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need a bandsaw blade for resawing that wont go dull

6K views 28 replies 17 participants last post by  woodshaver 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
recently bought an olson blade for my bandsaw, its a 1/2 inch 6 tpi hook style i know its not the best resaw blade but the only thing i could find locally

i played around with it and cut a beech 1×2 into 1/8 strips and it worked well. a couple days later i went to cut a piece of maple into 3/8" halves and the thing would barely cut through it, same thing with mahogany and poplar. could it be dull already after cutting the beech? is that normal for these cheap blades?

what is a good lower cost blade that will last a while doing mild resawing? i mostly will be cutting boards in half for box making and nothing wider then 6" as thats the limit of my band saw
 
#3 ·
First off, all blades will dull with use, even carbide. You need to get a better re-saw blade, 6tpi is too many teeth for re-sawing. If your blade dulled w/ one use, it is probably because it overheated. Get a 3 TPI premium blade and you will be a lot happier.
 
#5 ·
yeah i figured 6 tpi wouldnt be ideal but its all i could find locally. do you guys have a recommendation on brand of blade i should get? ive found a few online for around $20-30 so i would like to stay around that or less if at all possible as im on a pretty low budget
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
The ones from Lee Valley are a good value. Cheaper than
Timberwolf blades and about the same, imo.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=30276&cat=1,41036,41037

You didn't mention what size saw you have, but there
are a lot of blades on ebay at less than you'd pay from
a dealer.

Laguna has a line of Swedish blades they are selling on
ebay too:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Laguna-Tools-ProForce-Bandsaw-Blade-1-2-x-3-tpi-x-93-1-2-Band-saw-Light-Resaw-/390436996136?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae7dbc428
 
#7 ·
Loren has the ideas/suggestions. I personally use the Timberwolf 3/4in 3TPI on my BS and am pleased with the results.

FWIW, sometimes "cheaper" isn't really any "cheaper" if they do not last/cut for the same length of time or amount of wood.
 
#11 ·
No, that's not normal. I use Olsen All-Pro 3 tpi hook blades for resawing. They last me about a year. At that point they will still cut curves etc, but are too dull to accurately resaw. I use my bandsaw for each and every project, and turn out quite a few projects.
The blades are $20, and while not carbide I think the All-Pro is a step up in quality from the basic Olsen blades.
They will resaw stock to within 1/32", which really helps make the most of my lumber supply.
 
#12 ·
Hello Kansas (from a former Kansas State graduate). As noted above, 6 TPI blades are way too many teeth for resawing. Get down into the 2 and 3 TPI blades for much better resawing capabilities. Timberwolf now offers a 2/3 TPI blade that works very well for resawing The alternating tooth spacing does a better job as it reduces the harmonics and eliminates sawdust waste faster. The Wood Slicer blade offered by Highland Hardware in Atlanta is also an excellent resaw blade but does not stay sharp as long. Like most things you get what you pay for. Cheap box store blades will not stay sharp long.
 
#13 ·
roger i saw the timberwolf 2/3 blade you mention on woodcraft.com but it only shows as 3/4" i have a ridgid 14" saw (93.5" blade) i think 3/4 might be to much for it

they also have the olsen all-pro in 5/8" which i think would probably be pushing it.
 
#16 ·
Mike: I use the Woodslicer from Highlland Woodworking exclusively for resawing. It is not cheap, but it works very well. It is a 1/2" 3 TPI with deep gullets. Also, whichever blade you buy, dedicate it for resawing. Once you make curved cuts with a resaw blade, forget it for resawing.
 
#20 ·
Yes Rick! You're right . Blades will eventually get dull but there are ways to keep your band saw blades lasts longer. You have to keep them well maintained.
 
#21 ·
The technique to a longer life and good performance of your blade is to properly break in your bandsaw blade.
Breaking in bandsaw blades will not have as many problems with stripping teeth or crooked cuts.Treat it
like a knife, it will stay sharper longer if you take the time to hone the edge before you use it.

-www.sawblade.com
 
#22 ·
are you sure you are tracking correctly and your guides are adjusted properly? I learned the hard way that "metal on metal" (even just a hair or a half-hair, sometimes not even noticable) is fatal to any BS blade.

I had a 3/4" on my Delta that went to "BS heaven" after very little use. Now I pay close attention and the one mounted at the moment has lasted longer than I thought it would.
 
#23 · (Edited by Moderator)
@Surfside:

Yes….this is very true on bandsaw maintanance…You do have to maintain them to keep them sharper and last longer, BUT, there are people who don't do this, and use it till it won't cut anything, finally goes dull to the point of just throwing it away, and getting another one or a new one, and putting it on. I know of noone who has ever had a bandsaw blade sharpened…...It would cost nearly as much to have one sharpened as it would to just buy a new one…...
 
#24 ·
Rick…I was a meatcutter for a few years…maybe the blades were different but we didn't change them out that often and when we did, they always got resharpened by the outfit that supplied the blades. I did a quick look and see that even that is a lost profession now.

It might be a case of cheaper to replace…I'm going to keep looking.
 
#26 · (Edited by Moderator)
Making curved cuts may introduce bias into the blade
by affecting sharpness and set on one side of the
blade more than the other. Distortion of the
blade body may occur as well. If you reserve
a blade for straight cuts only, it should "lead" fairly
consistently until it starts to get dull. A blade
used for cutting curves may develop erratic
"leading" tendencies.

Carbide tipped blades usually have little or no set
since the tips are wider than the blade body,
like with a table saw blade. The narrowest
one I've used was 1" wide so it could only
cut the most gentle curves anyway.

My opinion is gentle curves are alright with a 1/2"
resaw blade. Like draw a 12" line and make a
mark in the center 1/2" offset… then construct
a curve touching the endpoints and the offset
center point…. a 1/12 ratio. That's probably
ok and won't tweak a blade.
 
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