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 I just got a price quote of $101.14 for 106" 1/2 tri-master and $111.14 for the 3/4". the place is U-Cut Enterprises in Jamesville, NY-Contact is Connie Flannigan- I was calling about something else when see asked me what blades I resaw with. Primarily they sell and sharpen bandmill blades that are 1 1/4 wide. There is no welding charge and the turn around is 6 business days they have to get them from Lenox. I just ordered one from Cyber woodworking and I paid $125 including shipping.

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Bill what size saw you running.

The Lenox Carbide was quoting 18 inch bandsaw, I know they were selling it for 17 inch saws too and having good luck.

My current Lenox on my 18 did it's time, and needs a replacement. Yep, they all come made up from Lenox, QC issue I bet or not everyone can weld the backing?

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I get my blades from Detroit Band Saw (it's 20 minutes from my shop and
they weld while I wait), and they've been very competitive in their pricing. I
actually have to go get some blades tomorrow and I'll check their Tri-master
pricing while I'm there.

For the plain old Morse FlexBack blades I usually buy, they are as cheap or
cheaper than any place I've found online.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

David what Morse blade are you using? I've had great luck cutting with carbide but still would like to have some steel backup blades.

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Bruce, I just use the regular hard edge flex back blades because they're
cheap. I have two band saws both set up for general use, one with a course
3/8"-1/2" for woods, the other usually finer tooth 1/4"-3/8" for non-
woods. Neither are set up for resawing, and both are regularly abused. In
any given day I'm likely to cut as much aluminum, bone, corian, plastic,
plywood, brass, etc., as I cut hardwoods. I destroy blades, belts and discs
very carelessly, and since I'm not going to change blades every time I enter
the tool room I prefer to get ones cheap enough to consider all purpose and
disposable.

I should get a good blade like a Tri-Master though for the occasional
resawing session. Problem is that the saw I use for that takes a 141" blade,
so it gets a bit more expensive.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

[QUOTE=ToddStock] The Trimaster is suitable for lots of materials - made for non-ferrous metals and hardened steels (tool steel,bearing steel, etc.), [/QUOTE]

no no no...don't even think it. You're thinking "bi-metal" type bands which are made for metal cutting and happen to be used for some wood applications.

"Trimaster" is the trade name Lenox carbide tipped band made only for wood. Hit a nail with this sucker and you'll be unhappy.

For smaller saws, Lenox has come out with an aluminum band much more flexible for smaller wheels. Make sure you designate this with the seller. Kerf is smaller at .042 also. Lenox sent me two of these aluminum bands gratis for my Laguna to try and I love'em.


Many shops are set up to weld carbide bands, but it does take special equipment and most important...a good welder person. Not all welds are created equal so shop around for who has the best shop tech at the moment.

I have been running a Lennox WoodmasterCT (they just started offering a 1" blade, they used to only offer it in 2")for a bit now, and it has been a very nice. Tuff blade and reliable cuts. The kerf is slightly wider than the Trimaster, and seems to clear the cut a little better. Nice if you want to get a little more aggressive with your feed. Price of the Woodmaster is about $50-75 less depending on who you order from and the length of the blade(140" or better if you are able to use a 1" Carbide on your machine).

Peace,Rich

[QUOTE=Larry Davis] [QUOTE=ToddStock] The Trimaster is suitable for lots of materials - made for non-ferrous metals and hardened steels (tool steel,bearing steel, etc.), [/QUOTE]

no no no...don't even think it. You're thinking "bi-metal" type bands which are made for metal cutting and happen to be used for some wood applications.

"Trimaster" is the trade name Lenox carbide tipped band made only for wood. Hit a nail with this sucker and you'll be unhappy.

For smaller saws, Lenox has come out with an aluminum band much more flexible for smaller wheels. Make sure you designate this with the seller. Kerf is smaller at .042 also. Lenox sent me two of these aluminum bands gratis for my Laguna to try and I love'em.


Many shops are set up to weld carbide bands, but it does take special equipment and most important...a good welder person. Not all welds are created equal so shop around for who has the best shop tech at the moment. [/QUOTE] What is the name or series of the aluminum band you are referring to as I have a smaller saw 14". Thanks

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Blade life? I have a tri-master on order but yesterday I used up a 5/8" resaw blade cutting 8 back sets of walnut and 1 curly cherry also did 3 sets of sides but the blade is shot. I am new to resawing 8 1/2". Is it normal to go throught blades like that. In an earlier post I asked about the wood slicer blade and they said they're great when they're sharp but that is not very long. What is the usable life of a tri-master? Much longer I hope. I think I paid $25 for this tungston impregnated blade maybe I got my moneys worth maybe not. I was just very surprized how fast it went dull and it's made for resawing.

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Todd, from long term personal use of this band I'm not convinced those published application specs are currently accurate..it happens and I'm sure surprised at reading that. I'm going to email my Lenox tech friend and I'll post his answer.

Just ask for the aluminum Tri Master, Greenman. I believe all the new stock is aluminum and it phases out the other according to the Lenox tech.

[QUOTE=Greenman] Blade life? I have a tri-master on order but yesterday I used up a 5/8" resaw blade cutting 8 back sets of walnut and 1 curly cherry also did 3 sets of sides but the blade is shot. I am new to resawing 8 1/2". Is it normal to go throught blades like that. In an earlier post I asked about the wood slicer blade and they said they're great when they're sharp but that is not very long. What is the usable life of a tri-master? Much longer I hope. I think I paid $25 for this tungston impregnated blade maybe I got my moneys worth maybe not. I was just very surprized how fast it went dull and it's made for resawing.[/QUOTE]
I get much much much more life out of my Carbide tipped blades(especially if I am cutting very dense hard woods). I would not hesitate to say it will stay in great shape 5x as long, but this all varies with material. The biggest factor to me is that you can count on the blades performance(very few supprises). If you really want to improve the performance of any blade, be sure to clean it often(and of course your guides and what not). A blade will seem to dull from build up way way before it is dull. Oh, and as always be sure to always release the tension between use .

Peace,Rich

Larry are you sure the band on the Aluminum Master is Aluminum? The Aluminum Master is designed for cutting aluminum and happens to do a fine job on wood. I think it's a more flexable steel band. I use this blade and love it. Aluminum Master Specs

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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

[QUOTE=fryovanni] I have been running a Lennox WoodmasterCT (they just started offering a 1" blade, they used to only offer it in 2")for a bit now, and it has been a very nice. Tuff blade and reliable cuts. The kerf is slightly wider than the Trimaster, and seems to clear the cut a little better. Nice if you want to get a little more aggressive with your feed. Price of the Woodmaster is about $50-75 less depending on who you order from and the length of the blade(140" or better if you are able to use a 1" Carbide on your machine).

Peace,Rich[/QUOTE]
Rich I bougjht one of these blades so I could compare it with the Aluminum Master. I'm not crazy about it. The cut is much rougher than the Aluminum Master but works well on some of the tougher woods. I save it for that purpose. Don't think I'll buy another one.

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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, Didn't we get our last TriMasters from CyberWoodworking? They saw a bunch of wood.

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[QUOTE=Bobc] Larry are you sure the band on the Aluminum Master is Aluminum? The Aluminum Master is designed for cutting aluminum and happens to do a fine job on wood. I think it's a more flexable steel band. I use this blade and love it. Aluminum Master Specs[/QUOTE]

Bob, it's stamped "aluminum" right on the band. When Lenox came out with this they called it "master", but my Lenox tech said it was a sales name thing and to just order the regular Tri Master as it will be aluminum. I'll get it straight from the tech soon as I can.

Just put a magnet up to the blade. That'll tell you right away.

We used Timberwolf ASS blades on our 20 hp Baker machine for years, then tried some Laguna blades...which were expensive and sucked big time. The things just broke, and not necessarily on the weld. This is with 20" wheels and correct tensioning.

We're back to the Timberwolves, and I can cut dozens of sets of maple, cherry, walnut, rosewood...whatever.   Blade cost is less than a buck a set of wood.   They're made on a .025" band with .010" set either way, so the kerf is pretty reasonable at just over .046".

I'm going to give the TriMaster a go...they make a VariTooth 3-4 tpi version that should give a nice smooth cut.   

Oh, I believe the "Aluminum" designation does not mean the band is made out of aluminum, but rather the blade (steel band) is optimized for cutting aluminum.

[QUOTE=fryovanni] [QUOTE=Greenman] Blade life? I have a tri-master on order but yesterday I used up a 5/8" resaw blade cutting 8 back sets of walnut and 1 curly cherry also did 3 sets of sides but the blade is shot. I am new to resawing 8 1/2". Is it normal to go throught blades like that. In an earlier post I asked about the wood slicer blade and they said they're great when they're sharp but that is not very long. What is the usable life of a tri-master? Much longer I hope. I think I paid $25 for this tungston impregnated blade maybe I got my moneys worth maybe not. I was just very surprized how fast it went dull and it's made for resawing.[/QUOTE]
I get much much much more life out of my Carbide tipped blades(especially if I am cutting very dense hard woods). I would not hesitate to say it will stay in great shape 5x as long, but this all varies with material. The biggest factor to me is that you can count on the blades performance(very few supprises). If you really want to improve the performance of any blade, be sure to clean it often(and of course your guides and what not). A blade will seem to dull from build up way way before it is dull. Oh, and as always be sure to always release the tension between use .

Peace,Rich[/QUOTE] Thanks for that tip I spent about 15 minutes cleaning the crap off the blade I was amazed ay the amount of build up. I have cleaned my circular saw blades with ammonia. What works well on bandsaw blades? I kind of scraped this one with a small wire brush and single edge razor blade. But a solvent to loosen it first would be nice. I am going to give this blade another go and see if it is really dull yet.

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 Todd-thanks for the info I will have to file that in my memory bank for future reference. I hate to throw these blades away when they get dull. I have not broken many blades they usually just get dull first. I called U-cut about sharpening for bandmill blades for my neighbor but I asked them if they sharpen other size blades and the answer was no. Does anyone do it? The lady there said it wouldn't be cost effective if the blade had metal fatigue but the only charge $7 to sharpen a bandmill blade. I have been thinking of trying to rig something up on my own. Robert Meadow had an article in an old Fine working about building a jig for his grinder and claimed it worked great he ground the blade especially for ripping. Or maybe I should buy more blades and focus on building guitars. I get sucked into the idea of " I could do that or build that" but is it worth it.

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For those of us not in the US, what is Simple Green?

It is a concentrated cleaning agent(green in color).  It can be mixed with water in varying ratios to generate general cleaning solutions.  Windows, woodwork, cars, boats, etc.  The more concentrated the solution, the stronger.  It will actually soften paint very quickly, in its concentrated form, but, I think, it is "biodegradable".  There are other similar type products, Krud Kutter, Purple(something), and others sold at various hardware and home improvement centers.  It is fairly inexpensive to use, and very versatile.  I didn't know it would take pitch off of a blade though.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

We have stuff called 'green soap' here (biodegradable, cleans everything, blah blah) which I'm guessing is similar. Must try that.

Well, I was 10% correct

I got an email back from my Lenox tech friend and I'll post it in total. My poor experience cutting metal with the Tri Master was a result of ignorance in using it and not because it "couldn't" cut metal

Hopefully his input will provide some answers direct from the horse's mouth so to speak...until the issue comes up again next year at which time I'll post better educated


Hey Larry; Hope all is well with you. First, yes you can use Tri Master to cut metal, just as long as it’s just metal, and you are not running band speeds in excess of 120 feet per minute. What happens when you catch a nail with Tri Master on a wood saw is all up to chance. Sometimes if you just catch the nail with the tip of the saw tooth it will most likely get through it. What carbide doesn’t like is surprises or sudden impacts or vibration, any of those will kill a carbide tooth. If you are cutting wood that you suspect has nails in it, a Bi metal band would be a better choice. But as you know the cut quality is not the same as carbide.

As for Aluminum Master, I have found out that it is the same as Tri Master, the marketing department is the one with the idea of marketing Tri Master under a different name in order to attract customers. There is no aluminum alloy in the product itself, maybe trace amounts, but nothing to really speak of. Aluminum master is targeted towards aluminum foundries for the removal of gates and risers on aluminum castings.

As for guitars, I did get the Maple stratacaster together, it is now waiting for me to take it apart and start sanding. I am still working on getting pictures of it to you. I have even started a Gibson 335 but it has hit a couple of snags, work is busy and there has been a lot of miles, Looks as if I will need to make time rather then waiting to find time. Now if I could only find the time to find some time.