| Review by Sawdust2 | posted 65 days ago | 713 views | 3 times favorited | 17 comments |  |
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- Morse 1/2" resaw blade
- Brand: Morse | Category: Bandsaw Accessories
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My Highland Woodworking Woodslicer got dulled up really bad because I did not pay attention when I put it on the Jet bandsaw. I was using a 3/4” and it was really too big for a 14” bandsaw. I ended up running it against the blade guard and just beat the crap out of the teeth. My bad.
Markrules is a fellow LJ and reps Morse blades. He suggested that I try their 4 TPI 1/2” blade.
Well, when I unfurled the blade one of the teeth caught my thumb. I can tell you that the teeth are sharp. My bad. I have a little blade shaped gouge on my thumb.
I put this blade on my saw and roughly centered it on the wheels. Adjusted the guides to just behind the teeth and left a little room on the back guide for the blade to press against. Tensioned it up to where I thought it should be according to the marks on the tension bar.
I had three hunks of oak that I wanted to resaw. I also planned to resaw some of this wood pretty thin, so I made a large fence that fit over the regular fence. Picture 2.
Right off the bat the blade ran straight and true. I’ve got the 6” riser on the saw so I can get a good 12” cut. Sliced thru the oak like a warm knife thru butter. Picture 3 is some of what was cut.
I also cut some poplar. Same easy cut and no drift. I cut the oak as thin as 1/4” and the poplar as fine at 1/8”. For me, that is a first. I really don’t think I need the fence except to guide my shaky hand.
Now the blade is not shiny and pretty like the Woodslicer. It’s a flat gray. Who cares about the color?! Mark says that the blade will wear out before the teeth dull (as long as you don’t run the teeth against the blade guard.) I’ve only cut up three oak logs 12” diameter and 2’ long so I can’t attest to that but I can tell you that the teeth are sharp and it cuts true, straight and fast.
Morse is not carried by Woodcraft or Rockler or Stone Mountain in the Atlanta area so you will probably have to go to their website to find a dealer near you. www.mkmorse.com Worth the search. This is my new favorite resaw blade.
Lee
-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.
17 comments so far
Karson
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25806 posts in 1298 days
posted 65 days ago
Lee: A great review. I bought one of the Woodslicer blade and It cut beautifully but the blade life was just a couple of boards.
I’m glad to hear about the Morse Blade.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Chris Wright
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360 posts in 379 days
posted 65 days ago
I use the same one on my 26” Delta. Well, not the exact same, mine are 13” long, but you know what I mean. When they are new they cut great. Very little effort needed to feed the stock and a very smooth cut, considering it’s a bandsaw. I’ve cut just shy of a quarter inch thick slice of hickory that was about 4 inches thick with no problems.
-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken
dustbunny
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330 posts in 193 days
posted 64 days ago
Lee,
Thanks for the review. Now that I have a band saw, I can actually use the info you provided.
I actually never heard of Morse, I’m going to check it out !
Lisa
-- I inherited the woodworking gene and it's gone into overdrive.......
markrules
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145 posts in 1013 days
posted 64 days ago
Lee,
Thanks for the mention. The blade looks gray and dull because it’s a bimetal band. We sandblast the band to remove oils from the manufacturing process. It’s a Matrix II blade which will cut any wood you could throw on the saw. The best part about our bands is that they’re made in America by a family-owned company (Yankees from Ohio, but don’t tell anyone).
ken90712
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351 posts in 87 days
posted 64 days ago
Love this review it helps me decide the new blade that will be going in my saw today!
Thx, Ken
-- Ken, "Everyday above ground is a good day!"
Scott Bryan
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20754 posts in 720 days
posted 64 days ago
Lee, thanks for the review. I did not know about Morse and have always just considered the Woodslicer and Timberwolf series of blades. I will have to take a look at their website.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
John Gray
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1754 posts in 783 days
posted 64 days ago
Maybe it’s just me but I went to www.mkmorse.com and could not find the blade you mentioned or any dealer search item. Am I doing something wrong?
-- Only the Shadow knows....................
Sawdust2
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1186 posts in 985 days
posted 64 days ago
Don’t know, John. I’ve asked Mark to chime in.
I see that you can order directly from the factory.
Lee
-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.
markrules
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145 posts in 1013 days
posted 64 days ago
Sorry for not writing back earlier. I’m on the road (literally) and have been busy today. Our website is being updated, and as you can tell, it needs a lot of work.
We sell through local and national distribution. Hardware stores, industrial supply places, saw sharpening shops and so forth. If you’d like to try the blade Lee is using, message me and I’ll get you hooked up with someone in your area. If enough of you like them, I can go to some of the online stores to talk about getting them set up to sell our bands.
Markt@mkmorse.com
markrules
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145 posts in 1013 days
posted 64 days ago
oops once
markrules
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145 posts in 1013 days
posted 64 days ago
OOPs. Guess it was working.
markrules
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145 posts in 1013 days
posted 64 days ago
oops thrice
mikethetermite
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64 posts in 164 days
posted 64 days ago
TryTimber Wolf Bandsaw Blades sold at Woodcrafters, I have been very happy with them. They cost a little more but seem to last longer.
-- Mike The Termite ~~~~~ Working safely may get old, but so do those who practice it.
Sawdust2
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1186 posts in 985 days
posted 64 days ago
I guess it depends on the circumstances.
I like Timberwolf for 1/4” general cutting blades.
The 1/2” resaw blade I had from TW gummed up in about 100’ of mahogany and when cleaned did not cut worth a darn.
Lee
-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.
Dusty56
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3490 posts in 586 days
posted 64 days ago
I’ve had two TW blades to date , first one broke while cutting Pine and the second one snapped at the factory weld. I’ve installed an Olsen 1/2” blade about six months ago and it still cuts like a dream for me AND was quite a bit lower priced than the TWs : )
-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .
Kindlingmaker
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1476 posts in 424 days
posted 60 days ago
I have tried two TW blades and they have not lasted very long and one broke. The woodslicer blades have been excellant. I would like to try the Morse blade to see the comparison. Thanks for the review.
-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings
reggiek
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716 posts in 168 days
posted 60 days ago
Thanks for the review…currently I have woodslicer on my bs…but when it needs replacing I will certainly consider trying the Morse brand…I truly prefer the made in America brands….even though more expensive in most cases…typically the QC is much better…and correspondingly so is the quality of the material…
-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!