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Bandsaw Blade Performance Test


fryovanni

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and then ran two sets of back/side billets in Claro Walnut through it, which came out lovely and gorgeous
Oh, and the curl on that Walnut is really something isn't it
And the Walnut is really stunning

Agreed, the figure on that Walnut is really something :D

Yes yes yes....The Walnut....pics-stfu.gif

B):D

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If I were you I would gamble on a 1" Woodmaster CT(not sure what length your blades are, but they should fall in the $100-$125 range). The large gullets and TPI count as well as tooth configuration are specifically designed for wood cutting, and from experience it shows in the performance on wide resaws(especially oily or wet woods).

Yeah, did that - have a 1/2" tri, 3/4" alum and a 1" woodmaster coming my way. Got the blades from U-cut, cost me 101.93 for a 145" blade (if you must know the precise amount), which seemed like a very reasonable price to me. I'm thinking I might want to upgrade my euro-style bearing guides to carters or similar, but I haven't quite managed to figure out which ones (if any) are 'retrofittable) to the upper and lower. These work OK, but not really fantastically well in some circumstances.

(ps: that walnut's pretty speacial, isn't it?)

Edited by Mattia
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and then ran two sets of back/side billets in Claro Walnut through it, which came out lovely and gorgeous
Oh, and the curl on that Walnut is really something isn't it
And the Walnut is really stunning

Agreed, the figure on that Walnut is really something :D

Yes yes yes....The Walnut....pics-stfu.gif

B):D

Not a great pic, but..

CW1.jpg

You have seen it already though Erik :D

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Do you have a pic of the one with the lighter wood in the center, it was one of the last sets to go at the swap, that one was wheeewooowwee. That stuff is just incredible. I remember hearing about those twin billets a while back and recall seeing a couple pics of Mattia's billet in his workshop pics. J

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You have seen it already though Erik :D

Actually after you were able to hook me up with the spruce, I spent very little time in the swap this time around.

Though, this could have been the set you showed me a couple of years ago....it does remind me of that. Thanks for the pics, it is about as nice as claro gets I must say.

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Yes, thanks Chris that was the stuff I was referring to, wheew man that is nice stuff, there was another piece with more light wood along the center and stronger curl, I'd probably end up putting the wood in a picture frame instead of using it. Had the swap taken place a couple weeks from now, I'd probably had myself a set of that walnut or that full set of Koa(front,B/S, set#1) as I've been in love with that particular light colored cut from the last swap. That super curly mahogany was amazing also, don't know if I've ever seen mahogany that figured, it was quite a sight it was interesting seeing the up close shots of the grain on that one, different than I would have expected. I'm gonna start stashing money now for the next swap, the last two came at the worst times for me, I won't let it happen again!! Maybe by then I can finish up my electric and get started on making a bending machine and such. Thanks for posting that pic. Jason

Edited by jmrentis
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Whhooww wwooww, yes that is the piece! I think it stood out the most of all your sets on the first day, yet I didn't see it go toward the end, the entire time my jaw was sitting on ground that no one grabbed that up as fast as they could. Its just an amazingly beautiful set, how would you even go about binding that set, ebony or maybe just some more curly walnut or maybe koa. I just don't know that I'd want to do any contrasting binding to take away from that b/s set. Anyhow, yes that was the exact piece I had in mind Rich, truly some phenomenal walnut you Mattia came up on. J

Edited by jmrentis
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Jason,

That set would do well with lighter or darker binding. That is the beauty of a set with such strong contrasts. The figure is so strong you could use figured or non figured binding and I don't think it would detract from the look. Just my take, but maybe when I get around to using a set from that billet I will see.

Rich

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
It's amazing!!! Hogs out a good bit more than the woodslicer... but it stays straight so that's a plus!!! lol. I love it! And the allowable feedrate is ridiculous fast!

Chris

...now I'm really looking forward to slicing up that Sapele I've got. And those redwood billets from Rich!

Mattia

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It's amazing!!! Hogs out a good bit more than the woodslicer... but it stays straight so that's a plus!!! lol. I love it! And the allowable feedrate is ridiculous fast!

Chris

Very cool, sound like that is a thumbs up. :D

Your mentioning feed rate got me thinking. What band speed do you run at(that is an open question to everyone, not just Chris)?

Rich

P.S. Nice car Chris!

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I too was HUGELY impressed with the curly claro with the lighter wood in the center. I believe this may be what they were refering to above:

CW11.jpg

Killer wood as always Rich.

Chris

I think I'd be embarrassed to play the guitar that becomes. Maybe it's all those junk/spam threads that popped up yesterday, but it kind of gives new meaning to the term "wood porn" . . .

*ducking*

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I don't actually know what speed I run the blade at. It says '40' on my digital VSD doodad. Depending on the blade, I adjust a little upwards or downwards to compensate for any minimal tendency to resonate/vibrate. Basically, it's about as fast as it goes (above 40 and it doesn't seem to speed up much at all).

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I don't actually know what speed I run the blade at. It says '40' on my digital VSD doodad. Depending on the blade, I adjust a little upwards or downwards to compensate for any minimal tendency to resonate/vibrate. Basically, it's about as fast as it goes (above 40 and it doesn't seem to speed up much at all).

So your bandsaw is a direct drive with a VFD? Mine is just a pulley and belt system.

Rich

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I don't actually know what speed I run the blade at. It says '40' on my digital VSD doodad. Depending on the blade, I adjust a little upwards or downwards to compensate for any minimal tendency to resonate/vibrate. Basically, it's about as fast as it goes (above 40 and it doesn't seem to speed up much at all).

So your bandsaw is a direct drive with a VFD? Mine is just a pulley and belt system.

Rich

No, it's a standard pulley and belt system, but requires three-phase power, either 380v or 220v. Ergo, VFD converting 1 phase 220 to phase 220, with the added bonus of being able to control the speed continously.

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Eat this boys! Had a nice day of resawing and here are the rewards reaped.

resawday.jpg

That would be 6 sets of khaya, 2 sets of black sassafras, 4 sets of mottle figured genuine mahogany (5 side sets though), and 2 sets of figured myrtle (3 side sets).

And there's still more that I NEED to resaw.... I just got tired.

All this joy is courtesy off my new Woodmaster CT... I was getting 5 slices per UNDER an inch all at .130" that will all surface out just fine.

Chris

Edited by verhoevenc
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  • 1 month later...

Well it has been a while(haven't had much cutting time), but I have let the Woodmaster CT chew on some more wood. At last count I think it was up around 1000 cuts. I ran about another 300 cuts, so it is up to about 1300. I feel like it is having more trouble with cuts than it used to, although it is still cutting nice and true. I am going to retire it to backup status after I chop up a stack of billets I have waiting(don't want to change the settings until I finish, because it makes sanding much easier when all the slices are the same thickness). I have a new Woodmaster CT that will take its place. So lets say the CT should be good for well over a thousand cuts(I feel absolutely confident that is a conservative number). At a cost of about $100 welded for an 18" bandsaw the cost per. cut is around ten cents. Of course, I did run more like 1300 cuts, and it still cuts as good as most non-carbide tipped blades(on their second cut). I suspect it will keep cutting for at least the life of several more regular blades. I think it is safe to say the Woodmaster CT is a bargain as long as your saw can handle a 1" carbide blade.

I am not really interested in using the Trimaster at the moment(too much trouble changing the blade everytime I am ready to run rosewoods or oily woods). It is going to hang for a while as a 2nd. backup to the old Woodmaster CT.

Peace,Rich

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1k cuts sounds pretty dang good to me.

i dont recall, what kind of bandsaw are you using, Rich? you say 18", but what brand?

man i missed a great deal on craigslist a while back. it was a huge 18" bandsaw, even had casters and everything. it was almost new, and all set up. 500 bucks the guy wanted, and probably would have taken 450. but no i decided to wait. i missed my opp. my 12" craftsman wont cut anything thicker than 2.5 inches. i dont know why. its old and has no power. it only cuts well cross cutting.

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