Which Bandsaw Blade?


roughsawn

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I'm wondering if there are other options, other than the 3/4" Laguna Resaw King blades that keep breaking on me.

Can you guys recommend a blade or two for me to try out, to see how they will work for me? I do mostly straight cuts, and the majority this winter will be resawing (up to 12"). What width, tpi, and material the blade is made of do you like for these jobs? Brand and model?

My bandsaw is a Laguna 14BX. 

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A key to good 'resawing' is the ability to tension the blade enough to remain rigid against cutting forces. The saw frame must not flex. IIRC, the Resaw King is a fairly thick band. Also, running a thick band around wheels of smaller diameter can cause premature stress fractures, perhaps the cause of the breakages.

Maybe look at www.sawblade.com. For thick cuts / resawing, I favor a low tooth count. Wide gullets are needed to carry out the waste.

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How do you mount the RK blade on your saw? You have to make sure are aren't putting the gullets on the crown of the wheel. It's a recipe for disaster. Mount the blade with the crown a bit behind the center of the band measuring from the bottom of the gullet to the back of the band. The teeth are going to hang off the front of the blade.

I have a 14bx and RK mounted. I've dulled 2 of them now sharpened the 1 and have been working on dulling it again.

Also when they break get replacements from Laguna. They have replaced every break that wasn't my fault.

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Only reason i mention that is because i've looked at other resawing blades and the cost is just more. The Highland wood slicer is a good blade for resaw but at $45 a pop it gets expensive to run non-stop. I have to switch out for regular use and then switch in for resawing and that got old fast. Longevity wise it didn't seem to hold up super longer compared to carbide where i could easily run 4-5 in the same life span of 1 carbide RK. Using that math if i toss the RK when it gets dull it's still cheaper to run.

PS Ick the woodslicer is $49 now it used to be $30. It was not a bad deal at $30 but I can't swing $50. That's 3 per RK even with them snapping after 9 months i'd be ahead.

I used to snap a RK every 9 months before I figured out what the problem is. Again i reiterate DO NOT USE THE SNODGRASS METHOD crown needs to be just a hair behind the center line of the band from the gullet to the back.

I should note, that my bandsaw is the powerhouse of my shop. I do all my rip cuts there. My table saw is for cross cutting only really.

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I use the Highland woodslicer blades on my 16" bandsaw and have for years with no issues. I have a Resaw king blade hanging next to the saw but it has never provided anywhere near the cut quality in my opinion. I watch for sales when they typically offer $5 off then I pick up a couple 2 or 3. I probably go through two a year or so in my work.

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On 10/19/2023 at 7:09 AM, pkinneb said:

I use the Highland woodslicer blades on my 16" bandsaw and have for years with no issues. I have a Resaw king blade hanging next to the saw but it has never provided anywhere near the cut quality in my opinion. I watch for sales when they typically offer $5 off then I pick up a couple 2 or 3. I probably go through two a year or so in my work.

I have also used the woodslicer for years and never had an issue.

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  • 1 month later...

The slab was originally cut 10". It's (they are all) 9-1/2" now. So, in almost 2 years, they shrunk 1/4" on each side, for a total of 1/2". About 1/8" in thickness...give or take 1/16". Inside is 2% [moisture] more than the outside after resaw...and that has been acclimating in 2-3 days since I've been working with them.

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