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Trying to make an informed decision here. I need a new resawing blade and have in the past used the wood slicer blade from Highland Hardware. The last blade let me down somewhat and I got this flyer from WoodCraft advertising their silicon steel, low tension blades. I am wondering if anyone has used these blades for resawing and if so, how they felt about their performance.John Kinnaird38726.4734953704

John, I've used the Woodcraft blade on my Delta 14" with a riser block. All I've resawn with it so far is a couple of sets of walnut and one set of African mahogany. It seemed to cut very well and tracked straighter than whatever the last blade I had was.

I wouldn't have any problem with buying another once this one is used up.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Thanks Dave. Did you tension the blade by loosening it until it fluttered and then tightening it until the flutter disappeared? Sounds a little scary to me but that seems to be their recomendation.

John

If I recall correctly (sometimes doubtful) I just tightened it up to the half inch mark on my saw. I've always heard that the tension marks were really notenough tension. So I tightened it to half inch blade tension since it was a half inch blade and just went with that.

Like I said it cut great! The fluttering thing worried me so I just set it basically normal.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I like the woodslicer better than the T-Wolf. That said, on occasion I get a woodslicer that doesn't seem to work as well as others, mostly in the area of drift.
I would also check out the blades sold by Iturra Design which are the same as the woodslicers, but much cheaper.

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John, It's tough to lay out the cash for a carbide, but I just ordered my second from Timberwolf Suffolk Machinery in New York. They weld them after you call, so it's usually a 7 to 10 day wait shipped.

The smooth cut cuts sanding time, and the thin kerf, makes for saved material. Someone mentioned Rick Turner, and last I talked to him he was using carbide in his horizontal for braz rosewood. Some of this wood is worth the price of the blade for a single set.

Bruce
   Does that carbide blade track well? What is the width of the blade that you use?

John

Thanks Don
That kind of comparison is really useful.

John

What Don said about Iturra if you want to use Woodslicers. Search rec.woodworking via Google as someone practically did a Ph.D. thesis comparing these two blades several years ago...

I have used many more Timberwolf AS-S blades than Woodslicers, and I can say that I like them both, a slight tip to Timberwolf for softwoods and to Woodslicers for hardwoods, but they both work fine.

For very valuable woods, I have been buying thin-kerf blades from Dave Hastings (he advertises in GAL, http://www.hastingssaws.com I think) for their remarkably narrow kerf; 0.040" if I remember correctly. They do not last as long as the Timberwolf (kerf = 0.062"), but they can sometimes be the difference of whether or not you get that extra slice. Nice clean surface too.

Lastly, they are cheap. Right about $20 for my 133" blade.

I try to remind myself that instrument wood is expensive and blades are cheap. One slice is usually worth about as much as a blade, so pushing the blades too far into dull is false economy.

If you have a large saw (say wheels 24" and up) then having a carbide blade for silica-rich woods is a good idea. Smaller wheels than that and the band will fail well before the teeth dull. The Lenox rep and I became pals discussing this very issue... I can use a 1/2" carbide on my saw (18" wheels) but nothing wider without premature band failure.

So I have a carbide blade here for woods like makore (that will bring steel bands to a craw in a single pass -- DAMHIKT) but they are too spendy for me to ruin with a smaller saw. Lovely surface though...

John, I'll have to get those specs, but I think it's .035 band with .055 kerf on the one inch Carbide.

My experience with one Lennox band is that the band backing failed before the carbide began to dull. I was warned by the Laguna Rep that would happen, and he gave me the blade with purchase of the saw. I was blowing and going until it started loping, very nice cut.

Back to what Bob says on the wheel size. Suffolk will sell you a carbide but doesn't recommend them for less than 18 inch. The guy at Suffolk said some folks were running 17 inch Grizzlys with this blade successfully.

I'll double check the kerf, but I think that's right, bd. I wouldn't be dropping another $200 if this blade hadn't out-performed expectations. Mine is 150 ". Nice folks at Suffolk.

I used two of the timberwolfs, one jumped ship and ruined, but it was the fault of the guides before I redid them. The other Timberwolf was good with the bearings I had made for my saw. I did try the Hastings thin kerf and it wasn't happy on my saw did a lot of wandering. That blade was really made for cutting styrofoam and plastics.

John that is .060 on the kerf, .035 on the band. Once set, the fence tracks right with the blade. Best resawing I've ever done.

Bob I may have to try the thinner band Lennox, that sounds very appealing, how much are those? The tooth spacing was really cool on my first Lennox. You see I never heard about the thinner banded carbides. Mine was one inch or so.

But being happy with Suffolk I hate to change.....Link to suffolk carbideDickey38726.5628472222

Thanks Bruce and Bob
My Grizzley has a 17.5 inch wheel and I may take a chance on the Siffolk blade.

John I have used quite a few of the Suffolk "TimberWolfe" blades. I agree with Bob S on this. It all depends on the wood. Ruined a brand new TimerWolfe with one pass on Makore. I havn't had much luck with the Wood Slicer. I have settled on the Lenox carbide and the Laguna Re-Saw King blades. I've cut about 100 sets with the Lenox that's on the saw right now and it's still going strong. Bobc38726.5962384259

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The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

I have only used one Woodslicer. It seemed to be dull when brand new and
it ruined a good piece of curly maple by wandering all over the place.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Bob, what width blade are you using on the Lennox. I liked what Bob S. said about the Lennox with smaller bands. Where U getting those bands?

I sure do love a carbide when it's cutting as it should.

Bob C. have you tried the Timberwolf Carbide 1" from Suffolk? Just wonder how those two would stack up Lennox Tri-Master against the Timberwolf Carbide?Dickey38726.6363888889

I also use the Lennox Tri-master 1" blade. I have cut about 30 sets of different backs and sides and it's still cutting very well. I run it on a 24" Mini-Max Bandsaw, and haven't had any problems with it yet.

Doug, your six inches larger diameter is a real help to making that blade last. The one I had cut like a champ until the band failed. Mine failed in the gullets, cracking all around the band about every foot, not just in one spot. Larger wheels make the difference.

These products though, like anything else are subject to change. They can change the band and we'd never know it until we tried one of the new ones.

Laguna did that on their saws. The Euroguides were garbage. It was terrible to have a great saw and nothing to hold the band steady. Once I had a machinist make bearing thrust guides, leaving the side Euroguides, my saw took a quantum leap.

I think a couple others here use Lagunas which now come with ceramic guides. What will they think of next?

[QUOTE=Dickey] Bob, what width blade are you using on the Lennox. I liked what Bob S. said about the Lennox with smaller bands. Where U getting those bands?

I sure do love a carbide when it's cutting as it should.

Bob C. have you tried the Timberwolf Carbide 1" from Suffolk? Just wonder how those two would stack up Lennox Tri-Master against the Timberwolf Carbide?[/QUOTE]
Bruce I use either the 1" or 3/4" blades. I tried a 1/2" blade and it chattered so bad that it scared the hell out of me. Never put it back on. I have`tried the Suffolk 1" carbide and I would say that both blades are comparable but the Suffolk did crack. I get the blades from Don at Cyberwoodworking.com Lenox welds them up and ships them. Also the Laguna blades have the smallest kerf and the smoothest cut of all the blades. However they seem to dull much faster but THEY CAN BE SHARPENED. The Laguna ceramic guides ROCK!!Bobc38726.8679282407

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

I run a Lennox TriMaster, 1" wide 2/3 pitch on my saw with 20" wheels. Have been for about 4 years, now. I used to get band breakage (usually not until after about 100 or so sets). But a year or two ago, Dave at Hastingssaws (where I now buy my blades) said that Lennox had recently changed the steel in the band. Since then I have never had a blade break. I typically get at least 200 sets from a blade, and I cut some real mean wood. The harder the wood, the better these cut, and if you have everything set up perfectly, you can almost resaw to finished size with many woods. I don't even bother with buying any other blades.

Just don't even think about using this blade on spruce, though

Grant G

We use the Lennox carbide as well. I've run figured maple, mahogany, ebony, walnut, and whatever else I have around without any problems ( except cedar, western cedar ruins carbide )

I can run around 250-400 figured maple sets on a single blade depending on the wood.. LArger wheels result on longer band life, less bending.

Hey Bruce! Nice to see you back!

This is my first post in a while.. I'll be back again in a little while just a little busy these days.

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Grant,
I'm glad you posted. You confirmed my suspicions, Lennox changed the backing on their TriMaster. That's great, now I will have no fear.

Bob S.,
I noticed that Bob C tried the 1/2 inch band and it chattered he said, scaring him from using it. You successfully used it evidently. I noticed from the schedule listed on the side Bob mentions that the 1/2 inch blade has a different tooth arrangement, all the same. Where the 3/4 and 1 inch TriMasters have the 2/3 Vari-Pitch designed to eliminate harmonic chatter.

That is the Lennox I tried with my new saw. Sure hated to see it go, it cut so well. I however had a great run with the Timberwolf Carbide one inch blade. The teeth are ground differently, which gives it the variability that Lennox achieves with their VariPitch. Looks like they are both good bands although Bob C. reported breakage on one Timberwolf.

Bob C. What diameter wheels are you running now? Did Suffolk stand behind the blade? Two hundred bucks is two hundred bucks.

Bruce The Laguna is a 16" and despite the warnings about using carbide bands on saws under 18" I have not broke a Lenox band. Must be as Grant stated new band steel. I also feel the wider blades don't wander. As for the Suffolk blade it broke after considerable use.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

I've been running Suffolk blades for years now. I had one carbide blade by them. It broke and when I called them, upon a bit of ivestigation, we found that it alread had two welds. So I send it back and thought they were going to replace it. But they welded the break. When I got it back it was about 3/4" too short to fit on my saw. I called them and only then was told that they didn't recomend carbide for 16" saws. So rather than have them replace it to have it break again, they replaced it with the dollar amount of their bi-metal blades. When they are new, they cut well and resaw great. But they dull too quickly for my tastes. So I'm still searching for the perfect blade. You know, one that will resaw like a dream and also cut 1/4" diameter circles. One that will never dull or wander. And hey, while I'm dreaming, one that cuts all by itself would be nice.

Another confidence vote in the Lenox Tri-Master. I have used the 1" on my Laguna 24 for a long time and it's the only band I use now on the Laguna. I tried the Laguna thin kerf band, but had to many problems with it and they got tired of my phone calls and replaced it with a Lenox

Another vote of confidence for Hastings.

For those sawing pro and using a lot of bands I suggest buying a full roll of Tri-Master band stock (about 100lf) and have your bands welded up. Cuts the cost about in half per band. Works for me neatly.

Ceramic guides rule!!!!!!!!

Edit: Make that a 100lf roll..I can type just can't proof read.Larry Davis38727.5814583333