Official Luthiers Forum!

hi guys,


just came in from the shop and i'm so excited i had to share the love....

picked up a new resaw blade on friday, its is awesome.

cuts everything like butter, i was just cutting up snakewood for fingerboards, and i normally hate that, but this blade cuts it like butter,

its called a Hakansson BI-metal M42 with variable pitch, in other words the teeth vary between 4tpi and 6tpi, this thing is designed for cutting exotic metals so it handles exotic hardwoods with no trouble at all, it has just turned my new Centauro CO600 bandsaw into my new best friend,



laters Luthier dudes

paddy

Where did you get it from? The brand name doesn't ring any bells for me.

Jim Kirby

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

hi jim,


i got it from my saw dealer in england, but i just did a google, and found the link for you guys...

http://www.haksaw.com/contact.htm

hope that helps

paddy

I can't speak from experience, but the folks on the woodworking board I
frequent swear by Timberwolf blades, especially for resawing.
http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/contact.asp

Paddy
   Have you cut any thicker material, 8 inches thick as though you were resawing a back? I am wondering if a blade designed for metal will cut really slowly if used on wood. I also wonder if that blade will be more likely to load up with pitch when sawing rosewood, than would a larger, skip toothed blade. I am looking for the perfect blade to do resaw work.

John

hi john,

the reason i bough this blade was on the recommendation of my favoritee uk tonewood supplier, timberline... they resaw all manner of exotic timber, including amazon rosewood, brazilian rosewood, ziricote, macassar ebony, lignum vitae, all in thick 8"+ dimensions, and in large quantities, and they swear by this blade,

www.hakansaw.com

they offer this blade with the PC tooth configuration, which is the same as their standard resaw blade, i.e hook tooth, so as long as you order the bi-metal M42 with variable pitch, and PC tooth configuration, you wont be disappointed,

i'm just going into the shop now to cut a tulipwood (dalbergia frutescens) neck blank for my good friend, and i'll let you know how it performs,

paddy

Hakansson does have blades with less teeth per inch which would help to clear chips easier and feed faster.

In general for resawing you want less teeth per inch in order to keep chips and pitch from heating up in the cut. Because the set of the teeth on the blade is variable it helps to break up the chips much in the smae way that a skip tooth does.

The reason why you are seeing such good results from the hakansson blade is that bimetal blades are stiffer (better tracking in the cut) and have a harder tip (longer blade life). They are worth the additional expense for longer life alone and if the cut is better then it is good.

For resawing wood for tops you may find that 4-6 tpi will be slow feeding so dont force the wood.

[QUOTE=John Kinnaird] Paddy
   Have you cut any thicker material, 8 inches thick as though you were resawing a back? I am wondering if a blade designed for metal will cut really slowly if used on wood. I also wonder if that blade will be more likely to load up with pitch when sawing rosewood, than would a larger, skip toothed blade. I am looking for the perfect blade to do resaw work.

John[/QUOTE]
John I'm afraid you'll have to go with carbide that is unless you want to keep dealing with dull blades.

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Bob
   I am thinking about carbide for sure, but this bimetal thing looked promising.

John I havn't tried this particular blade but all the metal blades including various bi-metal blades I have tried just don't hold up to the tough woods. A true test for me is cutting makore. I've had a brand new Timberwolfe blade die after about 4 slices. Another wood tough on blades is Lacewood from brazil. Tough stuff. There are many more difficult woods. Most of these blades are OK for occasional re-sawing. Serious re-sawing requires carbide IMHO.

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

ok,

just finished a pretty big session of resawing,

1/2 log of snakewood into 3mm slices,
1/2 log tulipwood into 3mm slices,
2" billet of real oily brazilian into headplates,
20 ziricote bridge blanks
3" EIR into 3mm slices,
and 10 slices of flamed sycamore,

blade still cuts fine,

i sure dont have as much experience as bob at cutting woods, but from my experience so far this blade works well.

paddy

Hello Paddy, wee about in england did you get it from
chhers

got it from SE Saws in maidstone

on 01622750177

paddy

cheers paddy!

Hi Heath

Nice to see you, thanks for the information on the blade supplier the other week it was very useful.

Russell

Paddy I'm glad the blade is working well for you. Let me know when you cut some 8-9" tall diffiult hardwoods into backs sets. If you still feel the same about the blade then I'm buying one.

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

hi bob,

the brazilian was 11" tall?

i will keep you posted.... what carbide blade would you recommend?

regards

paddy

I recently read of a set of blade roller guides on one of the woodworking forums that is offered by Iturra Design of Jacksonville, Fla. I couldn't find a website for them and ended up contacting them by phone. (866-883-8064) I asked them about the roller guides and also asked for a copy of their product catalog.   Lo and behold, it arrived today; a 240 page catalog with a tremendous wealth of information about bandsawing and bandsaw products.

They stock just about everything under the sun when it comes to bandsaws; blades, guides, and if you can think of it they probably have it. The person I talked to on the phone was very polite and a pleasure to deal with.

They stock Lennox I, II & series III blades with prices from $10 up to $185 for the lg. carbide tipped blades.

Just the catalog alone (free for the asking) has some great articles about tuning and supercharging your bandsaw and also a comparison of an early Delta 14" saw (circa 1930's) vs. a contemporary one. It is a combination of reference manual, product catalog and also has some great and opinionated articles by Mr. Iturra. Well worth the 800 number phone call to get one. They also have an email address: KALLL@comcast.net.

I'm not affiliated with these people at all but was truly impressed with the wealth of information in the catalog as well as the broad spectrum of products that they carry all specializing in bandsaw applications. Good Stuff!!

_________________
Peter

Paddy I'm not trying to discourage you and I hope you don't read that from my posts. I would like nothing better than to have a less expensive blade do the job. It's just that I havn't found one yet. I've used both the Tomberwolfe and the Lenox Trimaster as well as the Laguna Re-saw King. The Laguna blade cuts the cleanest with the finest kerf when new but it also dulls rather quickly. I have settled on the Lenox for now.

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

John..I've been struggling with the resawing issue for a couple of months now. I've asked a lot of questions, read a lot online and just resolved the issue by trial and error basically. Everyone recommended a 1" blade and that was what I was trying to use. Nothing seemed to work. Nothing seemed to cut the BRW I am working with. However, I found one article online that recommended a 1/2" blade...so I tried that. That basically solved my problem. And to find Carbide blades here in Brazil isn't as easy as in the states. So, I'm using a regular 1/2" blade with 3 teeth per inch. Take extra time making sure everything is set on the saw...guide and roller bearings are adjusted correctly and the depth roller is set correct. Now the resawing is a piece of cake. I'm cutting 9 1/2" wide BRW for backs and they are so accurate a couple passes through the thickness sander and they're done. I'm now enjoying what was a real chore before. I would recommend a 1/2" blade. It's working great for me. Here's an example of the billets I'm cutting.


Bob..I've heard that a lot about Lacewood. Funny thing is I haven't experienced that at all. Actually the Lacewood I have cuts like butter and isn't hard on my blade at all. It's actually very light wood and has a very high tap tone ring to it. It's real high on my list for great tone.Brazilwood38747.8612037037

In general the width of the blade (as you have found) is not as critical as the amount of teeth (less generally being better) as well as a well tuned saw/guides.

The reason why wider blades are using in larger production resaws is that with higher production rates you need a blade that can be run longer without significant wander even when the blade starts to lose its edge, not because a wider blade is any more accurate.

I have done very nice cutting with a good 1/2" blade (w. 3 tpi) and have done poorly with a 1 1/2" blade that was being used to squeeze one more set out before being retired.

I sold woodworking machinery for about 15 years so besides being a tool nut I have way too many machines (left from my machinery days). I have a 12" Walker Turner bandsaw (similar to what Cumpiano has pictures of in his book) setup for scroll cuts (1/4", 6t. skip), a 14" Rockwell/Delta w. height adapter (1/2", 3t. skip), and a 24" band resaw (3", 1 1/2t. carbide). Because I can resaw on either the Resaw or 14", I will use the resaw for large runs but still use the 14" for sides and small billets and it works fine.

I have gotten good results from bi-metal but because of really tough stuff and laziness (not wanting to change blades) I use carbide. In the end it is a trade-off...carbide cost alot more than bi-metal but last longer just as bi-metal costs more than regular blades but lasts longer.

Use what you can afford and justify based on what you cut, how much you cut, and what your saw can handle, just dont use cheap blades as they are frustrating, cut poorly and dont last. Blades like the Timberwolf and such are great all around blades and track really well.

i dont read that at all bob,

all advice is always more than welcome,



thanks

paddy

Helo Russell, hope your well, no probs, I gonna be building a new sledge for my fingerboards next weekend, got the plans off here, very handy site with great people, looked at your website nice work man!!!

[QUOTE=Brazilwood] Bob..I've heard that a lot about Lacewood. Funny thing is I haven't experienced that at all. Actually the Lacewood I have cuts like butter and isn't hard on my blade at all. It's actually very light wood and has a very high tap tone ring to it. It's real high on my list for great tone.[/QUOTE]
Jeff those are some fine looking billets. Jeff the Lacewood I have is anything but light. It is from Brazil.(Roupala Brasiliensis)Bobc38748.1811921296

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Bob,

I have been using Laguna's Resaw King; how much longer does Lenox the blade last? Can it be sharpened? I have noticed that the Resaw King dulls a little faster than I expected, but it can be resharpened a few times at a modest cost.