So... bandsaw blades...

[mistermikev]

so my name is mike v and I can't resaw to save my life.  with that in mind I bought a wood slicer to do a last ditch attempt at this. 

haven't resawn anything yet... but I just cut a v in my neck blank (long story) and I gotta say... this thing cuts like butta.  I have a few other blades... nothing too expensive but there is some timberworlf in there... just a 1/4" blade.  I use that to cut profiles and such and it cuts nice... but NOWHERE near as smooth as this wood slicer. 

for $35ish... pretty happy.  I will eventually be attempting some resaw with it... don't have anything I need right now... but I suspect this is going to be a game changer. 

so... for anyone looking for a solid bandsaw blade that cuts incredibly smooth - and for dirt cheap... this is it.

[ScottR]

This thing?

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer-resaw-bandsaw-blades.aspx

SR

[mistermikev]

8 hours ago, ScottR said:

This thing?

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer-resaw-bandsaw-blades.aspx

SR

yessir.

[ScottR]

I may have to try that next time I need to change a blade.

SR

[mistermikev]

would love to know what u think. 

[ADFinlayson]

I'm not great with the bandsaw in general and resawing is no exception. I've only got a 10" bandsaw anyway so I never resaw anything taller than a 3" neck blank with it. A 1/2" over a 1/4" does make a significant difference although I expect a lot of it is down to switching over to a brand new sharp blade and fact that you've just recalibrated the saw with a blade changover probably has something to do with it too.

Today I'm having a beastly new machine delivered so I'm looking forward to cutting neck lams on a table saw instead of my little band saw  

[mistermikev]

2 hours ago, ADFinlayson said:

I'm not great with the bandsaw in general and resawing is no exception. I've only got a 10" bandsaw anyway so I never resaw anything taller than a 3" neck blank with it. A 1/2" over a 1/4" does make a significant difference although I expect a lot of it is down to switching over to a brand new sharp blade and fact that you've just recalibrated the saw with a blade changover probably has something to do with it too.

Today I'm having a beastly new machine delivered so I'm looking forward to cutting neck lams on a table saw instead of my little band saw  

well, yes, always setting up the bandsaw makes a dif... and new blade too... but there is something different going on with this blade.  I don't want to sound like an advertisement... but the varied tooth spacing and kerf really do result in less vibration.  I don't know how long it will maintain it... but it is seriously smooth.  nothing like when I put a brand new timberwolf on.  The timberwolf cut well... and you could feed it really fast... but it wasn't smooth like this.

 

tablesaw... noice.  I have come so close to buying a table saw on so many occasions... really is the most versatile tool one could have.  I always pull back at the last moment because I remind myself it is also the most dangerous... I'm holding out for a sawstop!  that looks pretty heavy duty and the color scheme is bang on!  (go pack go)

[ScottR]

Is that a tablesaw router table combination?

SR

[ADFinlayson]

Is that the same as a skip tooth blade? varying height and spacing of blades I think, Those are what I get from Axminster, they're supposedly much better at getting the dust out of the cut and produce a cleaner cut with less burning, 

It's a combination table saw, 250mm planer, thicknesser, spindle moulder (I think you cats call that a shaper) and extractor, not that I ever use a spindle moulder. Each part has it's own dedicated motor so it's pretty much as beastly as you can get on single phase power. My Dad and I went halves on it because he want's a spindle moulder and we've set it up in his workshop as I don't have the room so it's a win win for me. It's got a decent cross cut sled so I'm hoping if I get the right blade, I'll be able to cut fret slots on it. 

I figured it currently takes me about an hour or so to cut fret slots by hand, well I'll be able to take my blanks over to my folks, do all my jointing and fret slotting, have a coffee and still be home by the time I'd have cut them by hand  

[mistermikev]

1 hour ago, ADFinlayson said:

Is that the same as a skip tooth blade? varying height and spacing of blades I think, Those are what I get from Axminster, they're supposedly much better at getting the dust out of the cut and produce a cleaner cut with less burning, 

It's a combination table saw, 250mm planer, thicknesser, spindle moulder (I think you cats call that a shaper) and extractor, not that I ever use a spindle moulder. Each part has it's own dedicated motor so it's pretty much as beastly as you can get on single phase power. My Dad and I went halves on it because he want's a spindle moulder and we've set it up in his workshop as I don't have the room so it's a win win for me. It's got a decent cross cut sled so I'm hoping if I get the right blade, I'll be able to cut fret slots on it. 

I figured it currently takes me about an hour or so to cut fret slots by hand, well I'll be able to take my blanks over to my folks, do all my jointing and fret slotting, have a coffee and still be home by the time I'd have cut them by hand  

sledge-o-matic-7000 there! 

afa blade... "Its outstanding performance is due to its 3-4 tpi variable tooth pitch design, in which uneven spacing between the teeth nearly eliminates vibration during a cut. The Wood Slicer's tooth pattern damps harmonic resonance extremely effectively; the result is superlatively smooth cuts and much, much quieter operation than ordinary bandsaw blades."

admittedly sounds like a lot of 'sizzle' but they get really good reviews at lumberjocks so I figured it'd be worth a shot... and as it turns out, indeed it does limit vibration a lot.

[Bizman62]

5 hours ago, mistermikev said:

there is something different going on with this blade.  I don't want to sound like an advertisement... but the varied tooth spacing and kerf really do result in less vibration.

That makes sense. For the same reason the blocks on car tyres aren't of the same size as the similarity would cause vibration which would make an annoying noise (harmonic resonance) and prolongued even fatigue the metal. Despite their marketing speech sounds like that of a snake oil vendor the same technology has been proved viable in a totally different genre. Interdisciplinarity at its best!

[mistermikev]

5 minutes ago, Bizman62 said:

That makes sense. For the same reason the blocks on car tyres aren't of the same size as the similarity would cause vibration which would make an annoying noise (harmonic resonance) and prolongued even fatigue the metal. Despite their marketing speech sounds like that of a snake oil vendor the same technology has been proved viable in a totally different genre. Interdisciplinarity at its best!

glad it wasn't just me (snake oil) - I was really kind of put off by that advert... but have to admit the proof is there in the puddin'.  It literally went thru 2" of figured maple like it was cutting butter.  Eerie how quiet it was compared to what it would be with my other half inch blades.  and a very thin cut which isn't something I was after, but with a smaller (14") bandsaw being able to apply more tension to the blade is important (I'm told).

[Bizman62]

I'd like to see a similar unevenness in chainsaw chains but as they're sprocket driven that might not be possible.

[mistermikev]

On 5/27/2020 at 11:47 AM, Bizman62 said:

I'd like to see a similar unevenness in chainsaw chains but as they're sprocket driven that might not be possible.

all I know about chainsaws I learned from the following video:

 

 

[Bizman62]

Looked a bit like

https://youtu.be/NCi7p4YIV3w

[mistermikev]

that... is funny.

 

[komodo]

I know I'm super late to this party. I've got a 14" bandsaw with an extension riser. The things that helped my resawing were:

- SLOW FEED.  Most important to not let the wood drift the blade. 
- set up the guides really well, I use Cool Blocks in mine also. 
- skip tooth blade 3-4 tpi
- single point fence seems to help

For blades, I've gone with good quality but not boutique. Powertec or Olsen. As long as the other stuff mentioned is addressed, then the blade wasn't as big of deal. That said, I'm sure that the resaw blades cut nice. The last time I bought a resaw blade, I ran into some blades made for butchers cutting frozen meats. I don;t remember what it was about them, but people said they worked great for resawing wood. Didn't get any at the time, but I'm still tempted to try them.

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/precision_band_saw/

[mistermikev]

21 hours ago, komodo said:

I know I'm super late to this party. I've got a 14" bandsaw with an extension riser. The things that helped my resawing were:

- SLOW FEED.  Most important to not let the wood drift the blade. 
- set up the guides really well, I use Cool Blocks in mine also. 
- skip tooth blade 3-4 tpi
- single point fence seems to help

For blades, I've gone with good quality but not boutique. Powertec or Olsen. As long as the other stuff mentioned is addressed, then the blade wasn't as big of deal. That said, I'm sure that the resaw blades cut nice. The last time I bought a resaw blade, I ran into some blades made for butchers cutting frozen meats. I don;t remember what it was about them, but people said they worked great for resawing wood. Didn't get any at the time, but I'm still tempted to try them.

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/precision_band_saw/

right on.  I appreciate the input.  looking out on the web the thing about resaw you hear over and over is that there shouldn't be any drift if your bandsaw is set up right.  I def take that to heart.  I've watched so many setup videos... and I can get the thing to cut almost a perfect straight line freehand on a 2" thick piece... it's just when I try to resaw thru 4+" that it becomes unpredictable. 

Part of the issue is (I think) that my motor is under powered.  its a craftsman bas350 so 14" bandsaw but 1hp motor.  the other hurdle is my inexperience on a bandsaw.  last time I tried I realized also... that if you are resawing... you really need to have a clean and square edge on the piece. 

I haven't tried it again since the new blade... but I believe sooner or later all the little pieces are going to converge on limited success!  when I get ready to try again... I'm going to re-watch the setup videos, re-setup my bandsaw, make sure I have a good square edge, and possibly add a rikon fence to the mix.  will also have to research cool blocks so thanks for that.

[mistermikev]

for the record folks... watched a popular setup video again... applied that when setting up my bandsaw.  took a former resaw failure -some 5" x 7/8" flamed maple, and successfully resawed it into 3 1/4"ish pieces.  Very nice.didn't even have a fancy fence.  just a harbor freight clamp with some mdf attached to it.  this thing cuts straight as an arrow now!

thanks for all the advice!  (also thanks @MiKro for recent bandsaw pep talk and advice)