[OP]
Member
I have searched the archive and this saw is familiar to the members. It is from 2001. I have only used it occasionally and have a project requiring resawing skins for laminated door rail/stiles. Likely resawing ~10" wide and very long skins.
What blade would you recommend?
I am open to carbide tipped blades. Since I likely do this more in future, resawing 8ft long skins, I would prefer speed over surface quality but it needs to cut straight.
Thanks,
Imran
Member
I "think" that saw's guides and wheels will accept a 1" blade?? If so for cheap and speed over finish a Lenox Flexback 1" x 2tpi is the ticket IMO. There are a ton of options though. You aren't going to get a carbide blade as aggressive as that one that your saw can tension.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
[OP]
Member
Van, Thanks for the feedback. Yes, it will take 1" blade. It just so happened that Laguna returned my call and of course they recommended Resaw King. I had seen it for $199 at ACME and when they told me it is $150 I just went for it. I had gotten recommendation for RK on another forum as well. I asked them about band fracture on 16" saw and they told me I should not be concerned with that. Considering it has the thinnest backing (0.024) I assume it will be at least as good as the Lenox woodmaster CT.
So do you think I made the right call or should I cancel the order and try Lenox Flexback?
Contributor
The Resaw king is a very good blade. It’s not the fastest but that will depend on what wood your cutting. If you wood is nice and dry the sharpness last a lot longer.
If your stars are aligned you might get a glue ready cut right off the saw.
Aj
Contributor
I have the 14SE and they said it would take a 1” blade and it will, but the resaw king did not work well with my saw. Your machine is bigger so it would probably be fine. BUT for the money, I still dont think it’s worth it. I like the Timberwolf 2/3 TPI
[OP]
Member
Good to know Andrew. I will be cutting kiln dry wood.
Member
First the Laguna RK is a great blade it and the Lenox Trimaster are my two favorite blades due to their great finish off the saw, it will be a great blade for you as I mentioned it won't be as aggressive as the Lenox Flexback I mentioned so it will take more time to make the cuts AND since I assume you are hand feeding the saw you are unlikely to get near finish quality from a 8ft cut since it is near impossible to keep a constant feed rate. I hope they suggested a 3/4" RK for that saw, IMO the 1" is too much.Originally Posted by Imran Malik
The RK will leave a better finish off the saw than a Woodmaster CT but I didn't mention that blade since it doesn't come in a small enough cross section for that saw, the minimum is 1" x .035" and being carbide would need twice the tension than the Flexback I recommended. The 1" x 1.3 tpi Woodmaster CT would be my choice for these cuts with a big enough saw. The Trimaster comes in more narrow blades but will still need more spring pressure for the same tension as the RK due to the RK's thin backer.
In the end the RK will be an excellent blade for you. It will just mean a little more time on the saw and likely a little less time with sanding. It will last much longer and if you use it enough will be cheaper in the long run than carbon blades.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Contributor
Hi,
I have that exact saw, and I feel tensioning a 1" wide blade is asking too much of it, despite the capacity specs. In fact 3/4" is pushing it. I do not recommend a blade with a body thicker than .025". My recommendation is a 1/2" Lenox Tri-Master from experience though I admit to knowing next to nothing about the Laguna RK blades.
It's a very good, versatile saw BTW.
Edwin
[OP]
Member
*****************************
Hi Van, Thanks again for the details. Just a curiosity. The Lenox Flexback carbon steel cuts faster than a carbide blade. Did I read it correctly? I understand it won’t be as good a finish but perhaps good to have one around for rough work.
Imran
Member
It isn't the carbide teeth that results in a slower cut it is the specific carbide blades that will work on your saw compared to the carbon blades it will tension. You can get a very aggressive 1" 2tpi Flexback. You will need to go down to a 3/4" carbide blade for that saw and the RK is 2-3tpi variable pitch and the Trimaster is 3tpi. Lenox makes a more aggressive carbide blade the Woodmaster CT down to 1.3tpi but it is not available in anything less than 1".
So it isn't the carbon blade itself just the tooth configuration available for your saw.
That said either carbide blade is excellent and will last a very long time and can be resharpened multiple times. While I have both blades for different saws I do always keep a very low tpi carbon blade for times I have a lot of non-veneer resawing where I will take speed over finish and/or I am concerned about metal or other foreign objects in the wood.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
[OP]
Member
Thanks Van. I suspected that my saws ability to tension Flexback better than RK is playing a roll. However I did not think about the TPI. If you have time can you explain, why low TPI cuts faster? Is it that with low TPI a more aggressive tooth geometry is possible? Perhaps aggressive set as well.
Imran
Member
The number of teeth per inch works the same way with bandsaws and table saw blades, handsaw blades, jigsaw blades etc. In general terms the fewer tpi the faster the blade cuts with a correspondingly lower cut quality. They generally have more aggressive tooth profiles, larger gullets to move more waste and in the case of bandsaw blades usually more set. Also with bandsaw blades a carbide tipped blade will have more of the tooth that touches the wood basically polishing the cut like a table saw blade. This produces more friction and thus requires more power for the cut (the saw) and more power to push (you). It is a give and take but you specifically said speed over finish so I suggested the fastest cutting blade for that saw at least IMO. If you think you will be doing more cutting later that the carbide blade would be better for then you could still get it and just take the extra time to make these cuts now. I just think the 2TPI 1" Flexback makes the most sense for these cuts since generally the less time you spend making long cuts the more likely you are to get consistent results. I didn't look back in the thread but it is obviously important to verify the saw will accept a 1" blade, I think it will but just verify.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Contributor
3/4” Lenox Diemaster II would be my first choice on that saw, followed by 3/4” Lenox Woodmaster CT. I would not go 1”. Be prepared for a slow feed rate.
Erik
[OP]
Member
Thank you guys. I realized since these are custom welded I likely cannot return it. I will see how it goes. I can always get a $40 blade for faster rougher cuts.
Imran
Member
I bought 2 sizes of blades from BC Saw & Tool, Toronto for my Bridgewood BS440 (about 17.25" dia. with 2HP motor)..
very pleased with their 1/2" x 3T x Carb- tipped & 1" x 3T x carb-tipped.
Cost effective at the time, but not sure about current pricing w/ Trumps tariff though...
Dave Lewis
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