1/2" Resaw king blade

[John Kananis]

Semi-off-topic but not really. I have a bunch of Timberwolf blades that don't come out of the box any more. I have a 3/4" rk that also doesn't come out of the box too often... let me talk to you about the wonderful world of Lenox blades. I'll put their 1/2" trimaster against any of the laguna carbide blades, just excellent. The 1/2" diemaster and 3/4" classic compliment it nicely by handling all of the cuts where smooth surface isn't necessary (including wet wood). I break out the rk for veneer as I like a wider blade for that but that's it. Also, ignore the tension gauge on your saw (I have the 14bx) and either set it up the way John suggests, using a gauge or if you have the ear and experience, by plucking and tightening.

[Eugene Lee]

I thought "surely this can't be right" but apparently is. Maybe this helps sell their Driftmaster Fence(?). At any rate the fence adjustment process is shown in this video at about the 2'10" mark. Are you saying this is not working for you?

I watched that video before. It doesn't work. After I tightened that 3 screws showing on the video, the fence went back to it's default position. Basically the 3 screw adjustment for the fence is useless, at least for my saw. I think that's the reason that Laguna introduce the drift master fence, because the original fence can't do proper drift adjustment.

[Eugene Lee]

There is certainly an argument that drift isn't really a thing, its just the byproduct of a poorly setup saw. That said, if you're having good luck with other 1/2" blades, it would seem unlikely that that is the problem.

The first question that comes to my mind is what do you mean, "poor cut quality"? It's wondering off line, it's not cutting squarely, exceptionally rough cut, etc? FWIW I have a 1/2" Resaw king on my Laguna 14|12 and would not change it for love nor money. It worked perfectly out of the box...never had to adjust the saw, nothing. Just excellent results from day 1. Now that blade was purchased ~5 years ago, so I don't know if they subcontract manufacturing or something and quality has gotten worse? But I haven't heard of widespread issues with them (not that I would, but you'd think it would be popping up on the forum fairly often if a relatively popular blade went to crap).

"Poor cut quality" just means very rough cut. The cut is square and it cut very fast, but the cut surface is exceptionally rough. Laguna labeled their Resaw King blade have smooth cut as a selling point. My 3/4" resawking blade has very smooth cut. But the 1/2" resawking blade has very rough cut.

[Eugene Lee]

Semi-off-topic but not really. I have a bunch of Timberwolf blades that don't come out of the box any more. I have a 3/4" rk that also doesn't come out of the box too often... let me talk to you about the wonderful world of Lenox blades. I'll put their 1/2" trimaster against any of the laguna carbide blades, just excellent. The 1/2" diemaster and 3/4" classic compliment it nicely by handling all of the cuts where smooth surface isn't necessary (including wet wood). I break out the rk for veneer as I like a wider blade for that but that's it. Also, ignore the tension gauge on your saw (I have the 14bx) and either set it up the way John suggests, using a gauge or if you have the ear and experience, by plucking and tightening.

Thank you very much. I might just order a 1/2" trimaster blade. I just checked it, it's 3 TPI blade and cost $149, almost the same price as the Resaw King blade. How smooth is the cut compared to your 3/4" resawking blade? I really like my 3/4" resawking blade except the minor drift.

[Tom Trees]

It's interesting to note the half inch blade is more telling than the 3/4".
I wonder if that would be the same deal with a larger saw?
Having used a narrower blade than that on my 24" saw, (before the wheels were aligned, and tires dressed with a camber, that is)
I found I could get my saw to track perfectly with the wee blade,
but to do the same and have no pulsating/fore and aft with a 3/4" blade wasn't happening, yet I could get my inch blade to track pretty well.

I figure it was the fact the narrower blade didn't have to do much to follow the wheels,
compared to the multiple 3/4" blades I was using, the wheels having more influence where the blade goes,
whilst the 1" blade being rigid enough to not conform with this.

Cheers
Tom

[Steven O Smith]

Semi-off-topic but not really. I have a bunch of Timberwolf blades that don't come out of the box any more. I have a 3/4" rk that also doesn't come out of the box too often... let me talk to you about the wonderful world of Lenox blades. I'll put their 1/2" trimaster against any of the laguna carbide blades, just excellent. The 1/2" diemaster and 3/4" classic compliment it nicely by handling all of the cuts where smooth surface isn't necessary (including wet wood). I break out the rk for veneer as I like a wider blade for that but that's it. Also, ignore the tension gauge on your saw (I have the 14bx) and either set it up the way John suggests, using a gauge or if you have the ear and experience, by plucking and tightening.

I'd like to hear more about your Lenox blades. I like 1/2" Diemaster 2 blades for their smooth cut. The trimaster is smoother? Please expand a bit on this.

[John Kananis]

It is also a carbide blade and cuts like butter, very happy I experimented. Surface is very smooth but in the end, it's still a bandsaw cut so depending on your application, you'll want to finish the surface with a plane or sander (just like the rk).

Thank you very much. I might just order a 1/2" trimaster blade. I just checked it, it's 3 TPI blade and cost $149, almost the same price as the Resaw King blade. How smooth is the cut compared to your 3/4" resawking blade? I really like my 3/4" resawking blade except the minor drift.

Steven, the trimaster is a totally different animal than the diemaster...I use the Diemaster for general purpose and for cutting turning blanks, the trimaster comes out when I need precision and cut quality. Not getting rid of my rk as I like a 3/4" blade for veneer but cut quality is at least equal.

I'd like to hear more about your Lenox blades. I like 1/2" Diemaster 2 blades for their smooth cut. The trimaster is smoother? Please expand a bit on this.

[John Kananis]

One last thing on the trimaster - the teeth do look smaller than the rk teeth so I'm not sure if you can sharpen.

[John C Cox]

If your bands are cutting with drift which you can't adjust out - it's the band. Resaw bands are one-trick ponies. They ONLY run in a straight line. Cut any curves or even let the resaw track along one side of the band teeth and you dull the sides of the teeth, and they start drifting. ALL bands do this, from the cheapies to the expensive ones.

Luckily, Laguna offers resharpening services for their RK carbide bands. Often, this rejuvenates and fixes problems exactly like what you mention.

Just a quick reality check.. Carbon steel resaw bands can do really nicely and often resaw with a fairly thin kerf. It is not a surprise to hear that they resaw better initially. Their life is shorter, especially on harder and more abrasive wood, but counter this with the thinner kerf equating to potentially more slices. Often, the fellows resawing $80+/bd-ft rosewoods and fancy exotics run the thin carbon steel bands because the additional slices are worth a lot more than the bands.

Carbide bands downside is the kerf and power required. Of these, the Resaw King is one of the thinnest. I've run both diemaster and trimaster bands for resaw, and they do take a relatively wider kerf, which equates directly to more power required and a rougher finish. The other obvious downside is the bigger bite. That equates to fewer slices, but it also limits the potential for resawing thinner stock.

I eventually settled on bi-metal bands. They cut a little thinner kerf than carbide. They don't last quite as long, but they last a lot longer than the carbon steel cheapies, and the price isn't enough to make you cry.

[John Kananis]

John, interesting take on the drift due to wear on one side... you would think carbide wouldn't do that...

On the kerf size, I just put a set of calipers to each. The rk measures .045 and the trimaster .054. I would have guessed the opposite as the rk "looks" like it has a wider tooth but that's likely a perception thing due to the wider band. I didn't bother to measure the diemaster (its a much thicker band, with set, etc).

[Cameron Wood]

For kicks, I measured the Infinity blade. (Again, quite new, but excellent so far)
They state the band is .022" thick, and the kerf is .038", measured with feeler gauges.

[John TenEyck]

John, interesting take on the drift due to wear on one side... you would think carbide wouldn't do that...

On the kerf size, I just put a set of calipers to each. The rk measures .045 and the trimaster .054. I would have guessed the opposite as the rk "looks" like it has a wider tooth but that's likely a perception thing due to the wider band. I didn't bother to measure the diemaster (its a much thicker band, with set, etc).

The manual for the G0636X bandsaw clearly addresses this issue. That's when you adjust for drift, as a short-term work around until a new blade can be installed.

John

[Bernie Kopfer]

One last thing on the trimaster - the teeth do look smaller than the rk teeth so I'm not sure if you can sharpen.

My Trimaster has been sharpened, but it is a 1” wide blade.

[glenn bradley]

I watched that video before. It doesn't work. After I tightened that 3 screws showing on the video, the fence went back to it's default position. Basically the 3 screw adjustment for the fence is useless, at least for my saw. I think that's the reason that Laguna introduce the drift master fence, because the original fence can't do proper drift adjustment.

Wow, that is unfortunate. Those holes should have some play that allow the small shift required to align. I would ping Laguna on that. I have used a rat tail file to additionally elongate holes that were made that way at the factory to get just a bit more adjustment out of them. I do not know that I would enlarge or elongate holes that were not originally intended for that. There may be structural requirements for a tight fit. I would say Laguna tech support would be your best source for their product. They are famous for running hot and cold on support. I would still start there and hope they are in a "good" cycle.

[Eugene Lee]

I'd like to hear more about your Lenox blades. I like 1/2" Diemaster 2 blades for their smooth cut. The trimaster is smoother? Please expand a bit on this.

What is the thickness and TPI for your 1/2" diemaster 2 blades? I would like to try it if it can get smooth cut.