Official Luthiers Forum!

I have read the write up from Highland Hardware on their wood slicer resaw blade. Is it really as good as they say? Is the kerf really that thin? Does it last longer than a regular carbon tipped blade? I have some wood to resaw that is less than one inch in thickness. Want to get four pieces out of it. A thinner kerf would really help.

Thanks
Ken

I don't know if I can answer all your questions, but I will say they work very well and leave a nice thin kerf.
I sure they don't last as long as a good carbide tipped blade.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

I have used the ones from Iturra, which are I am pretty sure are the exact same blade. I have an underpowered saw and am mostly cutting less than 5" but the cut is really fantastic. Once it starts to dull it wanders pretty bad for me and I figure in dense woods i have about 20-25 cuts for 1 blade before that starts.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Nice blade, but won't last. I bought two lennox carbide blades. I only got twenty or so slices out of the highlander and screwed up a nice piece of engelman.
That was it for me.
Peter

Had one 5-6 years ago. It ruined a 9" wide block of curly bigleaf maple the first time I tried it. It felt dull to the touch after that one cut. I tossed it.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I have the Iturra version. It makes a nice cut surface, but I never did get it to resaw properly without wandering or bowing of the cut, right from the start.

I recently upgraded to a 2 HP motor, and put on a Lenox trimaster at the same time. Resaw cuts are now right on the mark.
The Trimaster is not particularly thin kerfed, though, so I thought I'd try the Iturra blade again to see if I could get a better yield. Even with the new motor, I still have trouble with that blade. I'd like to try another someday in case that one was a dud.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I wasn't too happy with the performance of my Woodslicer blade. I don't think the blade is thick enough to provide the strength needed to be stable. I was much happier with the performance of the blades I got from Suffolk Machinery of the Timberwolf brand.

I would mention one thing. It is extremely important that you set the correct tension for bandsaw blades. And there is no other way to really do this except for buying a tension gauge. I got mine for Iturra and it was reasonably priced and very well-made.

That said, I researched the different resaw blades and in my mind, there is only one perfect one. It is the carbide blade from Timberwolf. It is especially designed for hardwoods. I have used mine to do a substantial amount of resawing. It is still as sharp as the day I got it and I have cut thru woods like Desert Ironwood - one of the densest and most brutal woods to cut on the planet. For what its worth, this is the blade that Taylor uses on his bandsaws. But you need a big saw that has a strong frame to run this blade. I have a 24" bandsaw but you could still use it on an 18".

All the best,
Simon

Thanks to everyone for the information. I think I will just stick with my carbide flexback Lennox blades. I will use a 1/2 inch to minimize the kerf. They are cheap and have always been very dependable no matter what wood I am resawing.

Woodslicers or Bladerunners make a very low loss, smooth cut. The cost of being able to make such a cut is a very tight tooth set. This does make them very touchy. If you are doing wide resaws, especially with woods that tend to be difficult to clear the cut, it becomes very risky. Because they are high carbon and not carbide it is also easier to dull one side of the teeth more than the other and that can lead to drift fairly quickly (again not a big set, so it the blade is very intolerant). Great blades for what they are, but you need to know their limits and what makes them desirable can also make them less desirable.

Rich

Thanks for that info, thast is interesting. I knew it drifted, but didn't know why. To clarify, I am not dissapointed with the number of cuts. For the quality of the cut and the higher yield, 20-25 cuts is very acceptable to me. I just don't use it all the time, only when that thin kerf makes getting the extra piece possible.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

I just tried out my new Highland Hardware woodslicer blade. I am impressed! I was ready to toss this piece, but with the woodslicer I'll be using it for the back of my peghead.
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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Chris,
I'm happy for ya, but I'm telling you that's all I got out of the blade. I cut some walnut and chestnut and screwed up a englemen billet. I have a 16" mini max with a 3.6hp motor European guides got it tensioned right. I have another wood-slicer blade I might put on a some point, but the next blade I'm putting on is a carbide lennox. The cuts I did make were fine, maybe I got a bad blade, but if the quality control isn't any better than this I'm staying away. What Rich said does make sense. I glad for you, but don't understand how we can have such different results from the same blade.
Peter LaMorte

Chris,
I hope you are right! I am not an expert on resawing and what I can get out of my very small saw I feel lucky for. Just to clarify, the 20-25 cuts are specifically resawing hardwoods; ebony, cocobolo, and the other rosewoods. I would expect it to last longer in mahogany and for everyday use I could easily leave it on there for a while. My issue is with resawing those very hard woods only. A timberwolf 3/8 x 3 blade will last much longer for me and never wander, even when going dull and struggling through a cut. That blade, though, will not give that beautiful surface that the woodslicer will even on its first cut. I would expect too that if I upgraded my saw I would get a little better yield (better tension control, better guides) but most of the people I have spoken with around here assume under 30 perfect cuts and plan accordingly with that blade. I would be interested to see your setup.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Often times a gummed up blade acts up and the assumption is that it has dulled, which often is not the case. Cleaning your blade frequently is a very good idea. It is an especially good idea with a blade that is as touchy as a woodslicer. A small amount of buildup can start to turn a blade that cuts with a very thin set. It can also choke the blades gullets and hurt the ability to remove the material (which again is a touchy subject because tight sets don't do well with buildup).

I don't really think a woodslicer would lose its sharp any faster than other carbon blades. A carbon blade with a wider set will tolerate things much better than the woodslicer. I have gummed a woodslicer with Cocobolo before I could get two cuts, after a quick brush and wipe it could make another great cut. Some woods will certainly dull a carbon blade quicker(say Ebony, Koa and such), not just load the blade with gunk. Woods like Limba, Khaya, Myrtle cut like butter, don't gum very much and you will get plenty of cuts with no issues.

There is a higher degree of risk in using a low loss blade, but sometimes the wood you are cutting is worth taking more time and care to try to push that extra slice. I do use woodslicers occasionally, but for the most part I use more tolerant/reliable blades. Speed and reliability vs material cost/availability are just something you have to weigh out for yourself.

I can relate to what everyone is saying about woodslicers. I have had good runs with them when cutting certain woods, others just through me for a loop. In the end my gut tells me it comes down to the tooth set, and issues that revolve around it.

Rich