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so what your saying is, they are more likely to break than dull? I mean if I needed one that bad I would make the investment, sound advice its good to know what options are out there
@@AubreyMobley I have one of them too. It is the "Guide PRO Bandsaw Guide," made by BOW Products. It is 6" tall, and there is an optional 4" extension to give you a 10" total height for the feather. They work very nicely.
The inventor of carbide tipped tools, Fred Clas, passed away 12/11/21 at the age of 99. I know this because he was my Grandfather and this was just one of his inventions -or in this case perfections from failed attempts just before he figured it out as a machinist apprentice just before WWII. I've been watching your for years but I still come across material I've missed like this one today. Anyway... just a neat thing to share. He was quite the guy as you may imagine.
I thought my expensive band saw was junk. Then I watched this video and purchased a carbide tip saw blade. Suddenly my band saw became a great asset. Thank you
Straight, carbide-tipped, talk. I expect that in this channel (even when it IS sponsored). Over several years now, I have NEVER been disappointed. There is no channel that is more valuable to me and the activities in my little shop.
I have a Laguna 14" SUV and purchased a 125" Carbide Resaw King blade for it. I cut several samples to test the blade and quality of cuts. My best cut was 2" x 12" by .015" thick. My woodworking friends would not believe I cut the veneer with a bandsaw blade. What you need to know is, a carbide blade is ground on 3 surfaces and the kerf is created by the thickness of the carbide brazed to the steel blade. Because of the side grinds on the carbide teeth, the blade cuts very smooth with no teeth marks in my samples. Because the Laguna blade guides touch 8 lines of contact on the blade, the blade is held very straight. The saw and blade cost a lot, but you get what you pay for. As a side note, James has two Harvey bandsaws in his shop and speaks highly of them. Harvey is the maker of my Laguna 14" SUV bandsaw equipped with the Laguna ceramic 8 line contact blade guides. I agree with everything James points out about carbide tipped resawing bandsaw blades.
I was attempting to resaw a piece of Gorgeous mystery hardwood I'd purchased from my exotic hardwood dealer (he couldn't identify it, and neither could any other hardwood dealers in my area). All we knew is that it was ungodly heavy for the dimensions, and it "rang" like a frigging bell when we rapped on it with a big wrench. I had just purchased a new bandsaw, and the new blade it came with might have gotten about 10" of cut in a board no more than 5" tall on edge, before it was hopelessly smoked. That's no big deal... nobody ships a new unit with a Good blade on it, so I spent a lot of money for a good, steel, 3/4" wide resaw blade from a very reputable company that sells these things via catalog and online (I may have seen one of their catalogs in hand, on this video...). That blade lasted about another 15" worth of cutting before it too was dulled beyond belief! So far, I've accomplished just a smidgen over 2' of cut, and my board is 8' long X 3" thick X 5" wide, and I had planned on getting at least 4 planks out of it... Long story short, I bit the bullet and ordered a carbide tipped resaw blade. It cut all 4 planks, with no discernible wear, and I've been using it for 6 years now without any need for a resharpening! I too, will never Waste my money on a steel blade!!!
If you do much cutting of valuable exotic tropical hardwoods carbide is the way to go. On my horizontal band resaw I cut 1/8" Cocobolo veneer and start to sand with 120 grit sandpaper.
Thanks for posting and also to James for this video. I have a fair amount of exotic wood that I have just started to resaw into 1/8” veneer and am struggling with the saw blade getting dull quickly. This is the answer. Thanks!
Perfect timing for this video, I am looking at upgrading my bandsaw as I have gotten into making flag cases and only use rough cut lumber. The extra cost of a carbide blade will actually save me money in the increased yield from the wood saved.
Youre videos are supreme. I watch them all even if its not related to a subject I'm interested in at the time because they are all chalk full of clear, concise information.
I know others have mentioned this before, but it's very refreshing hearing someone who is well spoken and clearly puts some preparation into their presentation/what they are going to say. It's crazy how much more useful information can be squeezed in when superfluous language like "um" is not utilized. It's also much smoother and more flowing making it easier to understand. Seems like a small difference, but I think it's key especially in an educational setting.
As always, great info! Knowing what you are doing for your project is key to the tool to use. I like the ending "No these are not for curve cutting, just resawing." Kind of brings you back if you having a wandering mind like mine.
I taught my daughters to resaw when they were 14 as part of fabrication and woodworking for something to do in between modeling and dance and softball and school. They have scratch built go karts mini bikes and lots of shop tools. They really liked resawing and when '19 hit they were resawing veneers and stuff for projects at home from reclaimed wood. Then 2020 lumber prices happened and they started volunteering to do demo work and being paid in old lumber. Started selling wood to grey hairs at reasonable prices and selling old growth stuff and exotic veneers (they now have a "lumber guy" I'm so proud) at OUTLANDISH prices to hipster makers and woodworkers for tables and beard holders or whatever they make. Now they are around 17 and both own 2019 model year very nice cars and they have a 2020 pick they split the cost of for work. They have I think 6 bandsaws now they use daily and they switched to carbide and they haven't had to replace or sharpen one yet. Having a really good metal detector helps here I would hate to see what a nail would do to a carbide blade but that's why they keep HSS blades on hand as well I guess (their knowledge of resaw is so far past me now it's beautiful). Anyway short story long they swear by carbide and they resaw literally for a living. I'm so proud of my girls, who have 0 reason to work and were basically spoiled rotten their whole life material goods wise at least, decided to take up a hobby and make a damn fine living from it all before they graduated high school. I always made them do chores around the property, hell it's 6,000acres if you want to play on it kids ya gotta help it's too much for me, and taught them "work has value" but always just bought them what they wanted game consoles clothing all that and was going to do the same with a car and they were aware but took it upon themselves to change their trajectory in life. I guess they didn't want to travel the world running construction jobs like dad and with mom not in the picture wanted to "help out". But hell they keep my household lol when I'm gone they feed the animals or pay help to have it done out of their pocket. Sorry I'm just rambling away, the holidays are rough when I think about their mother and how grown these girls have gotten
@@JDeWittDIY Cheers! My kids bought me a freaking jet ski for Christmas! They wanted it to be a surprise but it got delivered while they were out scouting a couple trees they are interested in dropping and well someone had to sign!
@@leoleoleonor hard not to be proud! Raised my little darling assholes not to be my friend but to be people I would respect when they are in their 20's ya know. If more people felt that way about raising their churdlens I feel the world would end up better for it
Thanks for the tip. I’ve got some excellent cheap tools, and some hideously expensive tools that are still worth the expense. Finding out whether or not to spring for the expensive option… always better to let someone else figure that out on their dime, as long as you trust their judgment.
I have been using Timberwolf carbide for sometime. I live in Western Australia and our local hardwoods are hard and have a high amount of silica. Carbide blade are the best option I have found. Love you channel
Thanks for the great info, James. I'm about 80 linear feet at an average of 6" resawing into my first ResawKing blade on my 14" Grizzly G0555xh (12" resaw without riser). I was doing 6" resawing on walnut and cherry this morning and the surface quality has been great. Used to leave at least 1/8" on each surface to make sure I could plane/sand/CNC down to final dimensions. I had one board that was really close to being too thin to use, but I cut the gap down to 1/16th and was able to get the pieces I needed out of it. It's kinda funny how little it takes to claim a victory some days. I've been using Woodslicer blades in the past and was always happy with them, but I'll be sticking with ResawKing blades for resawing going forward.
I have a Grizzly 17” bandsaw and put a 131.5” Lennox carbide blade on it. First of all, that thing is scary sharp and due all the respect you should give it. Push sticks and push pads are a must if you want to retain your fingers! The cut quality is excellent and durability is very good. I mainly resaw oak and softer hackberry. If one shops around at the resaw blade sellers website, you can find good blades at reasonable prices. I think I paid around $150 for mine.
Yes, I now only re-saw using carbide tipped. Defiantly worth the price. I have an old 16" 2116 Makita resaw, ( Great saw but not made since the early 80s, I believe) I tried many brands and was frustrated with cut quality and blade durability. The first time I tried a Re-saw King it cut beautifully, no wandering and very smooth cut surface.
Based on this video I bought a Laguna Resaw King. I haven't used it much when I was resawing a 6" wide piece of figured maple and a carbide tooth came loose and imbedded in the kerf. The tooth that came off then damaged every tooth on the blade. I've ordered a wood slicer blade as a replacement. I agree, carbide lasts nearly forever, unless you lose a tooth, then the blade is toast. I can't take the risk at this time to order a new Resaw King, as much as I loved the performance.
If you really want to test the metal (no pun intended), of the carbide resaw blades, try splitting 3/4" Ipe (Brazilian Walnut), into 3/8" strips. I had the occasion to build some lattice for a pergola on the water. Due to it's similarity to Teak and it's durability under foot as high-end decking, I chose the Ipe, not knowing it's hardness. It dulled a new set of planer knives, every carbide saw blade, and it twisted the end off of a solid carbide (3/8"), spiral, down cut router bit, like it was made of glass. I had always heard that Ironwood was hard, and popular for old bearings in early machinery, but the Ipe makes Ironwood look soft. Indifferent to the bandsaw blades and as an aside, the dust from sanding is unique as well, it is an irritant to the skin and will burn you when you sweat, and turns blood red when you attempt to wash it off. Given those two together, pretty unnerving the first time you work with it.
@@cchavezjr7 as far as I know Ironwood is Ironwood. But the wood that we call Ironwood (blue beech) where I'm from is a smallish tree (about the size of a mature apple tree), smooth greenish Grey bark/skin, with a sinewy knarled appearance (if it were muscle you would say it was cut/buff). The wood itself is white with no visible grain, and when dry is hard to the point of sounding akin to rock when either struck or dropped on a hard surface. As I said old timey people in the area would use it for bushings/bearings on shafted farm implements, I've seen it used as pillowblock bearings on agricultural pumps, and marine bearings due to it's resistance to swelling in water. And I've seen a few Iron shafts worn down while the Ironwood bearings look like new. Now, my experience with Ironwood is only with old stock (in service before I was born), and that was never having to shape it with power tools, but by weight and feel the Ipe is harder. Add to that the consumables used building my project. Did a little research: Australian Ironwood has a Janka hardness of 5060, Ipe (Brazilian Walnut) has a Janka hardness of 3680, Though Ipe is in a different family of wood, When the term "Ironwood" is used as a classification, Ipe is considered an Ironwood. Ipewoods.com/resources
Janka hardnesses: Ipe (Brazilian Walnut): 3510 Desert Ironwood: 3260 Lignum Vitae (for reference): 4390 White Poplar (for reference): 410 Ipe and Ironwood are pretty close in hardness. I've never tried to work with Ipe, but Desert Ironwood is pretty darn tough (The "Desert Ironwood" I refer to is the Ironwood that grows in southern Arizona). I bought some Lignum Vitae (just to see what it's like) and holy cow that stuff is tough. It's fun to drop in a bucket of water and watch it plummet straight to the bottom :)
@@jasonwood7340 as I said, I didn't pull the numbers I listed out of thin air. Looked up the numbers I referenced online. Though several sites had varying numbers, they were in close proximity. As stated "Australian" Ironwood had the hardest "Janka" rating at 5060, and Ipe was listed in the top 10 hardest woods. As to my comment, I stand by what I said; that Ipe is by far the hardest wood I have worked with. My primary comparison had to do with "solid carbide bandsaw blades", and my "solid carbide router bit" that was destroyed by a piece of Ipe. If you don't agree, that's fine. I was speaking based on experience not opinion!
I get the pun but you know it's meddle right lol And don't bother, all miter and circular saw blades that aren't complete garbage are all carbide tipped and I go through a high quality Freud blade a day on an Ipe deck....Ipe will eat a carbide bandsaw blade the same as it will eat a carbide circular saw blade...ipe is around 5k Janka hardness which when you compare to a Brinell metal hardness test is pretty damn close to the hardness of Pure Aluminum Its basically metal....and it's toxic...and the splinters are the absolute worst thing you'll ever experience as a woodworker, basically guaranteed to fester I love the way ipe looks, but Jesus is it a nightmare to work with lol
maybe that is why people tend to chose bi-metal blades and bits so they arent quite so brittle. its not just for cost savings though you do save a lot. a bit of spring steel with a carbide tip might survive when straight carbide will not.. and finish the cut
Aannd... now I just ordered over 200 worth of guradrit disc's and burrs coming! Thanks for the recommendation. Used your coupon code too thanks for that!
I used my Resaw King blade on my Laguna 1412 for a couple of months and it unexpectedly broke. Had no idea about the rewelding service from Laguna, so I gave it to my local woodworking shop. They butchered the rewelding (didn’t charge me though). Back to steel for me. That was all too painful.
Ok. You have given me hope. I just purchased one of these blades. It hasn't even arrived yet. I purchased it for a specific task. Cutting stupid hard wood. Quebracho, or Axebreaker. More than three times harder than hard maple on the Janka scale. I assumed if it did get dull before I finished the job(cutting a bunch of knife scales out of a couple bags of firewood, the only way I could find this wood) well I could then get it resharpened. But THEN (after ordering) I find out there is noone to resharpen. Not even Laguna will resharpen their own blades anymore. And Laguna claims they had to invent/modify a diamond wheel sharpener especially for these varied angles. But maybe, if the blades are as durable as you say, I will finish my job before the blade itself is finished. Kinda gets my goat about Laguna though. They claim they are having machine issues and parts issues that require them to stop resharpening service. But they still make the blades, so they are still sharpening. I guess they just want to join the society of disposable parts manufacturers. Selling blades pays more than sharpening blades.
Great video, I got my first bandsaw and hand to do some fancy JB Weld on it and have only used it a few times, but really got great info from this video.
I'm a machinist. My shop uses carbide tipped band saw blades for case hardened, chrome plated steel rods. They typically last 2 weeks for our uses. Carbide in wood will last a very long time.
I have a 14” bandsaw set up for resawing and early on I came to the realization that steel blades do not last. I am constantly resawing hardwoods and the occasional soft wood. Carbide tipped blades are great and I have amazed other woodworkers with the consistency that the blades offer. What I appreciate I’d that you pointed out the sharpening potential of a used blade. Thank you for creating this video. My question to woodworkers is how many times do you want to spend your money on blades for resawing?
FYI - Highland also sells a carbide blade, but it has a thicker kerf and is more geared to heavy duty use, in my opinion. I do like their woodslicer blades, though. I’ve had good luck with those on cherry, maple, and walnut. Resaw king lasted 4 years for me. I used it for general use, too - and that was a mistake.
Another point on safety to consider is that as they dull people tend to apply more pressure into the cut. This increases the chance of an uncontrolled jump at the end of a cut and your hand could lunge toward the blade. It only takes a split second for an amputation. There is an old saying that you are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one. Thumbs up for safety! :) Love your videos, keep em coming! :)
Thanks so much. I have been having all the issues with the steel blade and I was starting to think I could not figure out how to accurately use my band saw. I would get that first few cuts and then the drift and the roughness and the planning. I was barely lucky to get 2 quarter inch pieces out of a 7/8 inch board and the waste…I thought damn, I just can’t work this saw right. I would watch videos of the band saw gurus and they would slice paper thin slices one after the other in perfectly straight cuts and I thought what the hell am I doing wrong. OK too long a story I just wanted to say I don’t feel as crazy and I really appreciate you pointing out all the exact things I struggled with. I’m definitely getting a carbide blade.
Excellent! As you said; it comes down to how much you use your bandsaw. If you use it a lot, you would probably need two or three HS steel blades to enable you to keep working while your blade(s) are away for sharpening. Then you factor in the hassle, time, and cost of blade changing, packing it up, posting it, etc. That pretty much levels the cost, but you then factor in the frustration of the "can I get one more cut before I change the blade" conumdrum. Finally, you lose the satisfaction that comes with being able to walk up to your machine and know it will perform every time... no brainer really.😃👍
A use a 3/4" Resaw King carbide blade on my Laguna bandsaw and concur. I resaw hardwoods a lot and can run them along the fence with no drift and minimal resurfacing to be done afterwards.
Thank you for the video. I recently purchased a Laguna BX18 and I am still learning to use this large machine. I have yet to resaw any material as I do not have a blade for that.
I've used old metal cutting bandsaw blades in a wood cutting bow saw at work. We had scrubbing pads that we had to cut twice to make them go farther. We scrubbed drains with these, and couldn't reuse them, hence the two cuts of the box. We found that a hacksaw couldn't cut all the way through the box. This is just FYI, and how to get more uses for old blades.
I must have bad luck - I purchased a ReSaw King carbide blade for my Laguna BX18, and I managed to resaw 8" wide pieces of walnut board over about 2' with no issues, before the blade started getting dull. Yes, just two feet worth. Afterward, I was burning whatever I resawed - oak, pine, even basswood - and the blade was wandering so I couldn't get a nice, even cut along the board's length. It was a frustrating experience, and I'm reluctant to buy another ReSaw King blade until I can figure out whether it was me or the blade.
There was a recent discussion in a FB group about relieving tension on bandsaw blades when they're not in use. Some say it's necessary, others not so much. I'm thinking that multiple tension/release cycles would be more damaging to a blade. Wondering what your thoughts are on the subject, especially with the carbide blades you use. Thanks!
I would agree with you, cycling it will fatigue the band quicker. leaving it tensioned should result in the blade becoming slightly longer over time, much like how the springs in a car's suspension will become shorter due to being compressed all the time.
A metal blade cannot 'take a set' unless the stress (psi) applied is greater than its elastic limit (minor exceptions, such as long-term 'creep'). 'Blade steel' is a rather high strength and will flex completely elastically at radii much smaller than is applied 'in storage. (metallurgist)
leaving the blades tensioned is a good way to kill the ball bearings prematurely they can take radial load no problem when running. But not running for some time while under load puts wear on them
There are precisely 2 Red Wing fans I don't want to punch in the face on site. You good sir, and Kristen Bell. Sincerely, A Die Hard St. Louis Blues fan
Here I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. I had just bought a used Delta 16" band saw a few weeks ago and been busy playing with resawing a whole slew of different woods. The used blade that came with it broke after just a few slices, the second one I ordered new cut like butter for maybe 7 or 8 cuts before I found myself really trying to steer my board straight and snapped the blade. I'm on my third now and already it wanders all over. Thanks for all the great info and giving me something to look into. Take care and stay warm.
I have HSS blades that I have used for re-sawing hardwoods (not oaks). I can typically get about 200 linear feet through 8" wide boards before I notice degradation in cutting. Either something is very wrong with how you set up the saw, or you are buying really crappy blade (or both). See if you can find a copy of The Bandsaw Book from Taunton Press. Most of the advice you will get online is bad.
Very good advice! This goes for anything that is priced higher, which doesn't just mean it's better but you have to consider how much you'll use that product. Loving your videos, really great stuff!
Also the manufacturing cost of it as each carbide bit has to be brazed on to the blade not just heat treated like hss blade takes machine longer to do and thats one of the reasons they cost more
So, I had a resaw king ($135), but it broke in a few moths of light use... I had it repaired by laguna (another $30), but it broke again. I dont think I did anything wrong with it but being still newish i probably did. Anyway it has made me gun-shy about buying another one.
Reach out to Laguna again. A friend of mine had them reweld a broken blade. The new weld was misaligned. When they saw the cell phone video they agreed and replaced the blade.
From my indispensable DeWalt OMT , to my jigsaw, to circ, to saws em all...where I can I ALWAYS use carbide, i dont care it they cost more, as i cut metal, its REALLY a necessity .
Great video. I’d love to see you do (another) tutorial on resawing, especially of wider boards like you used in this video. I’ve been struggling to get descent cuts. I suspect I’m not tensioning my blade enough or supporting the boards adequately. I was intrigued to see what I assume was a unique (lime green handle) feather board.
I use a carbide Re-saw King on my Laguna 14/12 mainly for cutting bowl blanks. I was slicing a 12" thick Cherry log in half and only after I finished the cut and opened the piece up did I realize that I hit 3 old 16d nails. I inspected the blade and found 1 tooth missing. I'm still using that same blade 9 months later, and it is still doing great!
The lower frustration levels of not having to deal with dull blades might also make it worth it to some, even if it would be more expensive in the long run. But that's not an argument you could put a number on, and it would be a personal consideration.
One question for you on this subject ... if one already owns a budget saw, is this type of investment still worth it? In other words, are you able to realize enough benefit from this type of blade on a saw with limited capability in the first place? Thanks so much for these type of videos, they really do provoke thought and I for one eats up this type of information. Cheers!!
If you can tension a wide blade and make it track correctly, then yes. If your saw can't handle a 3/4-inch blade because of a weak frame or tensioning mechanism, then no.
Can't speak to carbide bandsaw blades, but I use carbide tipped hole saws and have yet to replace one even occasionally cutting through a framing nail. There's no replacement for carbide tipped cutting implements.
What was that blue feather jig you used at the 4:40 mark? I want one! Thanks from the Walnut Workshop. BTW I love my Lennox carbide resaw blade. Will never go back to steel.
great video! I was very interested ion upgrading the blade on my 111" Rikon, then I realized that a carbide tip blade might be overkill for cutting my pen blanks....
Good video James. I use 18” Timber Wolf silicon blades but I also have one of their 1” carbide blades. I don’t remember how much I paid for it but I have had it for about 12 years and it see a lot of use and haven’t had to sharpen it yet. Totally agree on using carbide blades.
The blade is still steel. It's only the tips of the teeth that are carbide. I don't think that affects the tension. However, wide blades of any type require a stiff bandsaw frame to properly tension them.
The blade back it less stiff than conventional blades, but is usually a bit thicker to support the carbide. The blade itself needs to be at a higher tension to ensure the teeth are under full tension. So, yes they do require higher tension, which means they need a stiffer frame. The added tension also greatly increases the rolling resistance, so they also need more power to drive. These blades are should really only be used in professional grade saws, they will not work well in a converted hobby saw.
@@joshua43214 - What you say may be technically true in some respects, but I used one on a consumer grade Rikon with zero issues. Will it work with a cheap Harbor Freight saw? No, but neither will a regular 3/4-inch blade.
Thank you, good explanation. I am a professional machinist cutting stainless steel every day. The shop generally supplies high speed steel end mills, but I request carbide end mills and these cut two to four times faster, running at a higher RPM in the machine, while also lasting much longer, a year or more in daily use and basically never wear out with occasional use. I do have to be careful because a part that vibrates during cutting can break the carbide cutter while high speed steel is more resistant to vibration. The band saw should not have this problem since the carbide is just the little cutting teeth, most of the blade is still steel.
Been there in person to interview and talk to the WOOD SLICER (Highland Hardware- ATL) and Laguna folks. They both make exceptional quality blades. So which to choose: You have trees you mill and turn into treasure? WOOD SLICER is more forgiving in my experience on a Laguna 18" BX. Have some exotic hardwood slab you want to turn into veneer? The Resaw King is hard to beat with it's carbide teeth. Takes some adjusting, but man does it cut straight and just go for days. Thanks again JAMES for some no -nonsense, just cut to the chase woodworking wisdom.
Good to know. Definitely convinced me to invest in a carbide blade. I’ll skip Laguna products though. I’ve used 4 of their machines in commercial and private shops. Not impressed.
Do you ever re sharpen your steel blades ? I find that with 3 or 4 tpi blades, I can usually re sharpen them about 4 times on my bench grinder. Sometimes, after I sharpen them for the first or second time, they actually perform better than when they were brand new, but usually after the 3rd or 4th time, the teeth start to get a little uneven and they don't cut so well. My saw takes 93" long blades, so with a 4 tpi blade, that's around 372 teeth to sharpen, but I can do about 1 tooth per second, so it only takes around 5 to 10 mins to do the whole blade. If I had a bigger saw and did a little more re sawing I would definitely be interested in getting hold of one of those Laguna resaw king blades, but for now, I'll stick with steel blades and re sharpening them when they get dull!
I fully agree with the point of the video, in that carbide blades are the way to go for resawing. You explained it concisely. However, you mentioned something like, "a well-tuned" saw. At 3:11, it appears that neither of the outside blade guide bearings/wheels are spinning, and both are pretty far back from the gullets. The thrust bearing/wheel doesn't appear to be spinning either. I rarely resaw, so my question is this: Is that something you do specifically for resawing? I would think that resawing would require the blade to be held as well, or better, than for cutting curves.
Don't overlook the need to keep resin buildup to a minimum. I have a Resaw King carbide blade on my Laguna 14/12. It was getting hard to push a 6"wide board through it, so cleaned the blade with Simple Green and what a difference it made. Like new again!!
An additional benefit is the finer surface finish that you will get from a carbide tipped bandsawblade. Some furniture makers will use a non-set style carbide tipped blade to eliminate the sanding needed after using a set style bimetal HSS blade.
I spent the $ on a laguna resaw king along with my brand new 18/bx, and don't get me wrong - most of my equipment is laguna - but the blade was terrible out of the box, the drift was so bad it could not be adjusted, Being as it was a new saw I thought it was a bad saw. Got a wood slicer, and it worked perfect. Entirely disappointed.
Just so you know these blades are no good for green wood so if that's what you are doing you need thick, large kerf blades. There's a reason why rough sawn wood look that way, and that's because steel blade will cut like that no matter what. I never used Resaw King but I got some Chinese carbide blade that appears to be like Trimasters, and they do produce a good finish.
Great information. One question I have on using carbide blades. Will the carbide tips interfere with the tire on the wheel? On my steel blades, I place the gullet of the blade on the center of the top wheel. Always tracks straight.
I have a 14” Laguna bandsaw, I.tried the Resaw King three times,. One blade had a bad weld and had to be returned. On both of the other two blades I had teeth eventually break off and the last blade actually stripped off a series off teeth. Possibly if you can afford a dedicated resaw bandsaw and can leave rage blade in place it may work great. I have one bandsaw and have to change blades, the teeth are so fragile I imagine this contributed to the teeth chipping. FYI, I have been woodworking for over 40 years. I now use Woodslicer blades.
Carbide is a game changer overall! I remember my first Diablo reciprocating saw carbide blade Came in a pack as a bonus blade. It took me about six months to finally have something to use it on, but I sawed through a cast-iron radiator six times (At the thickest point which was a 1-3/4 circle with a 3/8” wall) with one blade and a battery powered reciprocating saw. We Need it to get the radiator out of the house, but we had forgotten the renovation was over. The only way to get it out of the house was cut it up, are 9” grinder just wouldn’t work. My coworker brought me home, I picked up the blade, we went back and it took around 3-6 minutes to make all six cuts. That was the first time we had ever witnessed a carbide reciprocating saw Blade, and the first time they had seen one. And it felt good because they were all telling me (because they’re 10 years older than me) you can’t cut through that with a reciprocating saw blade. Those old dogs learned a new trick that day!
I have a Jet JwBS 14SFX fitted with a 3/4’’ wood slicer blade. I resawed some thick zebra wood into 1/16” veneer and it completely destroyed the blade, all 116 inches and over 400 individual teeth. I had to scrape off the resin, resharpen and reset each tooth. These are not cheap blades and I can’t be replacing them every time I resaw some exotics. Maybe carbide is the way to go.
I have also purchased a 145" resew king for my laguna. Was a tough purchase, but I cannot imagine a better cut from a bandsaw. What do you recommend HSS blades for those tighter curves? I've been looking for a 1/4' blade for a while, but they are tough to come by at 145". Thank and take care.
Not a bad cost at all. I have a diamond grit blade in my 15" saw, and it was about $100 about 12 to 14 years ago... probably well over $250 now. Now, I'm cutting hardened steel, not wood. But the best blade you can get, will last and last and last. I went from $20 to $30 bi-metal custom blades made by a local shop every couple months, to not needing a blade in a decade. Well Worth it. At the time I was offered custom curf cut blades in carbide, but for my application, for metal, I opted for diamond(designed to be run with coolant for stone cutting, I've run it dry for cutting steel for years without issue) so I could cut hardened knife steel. I wish the guy was still in business, I'd get a nice carbide blade for general wood work(as I recall he did them in a nice 1/4" width like the diamond blades.), nd st this point I do need a new diamond blade... But yeah, get the best blade you can, quality of cut improves significantly, and so does blade longevity.
I bought a 3/4” blade for my 14” bandsaw a few years back for like $40. I believe it’s a Lenox blade. My dumb ass just took straight firewood logs, and ran them through the bandsaw to make some boards. Which would have been fine if I was thinking ahead enough to brush the dirt and stuff off the bark. The blade isn’t dull by any means, but certainly duller than it would have been if I brushed the wood off first. I’ll probably just touch it up with a dremel if it gets too dull. I don’t do a whole lot of woodworking anymore, so eh. If I can sharpen it enough to make it last a few more cuts than I’ll be happy.
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so what your saying is, they are more likely to break than dull? I mean if I needed one that bad I would make the investment, sound advice its good to know what options are out there
What was the lime green feather board resaw guide thing used? I want one of those.
@@AubreyMobley I have one of them too. It is the "Guide PRO Bandsaw Guide," made by BOW Products. It is 6" tall, and there is an optional 4" extension to give you a 10" total height for the feather. They work very nicely.
The inventor of carbide tipped tools, Fred Clas, passed away 12/11/21 at the age of 99. I know this because he was my Grandfather and this was just one of his inventions -or in this case perfections from failed attempts just before he figured it out as a machinist apprentice just before WWII. I've been watching your for years but I still come across material I've missed like this one today. Anyway... just a neat thing to share. He was quite the guy as you may imagine.
So sorry for your families’ loss. His contribution is most appreciated!
That’s an awesome legacy.
I thought my expensive band saw was junk. Then I watched this video and purchased a carbide tip saw blade. Suddenly my band saw became a great asset. Thank you
Straight, carbide-tipped, talk. I expect that in this channel (even when it IS sponsored). Over several years now, I have NEVER been disappointed. There is no channel that is more valuable to me and the activities in my little shop.
I have a Laguna 14" SUV and purchased a 125" Carbide Resaw King blade for it. I cut several samples to test the blade and quality of cuts. My best cut was 2" x 12" by .015" thick. My woodworking friends would not believe I cut the veneer with a bandsaw blade. What you need to know is, a carbide blade is ground on 3 surfaces and the kerf is created by the thickness of the carbide brazed to the steel blade. Because of the side grinds on the carbide teeth, the blade cuts very smooth with no teeth marks in my samples. Because the Laguna blade guides touch 8 lines of contact on the blade, the blade is held very straight. The saw and blade cost a lot, but you get what you pay for.
As a side note, James has two Harvey bandsaws in his shop and speaks highly of them. Harvey is the maker of my Laguna 14" SUV bandsaw equipped with the Laguna ceramic 8 line contact blade guides.
I agree with everything James points out about carbide tipped resawing bandsaw blades.
I was attempting to resaw a piece of Gorgeous mystery hardwood I'd purchased from my exotic hardwood dealer (he couldn't identify it, and neither could any other hardwood dealers in my area). All we knew is that it was ungodly heavy for the dimensions, and it "rang" like a frigging bell when we rapped on it with a big wrench. I had just purchased a new bandsaw, and the new blade it came with might have gotten about 10" of cut in a board no more than 5" tall on edge, before it was hopelessly smoked. That's no big deal... nobody ships a new unit with a Good blade on it, so I spent a lot of money for a good, steel, 3/4" wide resaw blade from a very reputable company that sells these things via catalog and online (I may have seen one of their catalogs in hand, on this video...). That blade lasted about another 15" worth of cutting before it too was dulled beyond belief! So far, I've accomplished just a smidgen over 2' of cut, and my board is 8' long X 3" thick X 5" wide, and I had planned on getting at least 4 planks out of it... Long story short, I bit the bullet and ordered a carbide tipped resaw blade. It cut all 4 planks, with no discernible wear, and I've been using it for 6 years now without any need for a resharpening! I too, will never Waste my money on a steel blade!!!
If you do much cutting of valuable exotic tropical hardwoods carbide is the way to go.
On my horizontal band resaw I cut 1/8" Cocobolo veneer and start to sand with 120 grit sandpaper.
Thanks for posting and also to James for this video. I have a fair amount of exotic wood that I have just started to resaw into 1/8” veneer and am struggling with the saw blade getting dull quickly. This is the answer. Thanks!
Perfect timing for this video, I am looking at upgrading my bandsaw as I have gotten into making flag cases and only use rough cut lumber. The extra cost of a carbide blade will actually save me money in the increased yield from the wood saved.
Now this is the video I was expecting!
Youre videos are supreme. I watch them all even if its not related to a subject I'm interested in at the time because they are all chalk full of clear, concise information.
I know others have mentioned this before, but it's very refreshing hearing someone who is well spoken and clearly puts some preparation into their presentation/what they are going to say. It's crazy how much more useful information can be squeezed in when superfluous language like "um" is not utilized. It's also much smoother and more flowing making it easier to understand. Seems like a small difference, but I think it's key especially in an educational setting.
i agree 100%
That said, I miss his old humor.
I love stumpy but I always end up in a puddle of tool drool.
@@pleappleappleap I thought lasers was funny.
Umm, well said.
As always, great info! Knowing what you are doing for your project is key to the tool to use. I like the ending "No these are not for curve cutting, just resawing." Kind of brings you back if you having a wandering mind like mine.
Great explanation of why sometimes the least expensive item ends up being the most expensive, and does a poor job.
@Timbo Dewabem Carbide is better at everything.
I taught my daughters to resaw when they were 14 as part of fabrication and woodworking for something to do in between modeling and dance and softball and school. They have scratch built go karts mini bikes and lots of shop tools. They really liked resawing and when '19 hit they were resawing veneers and stuff for projects at home from reclaimed wood. Then 2020 lumber prices happened and they started volunteering to do demo work and being paid in old lumber. Started selling wood to grey hairs at reasonable prices and selling old growth stuff and exotic veneers (they now have a "lumber guy" I'm so proud) at OUTLANDISH prices to hipster makers and woodworkers for tables and beard holders or whatever they make. Now they are around 17 and both own 2019 model year very nice cars and they have a 2020 pick they split the cost of for work. They have I think 6 bandsaws now they use daily and they switched to carbide and they haven't had to replace or sharpen one yet. Having a really good metal detector helps here I would hate to see what a nail would do to a carbide blade but that's why they keep HSS blades on hand as well I guess (their knowledge of resaw is so far past me now it's beautiful).
Anyway short story long they swear by carbide and they resaw literally for a living. I'm so proud of my girls, who have 0 reason to work and were basically spoiled rotten their whole life material goods wise at least, decided to take up a hobby and make a damn fine living from it all before they graduated high school. I always made them do chores around the property, hell it's 6,000acres if you want to play on it kids ya gotta help it's too much for me, and taught them "work has value" but always just bought them what they wanted game consoles clothing all that and was going to do the same with a car and they were aware but took it upon themselves to change their trajectory in life.
I guess they didn't want to travel the world running construction jobs like dad and with mom not in the picture wanted to "help out". But hell they keep my household lol when I'm gone they feed the animals or pay help to have it done out of their pocket. Sorry I'm just rambling away, the holidays are rough when I think about their mother and how grown these girls have gotten
Cheers man merry Christmas thanks for the story I enjoyed reading it sounds like you've done a good job raising your girls.
@@JDeWittDIY Cheers! My kids bought me a freaking jet ski for Christmas! They wanted it to be a surprise but it got delivered while they were out scouting a couple trees they are interested in dropping and well someone had to sign!
oh i see how proud you are! amazing job on guiding people to their happy place in life! cheers
@@leoleoleonor hard not to be proud! Raised my little darling assholes not to be my friend but to be people I would respect when they are in their 20's ya know.
If more people felt that way about raising their churdlens I feel the world would end up better for it
Thanks for the tip. I’ve got some excellent cheap tools, and some hideously expensive tools that are still worth the expense. Finding out whether or not to spring for the expensive option… always better to let someone else figure that out on their dime, as long as you trust their judgment.
I have been using Timberwolf carbide for sometime. I live in Western Australia and our local hardwoods are hard and have a high amount of silica. Carbide blade are the best option I have found.
Love you channel
Really appreciate your delivery and knowledge. Very informative and useful! Always a student of tour videos. Thank you.
I have a jet 14” with a 13” resaw had no idea they made carbide tip blades , you gave me a reason to spend money, I do a fair amount of resawing
I feel like I've seen a must shorter version of the before from stumpy nubs 😂 this one is much better thank you.
Thanks for the great info, James. I'm about 80 linear feet at an average of 6" resawing into my first ResawKing blade on my 14" Grizzly G0555xh (12" resaw without riser). I was doing 6" resawing on walnut and cherry this morning and the surface quality has been great. Used to leave at least 1/8" on each surface to make sure I could plane/sand/CNC down to final dimensions. I had one board that was really close to being too thin to use, but I cut the gap down to 1/16th and was able to get the pieces I needed out of it. It's kinda funny how little it takes to claim a victory some days. I've been using Woodslicer blades in the past and was always happy with them, but I'll be sticking with ResawKing blades for resawing going forward.
I have a Grizzly 17” bandsaw and put a 131.5” Lennox carbide blade on it. First of all, that thing is scary sharp and due all the respect you should give it. Push sticks and push pads are a must if you want to retain your fingers! The cut quality is excellent and durability is very good. I mainly resaw oak and softer hackberry. If one shops around at the resaw blade sellers website, you can find good blades at reasonable prices. I think I paid around $150 for mine.
Yes, I now only re-saw using carbide tipped. Defiantly worth the price. I have an old 16" 2116 Makita resaw, ( Great saw but not made since the early 80s, I believe) I tried many brands and was frustrated with cut quality and blade durability. The first time I tried a Re-saw King it cut beautifully, no wandering and very smooth cut surface.
Thank you for your honest review.
Based on this video I bought a Laguna Resaw King. I haven't used it much when I was resawing a 6" wide piece of figured maple and a carbide tooth came loose and imbedded in the kerf. The tooth that came off then damaged every tooth on the blade. I've ordered a wood slicer blade as a replacement.
I agree, carbide lasts nearly forever, unless you lose a tooth, then the blade is toast. I can't take the risk at this time to order a new Resaw King, as much as I loved the performance.
I've never experienced that. Either way, why wouldn't you just send it back and get it replaced under warranty?
If you really want to test the metal (no pun intended), of the carbide resaw blades, try splitting 3/4" Ipe (Brazilian Walnut), into 3/8" strips. I had the occasion to build some lattice for a pergola on the water. Due to it's similarity to Teak and it's durability under foot as high-end decking, I chose the Ipe, not knowing it's hardness. It dulled a new set of planer knives, every carbide saw blade, and it twisted the end off of a solid carbide (3/8"), spiral, down cut router bit, like it was made of glass.
I had always heard that Ironwood was hard, and popular for old bearings in early machinery, but the Ipe makes Ironwood look soft. Indifferent to the bandsaw blades and as an aside, the dust from sanding is unique as well, it is an irritant to the skin and will burn you when you sweat, and turns blood red when you attempt to wash it off. Given those two together, pretty unnerving the first time you work with it.
@@cchavezjr7 as far as I know Ironwood is Ironwood. But the wood that we call Ironwood (blue beech) where I'm from is a smallish tree (about the size of a mature apple tree), smooth greenish Grey bark/skin, with a sinewy knarled appearance (if it were muscle you would say it was cut/buff). The wood itself is white with no visible grain, and when dry is hard to the point of sounding akin to rock when either struck or dropped on a hard surface.
As I said old timey people in the area would use it for bushings/bearings on shafted farm implements, I've seen it used as pillowblock bearings on agricultural pumps, and marine bearings due to it's resistance to swelling in water. And I've seen a few Iron shafts worn down while the Ironwood bearings look like new.
Now, my experience with Ironwood is only with old stock (in service before I was born), and that was never having to shape it with power tools, but by weight and feel the Ipe is harder. Add to that the consumables used building my project.
Did a little research: Australian Ironwood has a Janka hardness of 5060,
Ipe (Brazilian Walnut) has a Janka hardness of 3680,
Though Ipe is in a different family of wood, When the term "Ironwood" is used as a classification, Ipe is considered an Ironwood. Ipewoods.com/resources
Janka hardnesses:
Ipe (Brazilian Walnut): 3510
Desert Ironwood: 3260
Lignum Vitae (for reference): 4390
White Poplar (for reference): 410
Ipe and Ironwood are pretty close in hardness. I've never tried to work with Ipe, but Desert Ironwood is pretty darn tough (The "Desert Ironwood" I refer to is the Ironwood that grows in southern Arizona). I bought some Lignum Vitae (just to see what it's like) and holy cow that stuff is tough. It's fun to drop in a bucket of water and watch it plummet straight to the bottom :)
@@jasonwood7340 as I said, I didn't pull the numbers I listed out of thin air. Looked up the numbers I referenced online. Though several sites had varying numbers, they were in close proximity. As stated "Australian" Ironwood had the hardest "Janka" rating at 5060, and Ipe was listed in the top 10 hardest woods.
As to my comment, I stand by what I said; that Ipe is by far the hardest wood I have worked with. My primary comparison had to do with "solid carbide bandsaw blades", and my "solid carbide router bit" that was destroyed by a piece of Ipe. If you don't agree, that's fine. I was speaking based on experience not opinion!
I get the pun but you know it's meddle right lol
And don't bother, all miter and circular saw blades that aren't complete garbage are all carbide tipped and I go through a high quality Freud blade a day on an Ipe deck....Ipe will eat a carbide bandsaw blade the same as it will eat a carbide circular saw blade...ipe is around 5k Janka hardness which when you compare to a Brinell metal hardness test is pretty damn close to the hardness of Pure Aluminum
Its basically metal....and it's toxic...and the splinters are the absolute worst thing you'll ever experience as a woodworker, basically guaranteed to fester
I love the way ipe looks, but Jesus is it a nightmare to work with lol
maybe that is why people tend to chose bi-metal blades and bits so they arent quite so brittle. its not just for cost savings though you do save a lot. a bit of spring steel with a carbide tip might survive when straight carbide will not.. and finish the cut
Aannd... now I just ordered over 200 worth of guradrit disc's and burrs coming! Thanks for the recommendation. Used your coupon code too thanks for that!
I used my Resaw King blade on my Laguna 1412 for a couple of months and it unexpectedly broke. Had no idea about the rewelding service from Laguna, so I gave it to my local woodworking shop. They butchered the rewelding (didn’t charge me though). Back to steel for me. That was all too painful.
Your videos are wonderful in all respects. Thanks
Ok. You have given me hope. I just purchased one of these blades. It hasn't even arrived yet. I purchased it for a specific task. Cutting stupid hard wood. Quebracho, or Axebreaker. More than three times harder than hard maple on the Janka scale. I assumed if it did get dull before I finished the job(cutting a bunch of knife scales out of a couple bags of firewood, the only way I could find this wood) well I could then get it resharpened. But THEN (after ordering) I find out there is noone to resharpen. Not even Laguna will resharpen their own blades anymore. And Laguna claims they had to invent/modify a diamond wheel sharpener especially for these varied angles. But maybe, if the blades are as durable as you say, I will finish my job before the blade itself is finished.
Kinda gets my goat about Laguna though. They claim they are having machine issues and parts issues that require them to stop resharpening service. But they still make the blades, so they are still sharpening.
I guess they just want to join the society of disposable parts manufacturers. Selling blades pays more than sharpening blades.
Great video, I got my first bandsaw and hand to do some fancy JB Weld on it and have only used it a few times, but really got great info from this video.
I'm a machinist. My shop uses carbide tipped band saw blades for case hardened, chrome plated steel rods.
They typically last 2 weeks for our uses.
Carbide in wood will last a very long time.
Pretty interesting indeed, James! 😃
Thanks a lot!!!
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
You have answered the question for me, *2 yrs & I guess I`ll stay with steel
I have a 14” bandsaw set up for resawing and early on I came to the realization that steel blades do not last. I am constantly resawing hardwoods and the occasional soft wood. Carbide tipped blades are great and I have amazed other woodworkers with the consistency that the blades offer. What I appreciate I’d that you pointed out the sharpening potential of a used blade. Thank you for creating this video. My question to woodworkers is how many times do you want to spend your money on blades for resawing?
FYI - Highland also sells a carbide blade, but it has a thicker kerf and is more geared to heavy duty use, in my opinion. I do like their woodslicer blades, though. I’ve had good luck with those on cherry, maple, and walnut. Resaw king lasted 4 years for me. I used it for general use, too - and that was a mistake.
Another point on safety to consider is that as they dull people tend to apply more pressure into the cut. This increases the chance of an uncontrolled jump at the end of a cut and your hand could lunge toward the blade. It only takes a split second for an amputation. There is an old saying that you are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one. Thumbs up for safety! :) Love your videos, keep em coming! :)
People just can't help getting dull.
Thanks so much. I have been having all the issues with the steel blade and I was starting to think I could not figure out how to accurately use my band saw. I would get that first few cuts and then the drift and the roughness and the planning. I was barely lucky to get 2 quarter inch pieces out of a 7/8 inch board and the waste…I thought damn, I just can’t work this saw right. I would watch videos of the band saw gurus and they would slice paper thin slices one after the other in perfectly straight cuts and I thought what the hell am I doing wrong. OK too long a story I just wanted to say I don’t feel as crazy and I really appreciate you pointing out all the exact things I struggled with. I’m definitely getting a carbide blade.
Oooo this one has sound :D
Excellent! As you said; it comes down to how much you use your bandsaw. If you use it a lot, you would probably need two or three HS steel blades to enable you to keep working while your blade(s) are away for sharpening. Then you factor in the hassle, time, and cost of blade changing, packing it up, posting it, etc. That pretty much levels the cost, but you then factor in the frustration of the "can I get one more cut before I change the blade" conumdrum. Finally, you lose the satisfaction that comes with being able to walk up to your machine and know it will perform every time... no brainer really.😃👍
A use a 3/4" Resaw King carbide blade on my Laguna bandsaw and concur. I resaw hardwoods a lot and can run them along the fence with no drift and minimal resurfacing to be done afterwards.
Thank you for the video. I recently purchased a Laguna BX18 and I am still learning to use this large machine. I have yet to resaw any material as I do not have a blade for that.
Great spot, gonna pick up one of these soon!
Now I understand thanks on the update 👍🏼🏴🇬🇧🏴🇬🇧🏴
Great info and timing. I'm on the market for a new bandsaw and might as well get a proper blade to go with it.
I've used old metal cutting bandsaw blades in a wood cutting bow saw at work. We had scrubbing pads that we had to cut twice to make them go farther. We scrubbed drains with these, and couldn't reuse them, hence the two cuts of the box. We found that a hacksaw couldn't cut all the way through the box. This is just FYI, and how to get more uses for old blades.
this was most helpful - thanks
I must have bad luck - I purchased a ReSaw King carbide blade for my Laguna BX18, and I managed to resaw 8" wide pieces of walnut board over about 2' with no issues, before the blade started getting dull. Yes, just two feet worth. Afterward, I was burning whatever I resawed - oak, pine, even basswood - and the blade was wandering so I couldn't get a nice, even cut along the board's length. It was a frustrating experience, and I'm reluctant to buy another ReSaw King blade until I can figure out whether it was me or the blade.
ok, its 1 a.m. and i have now aquired some knowledge in the pros and cons of bandsaws.
Wait until you learn about nails... ua-cam.com/video/7rwcGXIORro/v-deo.html
Thanks again Stumpy .Julien
There was a recent discussion in a FB group about relieving tension on bandsaw blades when they're not in use. Some say it's necessary, others not so much. I'm thinking that multiple tension/release cycles would be more damaging to a blade. Wondering what your thoughts are on the subject, especially with the carbide blades you use. Thanks!
I would agree with you, cycling it will fatigue the band quicker. leaving it tensioned should result in the blade becoming slightly longer over time, much like how the springs in a car's suspension will become shorter due to being compressed all the time.
A metal blade cannot 'take a set' unless the stress (psi) applied is greater than its elastic limit (minor exceptions, such as long-term 'creep'). 'Blade steel' is a rather high strength and will flex completely elastically at radii much smaller than is applied 'in storage. (metallurgist)
leaving the blades tensioned is a good way to kill the ball bearings prematurely
they can take radial load no problem when running. But not running for some time while under load puts wear on them
Anybody into woodworking should look into carbide vs hss end mills in machining. Carbide pays for itself multiple times over hss in every aspect
When it comes to blades, I’ve found you get what you pay for. That goes for most woodworking tools.
There are precisely 2 Red Wing fans I don't want to punch in the face on site. You good sir, and Kristen Bell.
Sincerely,
A Die Hard St. Louis Blues fan
Here I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. I had just bought a used Delta 16" band saw a few weeks ago and been busy playing with resawing a whole slew of different woods. The used blade that came with it broke after just a few slices, the second one I ordered new cut like butter for maybe 7 or 8 cuts before I found myself really trying to steer my board straight and snapped the blade. I'm on my third now and already it wanders all over. Thanks for all the great info and giving me something to look into. Take care and stay warm.
I have HSS blades that I have used for re-sawing hardwoods (not oaks). I can typically get about 200 linear feet through 8" wide boards before I notice degradation in cutting.
Either something is very wrong with how you set up the saw, or you are buying really crappy blade (or both).
See if you can find a copy of The Bandsaw Book from Taunton Press. Most of the advice you will get online is bad.
Very good advice! This goes for anything that is priced higher, which doesn't just mean it's better but you have to consider how much you'll use that product.
Loving your videos, really great stuff!
Also the manufacturing cost of it as each carbide bit has to be brazed on to the blade not just heat treated like hss blade takes machine longer to do and thats one of the reasons they cost more
So, I had a resaw king ($135), but it broke in a few moths of light use... I had it repaired by laguna (another $30), but it broke again. I dont think I did anything wrong with it but being still newish i probably did. Anyway it has made me gun-shy about buying another one.
I must say while i had it it was a dream to cut with,
Reach out to Laguna again. A friend of mine had them reweld a broken blade. The new weld was misaligned. When they saw the cell phone video they agreed and replaced the blade.
From my indispensable DeWalt OMT , to my jigsaw, to circ, to saws em all...where I can I ALWAYS use carbide, i dont care it they cost more, as i cut metal, its REALLY a necessity .
I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.
Great video. I’d love to see you do (another) tutorial on resawing, especially of wider boards like you used in this video. I’ve been struggling to get descent cuts. I suspect I’m not tensioning my blade enough or supporting the boards adequately. I was intrigued to see what I assume was a unique (lime green handle) feather board.
I use a carbide Re-saw King on my Laguna 14/12 mainly for cutting bowl blanks. I was slicing a 12" thick Cherry log in half and only after I finished the cut and opened the piece up did I realize that I hit 3 old 16d nails. I inspected the blade and found 1 tooth missing. I'm still using that same blade 9 months later, and it is still doing great!
Perfect James 🙏
They're $330 plus for these Resaw King blades in Australia
A follow up to my earlier endorsement of this video. Where does one send a bandsaw blade for resharpening? Thank you.
The lower frustration levels of not having to deal with dull blades might also make it worth it to some, even if it would be more expensive in the long run. But that's not an argument you could put a number on, and it would be a personal consideration.
One question for you on this subject ... if one already owns a budget saw, is this type of investment still worth it? In other words, are you able to realize enough benefit from this type of blade on a saw with limited capability in the first place?
Thanks so much for these type of videos, they really do provoke thought and I for one eats up this type of information. Cheers!!
If you can tension a wide blade and make it track correctly, then yes. If your saw can't handle a 3/4-inch blade because of a weak frame or tensioning mechanism, then no.
Can't speak to carbide bandsaw blades, but I use carbide tipped hole saws and have yet to replace one even occasionally cutting through a framing nail. There's no replacement for carbide tipped cutting implements.
What was that blue feather jig you used at the 4:40 mark? I want one! Thanks from the Walnut Workshop. BTW I love my Lennox carbide resaw blade. Will never go back to steel.
amzn.to/30Orfa1
great video!
I was very interested ion upgrading the blade on my 111" Rikon, then I realized that a carbide tip blade might be overkill for cutting my pen blanks....
I thought the other video got banned by YT for using the word "Stopped" in the Title. LOL
Good video James. I use 18” Timber Wolf silicon blades but I also have one of their 1” carbide blades. I don’t remember how much I paid for it but I have had it for about 12 years and it see a lot of use and haven’t had to sharpen it yet. Totally agree on using carbide blades.
I've heard that carbide blades require higher tensioning that may over stress an older bandsaw. Any truth to this?
The blade is still steel. It's only the tips of the teeth that are carbide. I don't think that affects the tension. However, wide blades of any type require a stiff bandsaw frame to properly tension them.
The blade back it less stiff than conventional blades, but is usually a bit thicker to support the carbide. The blade itself needs to be at a higher tension to ensure the teeth are under full tension.
So, yes they do require higher tension, which means they need a stiffer frame. The added tension also greatly increases the rolling resistance, so they also need more power to drive.
These blades are should really only be used in professional grade saws, they will not work well in a converted hobby saw.
@@joshua43214 - What you say may be technically true in some respects, but I used one on a consumer grade Rikon with zero issues. Will it work with a cheap Harbor Freight saw? No, but neither will a regular 3/4-inch blade.
Thank you, good explanation. I am a professional machinist cutting stainless steel every day. The shop generally supplies high speed steel end mills, but I request carbide end mills and these cut two to four times faster, running at a higher RPM in the machine, while also lasting much longer, a year or more in daily use and basically never wear out with occasional use. I do have to be careful because a part that vibrates during cutting can break the carbide cutter while high speed steel is more resistant to vibration. The band saw should not have this problem since the carbide is just the little cutting teeth, most of the blade is still steel.
what do you know .... my hearing aids don't need replaced after all ! Thanks for the fix.
Carbide is always worth the money. Always.
Awesome information
Been there in person to interview and talk to the WOOD SLICER (Highland Hardware- ATL) and Laguna folks. They both make exceptional quality blades. So which to choose: You have trees you mill and turn into treasure? WOOD SLICER is more forgiving in my experience on a Laguna 18" BX. Have some exotic hardwood slab you want to turn into veneer? The Resaw King is hard to beat with it's carbide teeth. Takes some adjusting, but man does it cut straight and just go for days. Thanks again JAMES for some no -nonsense, just cut to the chase woodworking wisdom.
Good to know. Definitely convinced me to invest in a carbide blade. I’ll skip Laguna products though. I’ve used 4 of their machines in commercial and private shops. Not impressed.
Do you ever re sharpen your steel blades ? I find that with 3 or 4 tpi blades, I can usually re sharpen them about 4 times on my bench grinder. Sometimes, after I sharpen them for the first or second time, they actually perform better than when they were brand new, but usually after the 3rd or 4th time, the teeth start to get a little uneven and they don't cut so well. My saw takes 93" long blades, so with a 4 tpi blade, that's around 372 teeth to sharpen, but I can do about 1 tooth per second, so it only takes around 5 to 10 mins to do the whole blade. If I had a bigger saw and did a little more re sawing I would definitely be interested in getting hold of one of those Laguna resaw king blades, but for now, I'll stick with steel blades and re sharpening them when they get dull!
They don’t offer it in many sizes. I need 142” for my Rilon
I fully agree with the point of the video, in that carbide blades are the way to go for resawing. You explained it concisely. However, you mentioned something like, "a well-tuned" saw. At 3:11, it appears that neither of the outside blade guide bearings/wheels are spinning, and both are pretty far back from the gullets. The thrust bearing/wheel doesn't appear to be spinning either. I rarely resaw, so my question is this: Is that something you do specifically for resawing? I would think that resawing would require the blade to be held as well, or better, than for cutting curves.
Don't overlook the need to keep resin buildup to a minimum. I have a Resaw King carbide blade on my Laguna 14/12. It was getting hard to push a 6"wide board through it, so cleaned the blade with Simple Green and what a difference it made. Like new again!!
An additional benefit is the finer surface finish that you will get from a carbide tipped bandsawblade. Some furniture makers will use a non-set style carbide tipped blade to eliminate the sanding needed after using a set style bimetal HSS blade.
I spent the $ on a laguna resaw king along with my brand new 18/bx, and don't get me wrong - most of my equipment is laguna - but the blade was terrible out of the box, the drift was so bad it could not be adjusted, Being as it was a new saw I thought it was a bad saw. Got a wood slicer, and it worked perfect. Entirely disappointed.
Just so you know these blades are no good for green wood so if that's what you are doing you need thick, large kerf blades. There's a reason why rough sawn wood look that way, and that's because steel blade will cut like that no matter what. I never used Resaw King but I got some Chinese carbide blade that appears to be like Trimasters, and they do produce a good finish.
Great information. One question I have on using carbide blades. Will the carbide tips interfere with the tire on the wheel? On my steel blades, I place the gullet of the blade on the center of the top wheel. Always tracks straight.
I have a 14” Laguna bandsaw, I.tried the Resaw King three times,. One blade had a bad weld and had to be returned. On both of the other two blades I had teeth eventually break off and the last blade actually stripped off a series off teeth. Possibly if you can afford a dedicated resaw bandsaw and can leave rage blade in place it may work great. I have one bandsaw and have to change blades, the teeth are so fragile I imagine this contributed to the teeth chipping. FYI, I have been woodworking for over 40 years. I now use Woodslicer blades.
Carbide is a game changer overall!
I remember my first Diablo reciprocating saw carbide blade Came in a pack as a bonus blade. It took me about six months to finally have something to use it on, but I sawed through a cast-iron radiator six times (At the thickest point which was a 1-3/4 circle with a 3/8” wall) with one blade and a battery powered reciprocating saw. We Need it to get the radiator out of the house, but we had forgotten the renovation was over. The only way to get it out of the house was cut it up, are 9” grinder just wouldn’t work. My coworker brought me home, I picked up the blade, we went back and it took around 3-6 minutes to make all six cuts. That was the first time we had ever witnessed a carbide reciprocating saw Blade, and the first time they had seen one. And it felt good because they were all telling me (because they’re 10 years older than me) you can’t cut through that with a reciprocating saw blade. Those old dogs learned a new trick that day!
Thanks James, was waiting on the answer and now we know! Have a good week and Happy Thanksgiving Day to all. Fred. 🙏🏻🙏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻✋🏻✋🏻
I have a Jet JwBS 14SFX fitted with a 3/4’’ wood slicer blade. I resawed some thick zebra wood into 1/16” veneer and it completely destroyed the blade, all 116 inches and over 400 individual teeth. I had to scrape off the resin, resharpen and reset each tooth. These are not cheap blades and I can’t be replacing them every time I resaw some exotics. Maybe carbide is the way to go.
I have also purchased a 145" resew king for my laguna. Was a tough purchase, but I cannot imagine a better cut from a bandsaw. What do you recommend HSS blades for those tighter curves? I've been looking for a 1/4' blade for a while, but they are tough to come by at 145". Thank and take care.
I'm not a woodworker, but don't they make bi-metal (M42 cobalt tipped) bandsaw blades for woodworking?
So much better with words.
😁
Not a bad cost at all. I have a diamond grit blade in my 15" saw, and it was about $100 about 12 to 14 years ago... probably well over $250 now. Now, I'm cutting hardened steel, not wood. But the best blade you can get, will last and last and last. I went from $20 to $30 bi-metal custom blades made by a local shop every couple months, to not needing a blade in a decade. Well Worth it.
At the time I was offered custom curf cut blades in carbide, but for my application, for metal, I opted for diamond(designed to be run with coolant for stone cutting, I've run it dry for cutting steel for years without issue) so I could cut hardened knife steel. I wish the guy was still in business, I'd get a nice carbide blade for general wood work(as I recall he did them in a nice 1/4" width like the diamond blades.), nd st this point I do need a new diamond blade...
But yeah, get the best blade you can, quality of cut improves significantly, and so does blade longevity.
;Very informative. Thank you.
Joe Z
I’m not a woodworker, but I like watching knowledgeable craftsmen ply their trade.
Love this channel James...honest opinions and tons of great content 🎯✔️
I do a lot of resawing on my 18 inch General and the Wood slicer from Highland is all I use.
I bought a 3/4” blade for my 14” bandsaw a few years back for like $40. I believe it’s a Lenox blade. My dumb ass just took straight firewood logs, and ran them through the bandsaw to make some boards. Which would have been fine if I was thinking ahead enough to brush the dirt and stuff off the bark. The blade isn’t dull by any means, but certainly duller than it would have been if I brushed the wood off first.
I’ll probably just touch it up with a dremel if it gets too dull. I don’t do a whole lot of woodworking anymore, so eh. If I can sharpen it enough to make it last a few more cuts than I’ll be happy.
You need diamond to sharpen carbide. A freewheel with a diamond would be WAY too aggressive. Get a diamond file and a few strikes will clean them up.
Bavo! Your explanations are so clear and complete. They are a pleasure to hear.
I put a 1.25" Resaw King on my 18" Laguna bandsaw when I purchased the saw. Its an absolutely great blade! Well worth the investment!!