Thread: Bandsaw blades for resawing

From what I've experienced, you can adjust tracking with both wheels, maybe not so much with wheels with a large crown,
But Say a crowned and a flat fire with rounded edges, maybe that doesn't count though.

Wildshot guess that most folk who attempt adjustment of the lower wheel, likely have the north/south jacking adjustments the wrong way round, so their actually working against themselves, as the crown is making it less apparent.
Pretty obvious with the table (or the extension wing) removed.

But forgetting about that, it.needs to be done before checking for east/west, as per pictures, or done using a laser if you like.

Quote from the bandsaw man himself Van Huskey
Why bandsaws? ....
"Why? I don't know it is kinda hard to explain but it has to do with the fact that they are sorta like dogs. Each has its own personality, not just every make and model but each individual saw but when you get to know them they become like an old pal. When you first adopt them they can be kind of angry and/or scared but with a little love they begin to open up and do what you ask of them. They are also quite versatile and make the best case to have multiples in the shop. I guess I just like the fact they are so simple but yet confound when it comes to setting them up."

Haven't seen him around lately, miss that guys bandsaw posts.

Originally Posted by aldav

As far as the Chinese blades go I went to Sawmill Creek and checked the posted link to Aliexpress. A blade of the size that I currently have on my saw is considerably more expensive from there than the blade from Henry Bros. was. Only difference between the blades is the Henry Bros. one is 1.3 tpi and the Chinese one is 3 tpi. I note that the guy talking about the Chinese blades on Sawmill Creek is based in Taiwan, you know, only a short ferry ride from China not the other side of the world like us.

Had another look at the link, I suspect Ali express could be searchable in differing languages since Tai-Fu mentioned them,
Seems he buys ones for his 26" machine for around 50 dollars, fair enough though shipping maybe another matter.
Can't see why though, I bought lawnmower parts recently, and they came with free shipping. (can't get these local)

That website looks truly baffling to me lol, seems you might need to use some app for changing languages should one exist.
Tai is on the OLF (luthier forum), and not some scoundrel chancing his arm BTW.

淘宝网 - 淘！我喜欢

There's also mention of a German supplier on the creek post, but guess they ain't cheap.

Attempting to find some sort of search bar, it does look a bit dodgy!
Clicked on the site name and it came up, currently looking for ... Carbide Tànhuà wù, Tipped " Xiǎofèi "or Tip " Tíshì "
Bandsaw " Dài jù " Blade " Dāo " which I tried along with this... 碳化物 小费 提示 带锯 刀
but to no avail.
Screenshot-2022-5-14 手机淘宝.png


Tom

Well another day for me to apply some of the suggestions put by the members on the
is forum.
I am happy to report that I fitted a 16mm 6tpi blade to the machine and tuned it all best that I could. I have had this blade as a spare for some time. Made some test cuts and did a small amount of resawing and all is good.
I reckon that I will be looking to purchase a new blade around 20mm 3tpi if there such a blade, perhaps may consider a 25mm but certainly no bigger.
Dont know if I will go down the Carbide path, I reckon I need to learn more about bandsaw work first. But I feel a blade with a deeper gullet would be an advantage with this slash pine that I have.
Anyhow in a short space of time the comments and suggestions that you blokes have made have helped me immensely. This is indeed a great forum for people like myself.
I realise that the thread has wandered a little but that is great. The information that Tom Trees has added is very interesting as are the additional comments from others.
I feel that the table saw in my shed may be used a little less now.
All the best. Bill.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

From my observation a lot of users think wider blades make for better BS performance and the opposite is the case and sometimes it is best to listen to the experts who make and sell BS blades and see what they say.

I think that comes from another setup issue - the guides. Wide blades tend not to twist (as much) if the side guides are not set close enough, & or the rear support is not set correctly.Wide blades tend to have greater beam strength - purely due to the fact that they are generally manufactured from thicker blade stock.

Setting up a band saw to cut very well can be quite frustrating because there are a number of factors to consider and each adjustment is not independent of the other adjustments. Tracking, tension, band beam strength, guide adjustment, feed rate, sharpness ..... will all affect cut quality and band saw blade longevity.

Originally Posted by Mobyturns

I think that comes from another setup issue - the guides. Wide blades tend not to twist (as much) if the side guides are not set close enough, & or the rear support is not set correctly.Wide blades tend to have greater beam strength - purely due to the fact that they are generally manufactured from thicker blade stock.

Setting up a band saw to cut very well can be quite frustrating because there are a number of factors to consider and each adjustment is not independent of the other adjustments. Tracking, tension, band beam strength, guide adjustment, feed rate, sharpness ..... will all affect cut quality and band saw blade longevity.

If the blade cannot be tensioned to the recommended level then the beam strength suffers and a smaller blade that can be tensioned to the required level will perform better. If the blade has sufficient tension then the guides can be done away with altogether and some people do that because the guides to them are just another complication they don't need. It is not something I do regularly but I have set the guides at the very top and cut with no issues.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

If the blade cannot be tensioned to the recommended level then the beam strength suffers and a smaller blade that can be tensioned to the required level will perform better. If the blade has sufficient tension then the guides can be done away with altogether and some people do that because the guides to them are just another complication they don't need. It is not something I do regularly but I have set the guides at the very top and cut with no issues.

Correct. We understand that but many band saw users don't. Hence the misconception that a wider blade cuts "straighter."

With my current band saw - a Woodfast BS500 circa 2013 - I have found it to be rather temperamental as small changes in tension or tracking alignment can make very significant improvements in cut quality. Finding that sweet spot of correct tension, blade selection, guide setup, tracking can be a real PIA at times. Not having any real measure of blade tension does not help. I suspect some of the issues, tracking in particular, actually stem from the welded joint itself and how well the band was aligned when welded / brazed.

Lennox have a very comprehensive guide to band saw blades and list many of the causes of problems, band failures etc. Its directed at metal band saws but is applicable to wood too. LENOX_20Guide_20to_20Band_20Sawing.pdf (lenoxtools.com)

To demonstrate the significance of tension, band saw mills use a band tension of 15-30,000 psi .
The mll in the photo below mill has a cutting width of 750mm, using a 32mm wide band.
Band tension is set with a torque wrench (25 ft/lb) which translates tp about 16,000 psi on the blade
It does have really nice guides and they are needed when cutting knotty wood or variable grain, otherwise it doesn't really need the guides in clear wood.

If the grain is reasonably clear and the band setup right, to cut a thinner piece of wood as shown, there's no need to move the LHS guides in closer to the wood.
Screen Shot 2022-05-15 at 5.53.27 am.jpg

This mill shown below uses a 50 mm wide 1TPI band and has a max cut width of 900 mm.
It uses a band tension of 20-25000 psi, set by a hydraulic ram.
The pressure is adjusted by the operator turning a fine thread large screw that pushes on the piston of the master cylinder.
Having a pressure gauge on the ram is very revealing.
Even though the band is water cooled if insufficient water is used the band heats up and pressure as registered on the pressure gauge drops by as much as 10,000 psi and then the band wanders around like a rouge shopping trolley.
The design failure is that when milling a large log the position of the master cylinder screw (high up and behind a major mill structural beam) makes it near impossible to adjust the band pressure.
Moving the master cylinder is on the todo list for that mill.
PGfurn2.jpg

That's quite revealing BobL
Makes me wonder why I've not seen nor read of anyone using an infrared thermometer gun whilst giving the
machine a good workout.
Heard that these don't fair well for reflective things, but would guess better than nothing.

One can see that's fair enough reason to detension blades after hard use,
Not that I was ever on the fence about that, but from now on take a leaf out of the saw millers book,
and actually have a good excuse!.

Regarding the guides up all the way, or should I say guide post, I haven't really needed it so tall on my machine,
but read of a recent enough really terrible accident with such practice, involving someone being unaware of the machine running, as dust extractor was on.

Food for thought for those doing so without being in a mill situation,
not that I haven't read of a fairly local to me fatality recently in that sector either, which kinda sounded like similar practice,
but of which I know very little about.

All the best
Tom

Originally Posted by Tom trees

That's quite revealing BobL
Makes me wonder why I've not seen nor read of anyone using an infrared thermometer gun whilst giving the
machine a good workout.
Heard that these don't fair well for reflective things, but would guess better than nothing.

I regularly use my IR thermometer on the Bandsaw mills bands and I have also used it on my chainsaw chains.
I measure the temp of the bands/chains before and after, and as the bands are water cooled, going into and coming out of the cut.
The big mill uses a water spray (ie a fair bit of water) onto the bed so the "in and out" band temps are whatever the water temperature is, irrespective of band sharpness and wood hardness or width of cut.
The smaller mill uses much less water (a dribble of water drops) so with a freshly sharpened band on about a 400mm wide cut in green hardwood the "out" temp is about 10ºC higher than the "in" temp. as the band gets blunter, wood gets dryer/harder/wider, the temp goes up accordingly. I have deliberately let the band go blunter than usual just to see what would happen and measured the band at over 100ºC - I did not need the thermometer to tell me this as some steam was coming off the band.

RE; problems with reflectivity on IR thermometers, measuring before and after on the same material/object that sort of allows for for this for small temperature changes.

One can see that's fair enough reason to detension blades after hard use,
Not that I was ever on the fence about that, but from now on take a leaf out of the saw millers book,
and actually have a good excuse!.

I'm not so fussy about de-tensioning the band on my upright 19" BS in my home workshop. It probably knocks a few years off the life of the tyres but I got about 10 years out of the last set so I'm not complaining.

Regarding the guides up all the way, or should I say guide post, I haven't really needed it so tall on my machine,
but read of a recent enough really terrible accident with such practice, involving someone being unaware of the machine running, as dust extractor was on.

Yes this is the main reason I do this on my upright bandsaw. I've also added foot brake to mine.
BobLs bandsaw brake

Hi Aldav,
In my wood group I have been using many different blades from both Henry Bros and others but have settled for a year or so on McDivens in Williamstown,Melb. For general work with smaller blades usually 6tpi we have switched to BiMetal on three bandsaws and one 27mm 2TPI Tungsten tipped blade on a 17 inch Carbatec bandsaw. I am of the view that this machine is not suitable for this blade due to tension needs and alignment issues together with its use by many folks with different levels of experience. In my own workshop I run the same tungsten tipped blade on a Hammer N4400 for both resaw and breakdown work and both the blade and the saw have yielded excellent results over the past year.
Currently I am looking at upgrades for our woodgroup bearing in mind safety/electrical/mechanical/compliance issues as well as specific resaw needs with a more study 3 phase unit from either SCM or Felder appears to to offer the sort of machines that can better handle resaw work with a 27mm Tungsten tipped blade tensioned and aligned well. We also run a small permanently mounted "Portamill" for small log cutting and found changing from the original 50mm 1 TPI blades to the McDivens 27mm 1 TPI BiMetal blades were far better for both performance and setting on the machine. We also have been able to use the "DinaSaw" resharpening machine on these blades which is another bonus. Cheers,Paintman