test indicates the alloy that Laguna uses dulls MUCH quicker. It sounds like it's not even a close call between the CT and the (I can't call it a King anymore!) Laguna blade.

Did you cut similar clean dry wood with each blade?
Did the Laguna cut WAY smoother after each sharpening?

Please keep us posted. If you get the CT resharpened please let us know how that works out.

[Jamie Buxton]

Did you cut similar clean dry wood with each blade?
Did the Laguna cut WAY smoother after each sharpening?

Please keep us posted. If you get the CT resharpened please let us know how that works out.

Yes, I only cut clean dry wood, and the species are comparable.

The Laguna's signal that it needs sharpening is that the blade starts wandering in the cut, and it starts burning the wood. After a good resharpening, it returns to like-new behavior.

I didn't even try to find a sharpener for the CT. The carbide tips are teeny -- perhaps .05"x.05"x.05". There's just no material there to sharpen. Furthermore, the CT has a triple-chip teeth, so there are two different sharpening profiles for the teeth. I can't imagine anybody could sharpen it for a reasonable cost.

[Dan O'Sullivan]

Lenox Trimaster 1" : 2/3 var tpi, 1/16" kerf, carbide
Lenox Diemaster2 1/2": 6 tpi hook, 0.035" kerf, bimetal
Lenox Woodmaster CT 1": 1.3 tpi, 0.051" kerf, carbide

In my experience, I've found the Woodmaster CT to leave a much rougher cut over the Trimaster and the Diemaster2. The Diemaster2 costs ~20% of the Trimaster and CT (roughly). By my best estimates, the Diemaster2 is pretty darn close to the type of blade David Marks like to use to resaw veneers on Woodworks.

Interesting conclusion. I have used the Diemaster and the Trimaster a bunch. I like the DM for cost but the performance of the TriM is clearly superior. I would recommend the Lenox blades to anyone wanting to resaw quality veneers. What I mean by quality is: consistent thickness veneers, minimal clean up and confidence in cutting expensive woods. When you invest in a 10.00/bf or more board, you don't want surprises if you can avoid them. For me, the Lenox Tri-Master is a winner on my 20" ancient Rockwell.

I am not a believer in all the fence gizzmos, the blade is the key for me. Additionally, I need a resaw blade that works like a champ for a long time. Longevity is a must for me. I know its a bit tougher to get the Lenox stuff resharpened but the quality is worth mentioning here.

dan

[Van Huskey]

Two things:

1. can anyone verify a Trimaster sharpener, cost and quality of the returned blade

2. I was pretty sure the "carbide" on the Laguna blades was actually stellite

[Billy Stray]

This is a great thread! I just bought a resaw king 1 1/4 x 150 " it was defective out of the box (dull on 1 side) at $185 with shipping, im gun shy about replacing it with another. I guess Lenox got wise and raised their prices since this thread came out, because they're about $30-$40 dollars more not including shipping. I'm wondering if I'm shopping in the wrong place. Kinda blows the whole value theory right out of the water..

[Scott T Smith]

This is a great thread! I just bought a resaw king 1 1/4 x 150 " it was defective out of the box (dull on 1 side) at $185 with shipping, im gun shy about replacing it with another. I guess Lenox got wise and raised their prices since this thread came out, because they're about $30-$40 dollars more not including shipping. I'm wondering if I'm shopping in the wrong place. Kinda blows the whole value theory right out of the water..

When Laguna moved their blade manufacturing and sharpening operations from CA to SC, they had a lot of problems with the new staff getting up to speed. Perhaps your band was old stock that was made back then?

At any rate - they will stand behind their product. Simply let them know of the problems that you're having with it and they will take care of it.

BTW, I prefer their bands once they have been resharpened at least once.

[John TenEyck]

This is a great thread! I just bought a resaw king 1 1/4 x 150 " it was defective out of the box (dull on 1 side) at $185 with shipping, im gun shy about replacing it with another. I guess Lenox got wise and raised their prices since this thread came out, because they're about $30-$40 dollars more not including shipping. I'm wondering if I'm shopping in the wrong place. Kinda blows the whole value theory right out of the water..


Lennox blades are still a bargain, at least for the ones I buy which includes the CT, at Spectrum Supply in Ohio. Roughly half the price for a CT vs. a Resaw King.

FWIW, the CT can be resharpened. If you want to have it professionally done, Connecticut Saw and Tool will sharpen Lennox blades, including the CT. Or you can do it yourself, as a couple of folks here have posted about.

John

[Dave Fitzgerald]

Gotta put in a good word for Laguna's customer service. I bought a resaw king about a year and a half ago but didn't have occasion to use it until recently. I could not get the blade on my saw. After I mostly ruled out the possibility that I was doing something stupid, I measured the blade and found it was in fact an inch and a half shorter than it was supposed to be.

I got in touch with Laguna. Very quickly I was copied on an email from tech support to customer service saying that there was a known manufacturing problem at the time I ordered, and they should send a replacement. About a week later Fedex brought me a new blade. (It fits.) No pushback, no fuss - they just fixed the problem. They didn't even ask me to send back the original blade.

Couldn't ask for a better response.

[Paul J Kelly]

John,

Thanks for the tip! I just bought a new SCM bandsaw and the blade is 205" long! Was gonna be pricey.

You just saved me some solid coin!

PK

[Julie Moriarty]

I have some Lennox CT blades and a couple of Resaw King blades and a bunch of others. My bandsaw is a Jet JWBS18. I think I bought it new around the late 90s to early 2000s. Resaw capacity is a bit under 10".

I've done a lot of resawing over the years. And it seems I am forever looking for that perfect resaw blade. The Woodslicer was impressive but it quickly dulled. So I went carbide. The Resaw King was first up and if I remember correctly it was around $275. Ouch! When that got dull I tried a 1" wide Lennox CT Woodmaster. I called them, gave them the specs on my saw and that's what they suggested. I did a thread on a cabinet refacing about ten years ago here, using that blade, including this pic
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/KitCab/Kit_Cab_04.png
I remember being very impressed as it quickly took this stack of 8/4 sapele down to 1/2" thick
http://julimorcreations.com/Images/KitCab/Kit_Cab_02.png
But that blade eventually dulled and another new blade soon arrived. In the process of looking for the perfect resaw blade, I even purchased a 1-1/4" Lennox Tri-Master blade. For my bandsaw, it was a waste of money. What I learned along this costly way is this:

The blade must be properly sized for your bandsaw. That doesn't necessarily mean according to the manufacturer's specs. My bandsaw specs say it can handle a 1" wide blade. My experience says 3/4" wide is the max. The tag on the motor says it's 1-1/2 HP. IMHO, a 1" blade is too much for such a small motor.
The other thing to consider it how the bandsaw is constructed. In order to get the proper tension to resaw wide boards, the capacity of the frame is critical. Such as, will the column that connects top to bottom handle the tension required for the operation at hand? That tension can be enormous and not only does the frame have to be able to handle the tension but so does everything else under tension. How are the wheels attached to the frame? Is the spring capable of applying sufficient tension to the blade? All these kinds of things come into play. I recently cranked the tension up on my bandsaw while resawing 8" wide plantation teak to the point it crushed the tires and slices of tire came flying out.
Once you've determined your bandsaw is capable of handling the blade you've chosen, then it's just the basics..
Make sure the gullet is wide enough to clear the waste.
Sharp blade
Proper feed rate. I've done a lot of work for my neighbor. He's a big guy and I appreciate his help when feeding the boards. Last run was the plantation teak above. I kept telling him to slow down the feed rate. He couldn't. I was actually pushing against him and he just pushed harder. So I further tensioned the blade, thinking the blade would track better (it didn't) and the tires shredded. Feed rate is critical and everything above plays a part in determining what that will be.


Well, that's been my experience...

And yes, if I keep going, I'll need a different bandsaw.