Re-saw blade

[graham darden]

Mornin to ya.What is the best blade for re sawing this maple. I have a 1970 Powermatic 14" saw, so I am limited to a 3/4" wide blade.
Thanks, Graham

[kjbllc]

I just bought the wood slicer and am very happy with it, I have also used the timber wolf and they work fine also. here is an article https://www.popularwoodworking.com/p...andsaw-blades/

[Scott R]

Another good popular woodworking turned me on to carbide tipped blades for resawing. I've been looking for something with minimal kerf that will leave me a table saw like working edge--and this one did it.

Carbide tipped teeth that cut really well.

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/t...and-saw-blade/

The only downside is the $200 price for a 14" saw....

https://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com/...and-saw-blades

It works a treat.

[Bill McCall]

I’d use, and have used, 3 and 4 teeth per inch (tpi) blades. Good setup on the saw and decent horsepower motor will be necessary. Depends on resaw4 pieces or 400.

[sunburst]

FWIW, I have a bandsaw that can handle a 1 1/2" blade and I do my resawing with a 3/4" blade. 3/4" is plenty wide, wider blades are much more demanding for the frame of a bandsaw because wider blades require higher tension. I use blades with 3/4" tooth spacing, and a 2 HP motor doesn't even breathe hard resawing 10" wide maple.
No specific blade recommendations, but any high quality blade will be fine as long as you have a good saw set up as was mentioned somewhere above.

[graham darden]

Thanks guys. Hoped someone would chime in.
Graham

[graham darden]

FWIW, I have a bandsaw that can handle a 1 1/2" blade and I do my resawing with a 3/4" blade. 3/4" is plenty wide, wider blades are much more demanding for the frame of a bandsaw because wider blades require higher tension. I use blades with 3/4" tooth spacing, and a 2 HP motor doesn't even breathe hard resawing 10" wide maple.
No specific blade recommendations, but any high quality blade will be fine as long as you have a good saw set up as was mentioned somewhere above.

John,
U could saw ship timber with that beast u have. I want it.

[Lynn Dudenbostel]

I second the Wood Slicer (Highland Woodworking). It's thin kerf, impulse hardened teeth, and variable pitch to help eliminate harmonic vibration. The price is right too. I have a friend resawing maple and spruce for upright bass with a 3/4" Wood Slicer. Of course, the set up on your saw wil have a lot to do with your success.

[sunburst]

John,
U could saw ship timber with that beast u have. I want it.

When I need to saw really big stuff, I use my Woodmizer sawmill (I've had it since 1986). Starting then, I've read all of their literature on bandsaw and saw blade research, as well as any other bandsaw blade info I could find. It all comes down to proper blade tension, a saw frame that is plenty strong to handle the tension, blade condition, and saw set up.
Some things to consider:
A blade that is not well up to tension tends to deflect to the side in the cut, wider blades need more tension to stay straight in the cut, a saw frame can more easily maintain proper tension when the blade width requires tension that is well within it's limits. That means, particularly for smaller saws, wider blades may not be better because the saw has a harder time maintaining proper tension. A saw frame that just does maintain proper blade tension when not under load can be easily overwhelmed when put to the load of resawing. The more teeth that are cutting at once, the more likely that is to happen.
When the blade tension if well within the capabilities of the saw frame there is less chance for chatter and harmonic problems. That is especially true when the saw frame is cast iron because cast iron does not resonate as much as, say, a welded steel frame.
Proper hook angle and rake angle of blade teeth can be important for difficult woods. Making a saw blade act as an all-purpose resaw blade is asking a lot of the blade. Wider cuts in harder wood can be much easier with steeper angles, while less wide cuts in soft wood (like spruce) can work much better with less steep angles. Once again, having a saw that is well within it's capacity helps with those blade mismatches.

In short, I've concluded that, for best resawing, using the narrowest blade that will do the job with the fewest teeth that will do the job works best for me. YMMV.