Band saw resaw question

[Roger L]

I have been looking for a larger bandsaw to resaw some read-oak, maple, and cherry. Largest slab would be 4" thick by 12" wide, air dried for one year. As I have a bit of this material I was looking at a larger bandsaw to resaw some of it into 3/4 stock. At first I was looking at the Wilke's model

Looking at the Wilke's PBS-540 it only claims to be able to hold a 1 3/8" blade.

thinking that a 2" or bigger 3 TPI blade would be ideal for resawing... I am now thinking the Grizzly Model G0507 would be better.

I wrong in thinking that the 2" blade would be that much better for resawing than the 1 3/8" blade. Granted a 3" (I assume) blade would be ideal, but such a machine is out of my league.

I was leaning towards the Wilkes, due to the 14" height versus the 12" of the Grizzly but the difference in the blade width has me leaning towards the Grizzly.

Any one have an opinion on the blade width?

I do plan on using a power feeder ....

Thanks, Roger

[Paul Kierstead]

How many bf-ft are we talking here? You might be waaay overkilling this. Certainly resawing can be done with less then a 3" blade...

[Roger L]

Paul, Did not mention the Bdft, because it is a lot. :) More than I could use in 5 years time. I do understand that it is not the best procedure. But my thinking is I could justify a nice large band saw pretty quickly Save for turning the Bandsaw into a small sawmill; my intention was to resaw the wood as needed.

So with that said, I might be looking at resawing 100-200 Bdft a month at max.

I was not thinking about going to a 3" bandsaw as that is way too pricey for me.

I was looking for opinions in the difference between a 1 3/8" blade and a 2" blade (as far as it applies to resawing).

Roger

[David F. Eisan]

Dear Roger,

I don't think you need a big blade, the quality of the saw will make a bigger difference.

I had to train a few guys at a local pattern shop on a new Tannawitz 5HP,

24" bandsaw that I sold them and I was doing incredible resawing with a 1/4" blade.

FWIW, most Woodmizer type bandmills use a 1-1/4" blade.

I have a 3/4", 3 TPI blade on my 3hp, 20" Wadkin bandsaw and it resaws very well.

Thanks,

David.

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FAQ

[Layne]

This is true. A lot of people think they need a thick blade in order to resaw. Usually a thinner blade will work better. It's easier to tension with less stress on the machine. A thinner blade will tend to flex backwards before it flexes sideways....whereas a thicker blade will tend to flex sideways first.

Layne

[Bruce]

Just wondering why I see these 3-6" blades on all the commercial resaws if thin is better?

[Roger L]

David, Thanks for the tips. In doing a DAGS, from what liltle info I found, seems to lean towards a wider blade. Although I also learned that a lot of people are doing just fine on the thinner blades as you have mentioned. So the pros and cons seem to be on both sides. With the cost of the smaller bandsaw and blades it would seem to reason that a bandsaw that could go up to 1 3/8" would be just fine.

I just want to keep it has headache free as possible, while making it worthwhile. Not wanting to create some type of mess, where I will later say "wish I had just purchased the wood from the lumber yard"

The other side that I am looking at is the cost of the blades. Was thinking that I might think about going carbide..... but from what I have seen it does not seem that cost effective; and purchasing a number of good quality "cheaper" blades will be more of a benefit (save for the time required to swap blades). Given the reviews that I have seen regarding some of the "higher" end blades, it seems like money thrown out the window, as compared to other less costly blades.

I would be curious if anyone else has had good experiences with say a carbide for such resawing? Granted the wider kerf will not effect me for this type of resawing that much.

Also does anyone know of a variable pitch blade that is not carbide or expensive( say a 3tpi to 2tpi)? From what I have learned, they seem to be of a benefit in this type of resawing.

Going with the smaller blade, also opens up some other machines; the Woodtek for example (1" blade max), and seeing the recent positive review, this might be a machine to look at.

Thanks, Roger

[Stephen M]

Woodslicer, from higland hardware is a variable tooth, but it only comes in

1/2". It has a tiny kerf too (great for delicate work, but perhaps not best for your application). I am very happy with mine so far. It might not, however, be the best choice for logs. The benefit, as I understand it, of variable tooth is combating sympathetic vibrations, and consequently offering a cleaner cut. That is not really a criteria for rough-cutting logs. I would think that you would want an aggressive cut rather than a clean cut.

I do not have any experience with monster saws or carbide, but I looked at them and got the impression that they start making sense for heavy production use (much more volume than your stated intent), or carbide for super-smooth (near finish quality) cutting, i.g. making veneer.

-Steve

[trimax]

Hi David i use my saw almost exclusively for resawing although u can use a narrow blade using it will cause heat build up and will reduce the use of the blade. I would go with as wide as you can use and then a 3tpi. Im cutting my boards down to 1/4 inch so i know twisting is no problem also i draw a line down the edge to mark center to help me guide it thru the cut of course i have to plane it then but thats besides the point. one other thing i would suggest is to use a lub on your blade this alone will make a diffrence on several aspects.

[TeamCasa]

Roger,

I have a Jet 16" bandsaw. It has a new 1" - 3tpi blade and resaws perfectly. I have used on 8/4 x 11 maple, 6/4 x 10 purpleheart, and a ton of birch, oak and beech. I am very happy with the performance (after replacing the factory blade).

I have used to slice of pieces as thin as 1/8" from 10" stock, Two or three passes thru the drum sander and they were perfect.

Dave

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[Steve Turner]

I love my Woodslicer blade, I just wish they made it in sizes other than 1/2". I'd love to have a 1/4" for tight curves, and a 3/4" or 1" would be great for resawing. That said, the 1/2" Woodslicer works great for resawing, and the finish is very clean. I've sliced a lot of Mesquite logs into lumber with this blade, and I've felt no temptation to go to anything else, carbide or otherwise.

[Paul Kierstead]

Ahh..A little drive-by :)

Ok, I am not terribly experienced so take this for what it is worth. The biggest I have used is a 5/8", which I discarded as my saw (Delta 14") seemed unable to tension it to my satisfaction, that is the cut sucked. I have used a 1/2" and resaws very very nicely, though somewhat slowly....though the saw is actually pretty hard to really bog down. For only 100-200 bd-ft/month, I suspect you will might find the advantage of a quite large saw to be pretty poor. Perhaps a 1.5 or 2 HP 16"-20" would do the trick very nicely. With some good support (assuming long boards), my Delta could it; this partly depends on if "time is money", i.e. are you paying someone to feed it or losing money by feeding it your self.

[Roger L]

Paul,

I am curious as to your comment : "I suspect you will might find the advantage of a quite large saw to be pretty poor"

Are you saying that it might not be worth the money going to a larger saw?

Yes I will be feeding them myself, and with the ADD kicking in, I am hoping to make it as easy as possible.

"Drive-bys" are welcome as long as you are willing to help feed. :)

I was looking at some of the Grizzly roller tables they have listed in their catalog for support for this project. I am sure that I would find many more uses for them other than this one project.

The one limiting facto that I do have with a 14" would be the depth of cut. Not sure how realistic it would be, but I would like the option to be able to resaw a 12" er if needed.

[Allan Bartel]

I just purchased a Supercut 5/8" resaw blade from Lee Valley Tools. It is quite thin, 3 TPI and has carbide impregnated teeth. I just installed it and made a few test cuts with in and was quite impressed with the quality of cut and ease with which the wood went through the blade. I have a Delta 14" band saw.

They (Supercut) also claim to have a set of guide blocks that are made from a lubricated plastic that can be placed right against the blade (zero clearance). Haven't heard from anyone who has used them yet.

Allan Bartel

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Impregnated? Do they soak the teeth in a solution of water, salt, and carbide? Is this somre sort of alloy? Anyone have information on how this is done and if it really works? Ed [e-mail]

[Allan Bartel]

Don't know how they do it . . . they say "teeth are impregnated with carbide particles." Check

Blade is .025" thick, 3 TBI, .035 cutting kerf, available in 5/8" or 1" width. The website leaves a lot to be desired in giving details.

Allan