3/4” or 1” Bandsaw blade - much difference?

[Bill Space]

My 20” Davis & Wells bandsaw is factory rated for up to a 3/4” blade. But many run 1” blades on these saws without issue.

In my case it it looks like a 3/4” blade would be the sweet spot with respect to position of the guides. I think I might run out of adjustability if I tried to use a 1’ blade.

So having no real experience with resawing, I wonder if running a 3/4” blade produces a result that is significantly different than a 1” blade. I suppose I could force the saw to take a 1” blade if it made a great difference.

So I guess I am asking if real world results between these blade widths are close to being the same...or quite different.

Bill

[Jim Becker]

I regularly re-saw with a 1/2" 3TPI blade and don't even bother going to the 3/4" blade most of the time. In fact, yesterday, I re-sawed some hard maple with just a 3/8" blade with too many teeth ('cause I was too lazy to swap it out) and it was just fine, albeit slow. My point here is that you will not likely see much if any noticeable difference using the 1" blade and since it exceeds the recommended maximum for the saw, you may very well have some challenges with the mechanical geography that's involved. What's more important is that the blade is sharp, is tensioned correctly and that it has a low enough tooth count to properly clean out the swarf from the cut line efficiently.

[Mike Kees]

In my experience whatever blade your saw will tension properly will work the best. The saw I own ,I bought used and the original owner gave me 8-10 blades that he had purchased from a shop who welded them. He had two new 1'' blades in the bunch,I tried them and cranked up my tension. My saw (steel city 18'') is not capable of tensioning these blades. I have found it will resaw quite well with a 3/8 blade even,with proper tension. Stick with the 3/4'' it will work fine. Mike.

[Van Huskey]

The primary if not the only benefit of running a wider blade is the increased beam strength you get when both blades in question are under the same tension. The D&W 20" saws are fairly stout BUT small/medium sized saws of that era were not designed to put huge amounts of strain on blades, there are plenty of 20" modern saws capable of far more tension.

To bottom line is stick to a 3/4" blade with that saw, it is more likely you will lose cut quality with a 1" blade than gain it on the D&W. Be aware this is a generalization not knowing which type of blade you plan to run, the more specific you are about the exact blade you plan to run the better I can guess about comparitive performance.

[Bill Space]

Thanks all for the insight on blade width. I guess I will go with the 3/4” blade rather than wider. Eventually I will buy a 3/4” carbide tipped blade for resawing.

I am sure this saw will tension a 3/4” blade adequately.

Bill

[Van Huskey]

Thanks all for the insight on blade width. I guess I will go with the 3/4” blade rather than wider. Eventually I will buy a 3/4” carbide tipped blade for resawing.

I am sure this saw will tension a 3/4” blade adequately.

Bill

When it is time to buy the carbide blade I would suggest a Resaw King vs a Trimaster for that saw. It will probably have a hard time getting a thick Trimaster up over 20K psi my guess a 3/4" Trimaster will max out at about 15-17k psi on a D&W 20". The spring is closer in size to a PM81 and Delta 28-350 than it is to a 20" welded Italian saw for example. They were simply not designed with very high tension in mind.

[John K Jordan]

I don't know about that particular saw, but the factory ratings on some saws lie, er, are overly optimistic. The tension indicators are also not accurate. I use a good tension gauge and was surprised at the tension some larger blades really needed. (I use a 14" Delta, an 18" Rikon, and a WoodMizer bandsaw mill.)

JKJ

My 20” Davis & Wells bandsaw is factory rated for up to a 3/4” blade. But many run 1” blades on these saws without issue.

In my case it it looks like a 3/4” blade would be the sweet spot with respect to position of the guides. I think I might run out of adjustability if I tried to use a 1’ blade.

So having no real experience with resawing, I wonder if running a 3/4” blade produces a result that is significantly different than a 1” blade. I suppose I could force the saw to take a 1” blade if it made a great difference.

So I guess I am asking if real world results between these blade widths are close to being the same...or quite different.

Bill

[lowell holmes]

Well,
Try it and see. If you don't like it, you can change back to the smaller blade.

[John K Jordan]

Well,
Try it and see. If you don't like it, you can change back to the smaller blade.

One warning. Years ago I tried to properly tension and run a wide blade that Delta listed as OK for my 14" saw. I bent the tensioning bracket and had to replace it. (I bought a stronger one from Itura Design.) Of course the 20" saw may well be able to tension properly without damage.

JKJ

[Andrew Hughes]

If we look at the upper shaft of a Davis and Wells bandsaw and how it goes through the frame and the upper wheel I think it safe to say it’s on a whole different level then a saw with small stub tenon that holds the upper wheel.
When I was at D&W several years ago Dan had a 20 inch saw (mermaid base) running with a 1/2 “ blade.
But it might have been for tuning. It was almost ready for a crate.