Highland Woodworking Wood Slicer Resawing Band Saw Blade

Matt Clara

Matt Clara

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I've been using Timberwolf's 3/4" thin kerf blade for resawing for several years now, and honestly haven't tried anything else since I bought my big Grizzly band saw. I've been satisfied for the most part, the only issue is it leaves some marks, like, every time, so that I can't resaw as thin as I'd like, because I have to leave enough on there to sand those marks out. Someone here (Kekani or Beau, I think--could be wrong) mentioned that Timberwolf dulled too quickly, too, and when it recently came time to get a new one as mine was dull, I did a little research and ended up buying a 1/2" "Wood Slicer" blade from Highland Woodworking. Put it on today and did a test cut. Oh, my, god, the thing went through oak like it was nothing and left hardly any marks at all. I immediately did a bunch of resawing, and can honestly say it out performed the Timberwolf by a large margin. If it stays sharp even half as long as the Timberwolf, I'd still buy another. Just an FYI, as it were. :)
 
For re-sawing, I mainly use the Lennox Woodmaster CT blades. I have seen some variation in quality from blade to blade, in the marks left by the cut. I still buy them. Good blades. Only one blade did I have to send back, and it was quickly replaced.
 
I often use the Lenox wood master CT as well. But the wood slicer blade has a kerf that is .025 whereas the wood master ct has a .050 kerf. That can matter if you want the best looking bookmatches. You can also run the wood slicer blades on a 14 inch saw if you need to. Having said that any advantage in thin kerf is lost the minute the blade gets the least bit dull and the CT blades will stay short many times longer.
 
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I converted my Hitachi CB75 from the 3" Stellite to the bearing guides, so I can use 1" blades (or 3/4"). Been through the Timberwolf (dulls too fast) and the Woodslicer (one of the best surface finishes, in a very thin kerf, dulls too fast). I liked both blades and would've had no reason to look elsewhere, except that I was going through too many of them. And they dull right in the middle of a cut, then trashed the rest of the cut - basically, waste. . .

I was recommended a Lenox Bi-metal blade. I liked it (looks like a Laguna Resaw King) while it lasted, but it seemed to heat up as well. Tried a larger kerf Lenox Woodmaster B (I think), and it goes through like buttah! I'll use this one to break down logs. Didn't want to commit to the Woodmaster CT, due to price.

That was stupid, sort of. I was given a Woodmaster CT (two actually, along with some more B's and C's, I think), so maybe its good that I held off. That blade hasn't come off my saw since I mounted it. Not as fine finish as the Woodslicer (but very close), and larger kerf (but not by much when it comes down to thousanths), but very straight cut. Seriously, I can probably resaw at .115 or less, depending on what I'm cutting, and how slow I go.

Rick Turner was the one that mentioned there are way better blades in the 1" range than the 3" range, which is what made me curious about converting. I gave my extra 3" guides away.

The CB75 is called a 14" saw, but it actually has 16" wheels (I usually relate the size to the wheels, not sure why). Two things at play as you already know, wheel diameter and tension. Too small a diameter is not good for thicker kerf blades (so go with less than 1", more like 3/4"). And your saw has to be able to tension the blade.
 
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I use a MiniMax MM16. I would like to get a small 14" saw to just leave setup with the 1/4" blade, and leave the wider blade on the MM16 for resawing.

Right now it is set up with a modified Biesemeyer fence with a shop built fence attachment to raise the effective fence height. I would like to build a heavier metal fence that might be bolted to the table top, and small power feed and a step controller to slow the feed rate even more for greater accuracy, and cutting difficult woods. The built in speed controls on many stock feeders is still a little too fast for me. I still have to push the boards through by hand, and adjust the feather boards every cut when slicing deep cuts. At my best, variation in the cut over the length of a longer board due mostly to human error, probably costs an extra 0.010" per slice, maybe more. With a well set up power feed this should get a lot tighter.

I also use a blade tension guage. It is a precision dial indicator that clamps onto the blade and measures blade stretch. This is not necessary, I lived without one for years, but after using it for the past 5 years or so, I like the predictability in setup that I get with it. Some individual thin slices of wood can be worth hundreds of dollars, so I find this tool to be very worth the investment.

I regularly saw veneers at a little over 0.110" that surface cleanly at about 0.070" - 0.080" across their surface.
 
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Chris_H said:
I use a MiniMax MM16. I would like to get a small 14" saw to just leave setup with the 1/4" blade, and leave the wider blade on the MM16 for resawing. . . .
I regularly saw veneers at a little over 0.110" that surface cleanly at about 0.070" - 0.080" across their surface.
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I used to have a Delta 10" (or was it 9") just for the small stuff. I was looking for a 12", but I guess because they're so close to a 14", you don't see them anymore. I probably would've picked up a Grizzly, if shipping wasn't an issue (I actually like their stuff), but picked up a Porter Cable 14" locally. Yup, PC. Its cheap, for sure. Installed cool blocks (not worth it to install Carter's), and set it up good. As you know, set up is the key. $400 (less than that) and I was in bidness.

I love having two saws setup ready to go, one for resawing and one with a 1/4" blade. You will too.

I think I cut about the same - .110-.115 and thickness down. For sides, they clean up at around .090, which I like.
 
At current prices you can get three Woodslicers for the price of one Lenox. I don't know if that means anything to most people, but to some it might.
 
ModlrMike said:
At current prices you can get three Woodslicers for the price of one Lenox. I don't know if that means anything to most people, but to some it might.
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Because of the excellent cut of the Woodslicer, this is exactly the reason I didn't drop $$$ on a CT.

Like most things, you pay for what you get. Once I ran through enough Woodslicers (and Timberwolf's), and wasted cuts, and acquired my CT, I don't look for sawblades anymore.

If I had to do it again, I'd do it the same, just because of the lessons learned in tensioning and using the thin kerf blades. I was actually thinking of getting another Woodslicer just for pieces like fretboards and bridges (read: Ebony is expensive).

But I'm too lazy to order it, and too lazy to mount it.
 
Ive little experinece with different blades on my 14" band saw-
I've tried the (i think) 3/4" Timberwolf and it cut well through 2" african blackwood and Beauzilian RW but dulled, but it was tough wood.

Ill try the Woodslicer next :)
 
I just installed the 1/2" wood slicer on my 14" band saw. OMG! This blades cuts like a laser! I resawed some redwood tops from a billet I cut. Just like butter. Thanks for the tip on this mighty blade!
 
Resaw

gspears said:
I just installed the 1/2" wood slicer on my 14" band saw. OMG! This blades cuts like a laser! I resawed some redwood tops from a billet I cut. Just like butter. Thanks for the tip on this mighty blade!
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I been using the Lennox Woodmaster CT resaw blade to cut my sets with the last couple years thanks to Chuck Moore. Best blade that I have used yet. The thing that I notice the most out of this blade is that it resaws very straight and true even when it starts to get slightly dull. All the other blades that I have used in the past, as soon as it gets slightly dull, it starts wandering. And throwing high grade koa away is really very disturbing.Just cut 11 plus tops/backs/side sets and the blade is slowing down quit a bit but still cutting true. Thank goodness for the drum sander at this point. Probably cost me $10. to cut each set that I sell. Would love to find either a better blade that last longer or a cheaper one that does the same job but I know of no other blade.
 

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My first of the carbide tipped bandsaw blades was the Laguna Resaw King. It broke at the weld fairly quickly on my Mini Max MM16. That is an expensive blade at $300ish. The first Woodmaster CT I put on cut more smoothly, A better blade, IMO. I have seen 2 of these CT blades break after substantial use, and had to return another one due to a poor alignment at the weld, which yielded a poor cut. They replaced it no questions ask. Currently, I have 3 of these blades, one that has seen quite a bit of use, another that has cut a couple boards, and another that is still new. Great blades. Tonewood, your mention of 11 sets, top/backs/sides, and slowing down, ... that seems really conservative of the capabilities of one of these blades. Seems like I may be near 100 sets, or more, equivalent, with the blade I am currently using. Yes, it is definitely slower than when new, but it does not wander. I use a tension gauge, and tension the CT to 25,000 psi. $10 per set, is that labor? Surely it is not the cost of the blade. I am not cutting wood with bark (thus dirt) but I cut almost exclusively, hard and dense hardwoods. Koa is easy cutting.

Yes, I totally agree about the feeling when the blade wanders... One slice of premium wood can be worth way more than the cost of a Woodmaster CT blade. One wandering cut due to a dull blade, and that blade is done. Fortunately I have only had a couple of really bad wandering passes.. One was a 15" deep cut in highly figured Bubinga, so I granted the blade a little grace on that one, chalked it up to operator error for asking too much.

Yep, happy with theWoodmaster CT.
 
Resaw

Chris_H said:
My first of the carbide tipped bandsaw blades was the Laguna Resaw King. It broke at the weld fairly quickly on my Mini Max MM16. That is an expensive blade at $300ish. The first Woodmaster CT I put on cut more smoothly, A better blade, IMO. I have seen 2 of these CT blades break after substantial use, and had to return another one due to a poor alignment at the weld, which yielded a poor cut. They replaced it no questions ask. Currently, I have 3 of these blades, one that has seen quite a bit of use, another that has cut a couple boards, and another that is still new. Great blades. Tonewood, your mention of 11 sets, top/backs/sides, and slowing down, ... that seems really conservative of the capabilities of one of these blades. Seems like I may be near 100 sets, or more, equivalent, with the blade I am currently using. Yes, it is definitely slower than when new, but it does not wander. I use a tension gauge, and tension the CT to 25,000 psi. $10 per set, is that labor? Surely it is not the cost of the blade. I am not cutting wood with bark (thus dirt) but I cut almost exclusively, hard and dense hardwoods. Koa is easy cutting.

Yes, I totally agree about the feeling when the blade wanders... One slice of premium wood can be worth way more than the cost of a Woodmaster CT blade. One wandering cut due to a dull blade, and that blade is done. Fortunately I have only had a couple of really bad wandering passes.. One was a 15" deep cut in highly figured Bubinga, so I granted the blade a little grace on that one, chalked it up to operator error for asking too much.

Yep, happy with theWoodmaster CT.
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Chris, I think each blade cost me $130. plus shipping. After resawing no more than 10 full tenor sets the blade still cuts but has slowed down significantly. I did purchase some time ago a powerfeeder for my Resaw that would at least let me walk away from the cuts that start slowing down, but I never got around to retrofitting to fit my saw yet.But along with the slowing down, at that point the blade starts leaving a lot more chatter on the cut which just means multiple passes through the drum sander. I like to have my sets finished at 3/16ths and multiple passes through the sander start changing that measurement slowly but surely.That process also starts changing your book match. But what comes after the slowing is you start noticing the saw dust starts to darken, which means it is starting to get very hot, to much friction. I use a blade lubricant at this point.That same blade I can cut mango or milo with all day. Koa kills blades about like teak does. So that $10. per set is not my time calculated in there. Its just, bottom line, the blade is almost useless at that point, time to order another blade.I am sure if all I needed was a set a day I could probably get a lot more sets out of it. But for any kind of production work where a builder is ordering 100-200 sets. Forget it. Perhaps I am doing something wrong. Maybe all I need to do is clean the blade, or am I tensioning the blade to much or not enough. The whole thing is just a big learning curve for me and I am slowly learning.
 
That is interesting.. It does not sound like my experience at all, but I do not doubt you at all, either. Most of the Koa I have been cutting has come from a pile that has been sitting here in my town for about 30+ years, though I have purchased several boards more recently shipped over. You have undoubtedly cut much more Koa than I have. I have not yet seen burning saw dust when resawing, as I think I might be replacing the blades sooner than that. Could where wood came from could have to do with how it cuts? A few weeks ago I cut around 100 slices in a morning, mostly Cocobolo, but 13 slices of Koa, 7' long, by 9" deep, plus Indian Rosewood, Wenge, and some Makore. An older blade snapped, in that session, but it had seen a good amount of use, and 25,000 psi feels like a significant amount of tension. I did not notice the Koa dulling the blade. I will watch more carefully next time. That really surprises me that it is so few sets to dull a blade.

What are you using as a lubricant? How do you keep the inner workings/ wheels, of the saw from gumming up due to the liquid? Is it such a reduced flow that it just leaves damp sawdust? or is it enough liquid that it leaves wet , dripping sawdust?

I look forward to getting a power feed hooked up. There is a kind of controller that can electronically step the speed of most standard power feeds, down to a very, very slow feed. I will go look at what it is and post back. Without it, the slowest setting on the power feed on the 36" resaw in the shop next door was still too fast for really hard woods, so I never used it. With that little electrical controller, it can be set too slow, and it allows precise adjustment.

Thanks for posting that Tonewood. Next time I cut Koa, I will probably notice what you just mentioned...
 
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Resaw koa

Chris_H said:
That is interesting.. It does not sound like my experience at all, but I do not doubt you at all, either. Most of the Koa I have been cutting has come from a pile that has been sitting here in my town for about 30+ years, though I have purchased several boards more recently shipped over. You have undoubtedly cut much more Koa than I have. I have not yet seen burning saw dust when resawing, as I think I might be replacing the blades sooner than that. Could where wood came from could have to do with how it cuts? A few weeks ago I cut around 100 slices in a morning, mostly Cocobolo, but 13 slices of Koa, 7' long, by 9" deep, plus Indian Rosewood, Wenge, and some Makore. An older blade snapped, in that session, but it had seen a good amount of use, and 25,000 psi feels like a significant amount of tension. I did not notice the Koa dulling the blade. I will watch more carefully next time. That really surprises me that it is so few sets to dull a blade.

What are you using as a lubricant? How do you keep the inner workings/ wheels, of the saw from gumming up due to the liquid? Is it such a reduced flow that it just leaves damp sawdust? or is it enough liquid that it leaves wet , dripping sawdust?

I look forward to getting a power feed hooked up. There is a kind of controller that can electronically step the speed of most standard power feeds, down to a very, very slow feed. I will go look at what it is and post back. Without it, the slowest setting on the power feed on the 36" resaw in the shop next door was still too fast for really hard woods, so I never used it. With that little electrical controller, it can be set too slow, and it allows precise adjustment.

Thanks for posting that Tonewood. Next time I cut Koa, I will probably notice what you just mentioned...
Click to expand...

Chris,
Chris, The powerfeed unit that I purchased from Laguna Tools has a variable speed option. Think it cost about $900. It looks nice.Just have not gotten to retrofitting to my saw. The blade lubricant I use is in a stick form.Made by Oldham. I also sometimes just shoot WD40 on the blade.But that can be a bit of a possible fire hazard.Its quit possible that the true culprit hear is just buildup on the blade of the resins in the wood. So perhaps as soon as I notice any kind of bogging of the cut, maybe that is when you have to stop cutting and clean the blade before you introduce to much friction/heat to the metal. Hope that is all it is. But I am not cutting green wood and I don't visible see much on the blade ever. I tell yah, pulling the blade off, to throw it in a vat of solvent for disolving the buildup on the blade sounds like a lot of fun. Whats really a drag, at least for my 3 hp setup is cutting koa guitar sets. Although I never bog the motor down, I was going to swap out motors for more horse power. But really that is not the culprit for me. Its that blade, those first few cuts are effortless, then it just starts going down hill from there. Such is life.
 
Lenox CT, Noga spray, Band Ade. The blade hasn't deteriorated at all for about 20 sets, plus the occasional baltic birch ply, whichnis stupid, but the saw is right there for quick cuts. Also cut bindings, fretboards, etc.

Somethings wrong with your setup, and learning on Koa is not a good thing. Not that I'm the expert, but if you want me to take a look. . .
 
Resaw

Kekani said:
Lenox CT, Noga spray, Band Ade. The blade hasn't deteriorated at all for about 20 sets, plus the occasional baltic birch ply, whichnis stupid, but the saw is right there for quick cuts. Also cut bindings, fretboards, etc.

Somethings wrong with your setup, and learning on Koa is not a good thing. Not that I'm the expert, but if you want me to take a look. . .
Click to expand...

I think you are probably right Kekani. Perhaps something slightly off in my set up. But when I put a framing square on the table and put it next to the blade everything is looking very square. Not sure what is left to do after that. What does Noga spray and band aid do for you?
 
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