Best bandmill blade? Help me find it!

[Burlhunter13]

He guys, haven't posted in a while, but always up here. Just curious as to what blades you running on your mills and the average life you get when correct tension is kept and logs are debarked? I mill mostly hardwoods (hickory/maple/oak/walnut) I hear good things about "Timberwolf" and "Cooks super sharp".....others? Any imput would help, gotta put a new order through. Thanks!!!!

 

[peterrum]

I use Woodmizers Silvertip but mostly on softwood. I have cut some birch with it though and I was quite happy with the results. I couldnt tell you how much I cut before I have to change blades but it might be somewhere around 1000 bf.

 

[hamish]

Not many manufactures can stay in buisness if they are making a bad product, so with bands whats work for one may not work for the other.

I too am somewhat new to milling so I tried alot of different bands to see what suited me and my style of cutting, so far they are as follows ranked in order.
1-dakin flathers ripper37
2-mk morse quiksilver flexback
3-r&d goldlines
4-lennox woodmaster c
5-starret woodpecker

Taking into account species being cut, ease of sharpening and most important tooth set (if my teeth aren't set for the task at hand even the laser7000 bearing enhanced super slicers wont do anything different than the cheapest chunk of banding iron). Blade life and longevity/number of resharps etc... well there are too many variables, it basically comes down to a cost issue, sit down get quotes all in (bands, shipping, handling, taxes) as see who wins, many times the cheapest band is not the least expensive.

Do more expensive bands = greater quality? nope I can pay anywhere from $18.42 to $35.17 for the same identical band and that is just for the band not shipping etc...

I pays to shop around.

Personally myself I have been very impressed with the Quiksilvers from MK Morse, priced right, take a beating and can cut most anything (incl. steel, lead etc...), yet for the times when my wallet is fatter its definately the ripper37, in clean wood with the proper set i can run almost double the time of any other band.


Try a bunch of different bands, its the only way to know what will work for you.

 

[Burlhunter13]

Thanks guys, I currently have MunkforsSagar from coleman sawmill supply. They cut decent in softer woods....but the hardwoods, not for very long. I read about the quick silver from morse and the silvertip from woodmizer both seem like good blades.

I think Im stuck between Timberwolf, Cooks Supersharp, and Woodmizers silvertip.

Here is a cool chart I found, this should help anyone in my spot! Found exactly what I need. A Chart with all the set and hook angles....

Set And Hook Angles | Suffolk Machinery - Timber Wolf Bandsaw Blades

 

[windturbineman]

I am currently running cooks SS blades on my LT40HYDRO and I started out really liking them. The first box I bought was probably some of the best blades I have ever ran. They did stay sharper longer than the other blades I have tried but the SS blades were cracking sooner than the others. I have had two boxes since and out of the box the tips on the teeth were chipped like they were made of glass. I had to have 15 of the 20 blades sharpened before I could even use them. My freind got a box of cooks magnum SS blades that one side of the blades were not set at all. I will say when the SS blades are sharp and set right they are great but I am having second thoughts on getting any more. I am trying suffolk timber wolf now and they seem to be very good also but I have not put enough time on them to really see if they are worth the $$. I started running woodmaster C blades and may end up going back to them. The lenox blades were cheaper, lasted for more sharpenings and stayed sharp very well. So, for me it will depend on how the timber wolfs work out but i'm thinking for the money woodmaster C is tough to beat. I cut mostly spruce, pine and hemlock. Hope this helps.

 

[stihl038x2]

Not many manufactures can stay in buisness if they are making a bad product, so with bands whats work for one may not work for the other.

I too am somewhat new to milling so I tried alot of different bands to see what suited me and my style of cutting, so far they are as follows ranked in order.
1-dakin flathers ripper37
2-mk morse quiksilver flexback
3-r&d goldlines
4-lennox woodmaster c
5-starret woodpecker

Taking into account species being cut, ease of sharpening and most important tooth set (if my teeth aren't set for the task at hand even the laser7000 bearing enhanced super slicers wont do anything different than the cheapest chunk of banding iron). Blade life and longevity/number of resharps etc... well there are too many variables, it basically comes down to a cost issue, sit down get quotes all in (bands, shipping, handling, taxes) as see who wins, many times the cheapest band is not the least expensive.

Do more expensive bands = greater quality? nope I can pay anywhere from $18.42 to $35.17 for the same identical band and that is just for the band not shipping etc...

I pays to shop around.

Personally myself I have been very impressed with the Quiksilvers from MK Morse, priced right, take a beating and can cut most anything (incl. steel, lead etc...), yet for the times when my wallet is fatter its definately the ripper37, in clean wood with the proper set i can run almost double the time of any other band.


Try a bunch of different bands, its the only way to know what will work for you.

Hamish, I'm new to milling (just picked up a "lightly" used LT15) too. I'm in Ontario also & was wondering if you could PM me where to get those different blades. The mill came with WM Doublesharp blades but might like to try something different once I get going.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[TraditionalTool]

When I bought my mill I got about 2 dozen Norwood blades, and maybe 2 or 3 were new. I then bought 20 Cooks Super Sharps, and they are good for me, I've used only about a half dozen, but they cut nice...however, a friend of mine bought a couple Cooks Sharpeners used and Tim Cooks refused to sell him the cams he needed for his Woodmizer blades, and I don't like that type of customer service.

I will be switching over to Lenox blades, as a friend of mine has been using them for years and loves them.

Not sure if this helps, there is nothing wrong with the Cooks Super Sharps, I'm just looking for a company that provides better customer support than what I have heard about with Cooks.

 

[windturbineman]

I'm just looking for a company that provides better customer support than what I have heard about with Cooks.

When I reported my blade issue(chipped teeth on brand new blades) to cooks they told me that they had never heard of that happening before. That is bad responce to tell someone that is haveing problemes with their product, after they told me that about five times I realized cooks was not for me. They acted as if I were lying to them. Cooks blades are darn good but not good enough that I wouldnt switch back to another brand due to them not admitting a problem. I am going to put more time on the SUFFOLK timber wolf blades today, I will report back.

 

[TraditionalTool]

When I reported my blade issue(chipped teeth on brand new blades) to cooks they told me that they had never heard of that happening before. That is bad responce to tell someone that is haveing problemes with their product, after they told me that about five times I realized cooks was not for me. They acted as if I were lying to them. Cooks blades are darn good but not good enough that I wouldnt switch back to another brand due to them not admitting a problem. I am going to put more time on the SUFFOLK timber wolf blades today, I will report back.

I don't like that either.

As consumers we need to stick together and give our business to folks that truly do care about their customers, and who do provide the best service they can. I don't expect things to be perfect, I just expect some service rather than being told to go suck a hard boiled egg...:tongue2:

Please do post on your experience with the Suffolk blades.

 

[mikeb1079]

i've been running woodmizer's 4 degree doublehard. i've been satisfied so far but haven't kept track of board foot per band. i'm just starting out so when it's time to reorder i'll try some different bands just out of curiousity. i cut primarily green hardwoods ranging from 1000 to 1500 on the janka scale.

has anyone else tried the 4 degree bands?

 

[qbilder]

i've been running woodmizer's 4 degree doublehard. i've been satisfied so far but haven't kept track of board foot per band. i'm just starting out so when it's time to reorder i'll try some different bands just out of curiousity. i cut primarily green hardwoods ranging from 1000 to 1500 on the janka scale.

has anyone else tried the 4 degree bands?

Would you recommend 4 deg. for hard maple? I'm currently using 7 deg. & to be honest, they cut very rough compared to the Lenox I was using and don't last as long. Going to try something else next go around but not sure what yet. I might try 4 deg. as they may give me more life.

 

[Burlhunter13]

That was my next question as well. How the 4 degree compared to a 7 or 8 degree for green hardwoods. I cut lots of hickory/cherry/oak. And I want something that will cut stable for as long as possible.....im not too worried about the finish it leaves...the wood will warp and later get the wrath of planner anyway.

Windturbineman
Thanks for the heads up on cooks ss blades. If I do order from them I'll start with small orders. I wouldn't want of box of 15 or 20 with broken teeth. Seems like they were too hard.


Im also anxious to hear how timberwolf blades preform! It has been narrowed down to Timberwolf and Woodmiser Silvertips.

 

[mikeb1079]

i've been getting a nice finish with the 4 degrees. here's some white oak (similar in hardness to maple):

as to longevity i can't comment b/c i have nothing to compare them to, sorry about that. they don't seem to last super long to me but i'm new to this and there's got to be some operator error built in. :msp_rolleyes:

 

[hamish]

Please do post on your experience with the Suffolk blades.

The Goldline blades from Norwood are a copy of the Suffolk Blade, according to the company that produces them for Norwood and the market. When doing research you will find that there are very few actual manufacturers, but many re-manufactures and re-sellers. Most coil stock comes from a handfull of manufacturers.

 

[TraditionalTool]

The Goldline blades from Norwood are a copy of the Suffolk Blade, according to the company that produces them for Norwood and the market. When doing research you will find that there are very few actual manufacturers, but many re-manufactures and re-sellers. Most coil stock comes from a handfull of manufacturers.

I've considered and could be swayed back to Norwood blades, should they continue to reach out to their customers.

I've had some concerns with Norwood and their customer support in the past but recently got a newsletter from them, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

[Burlhunter13]

i've been getting a nice finish with the 4 degrees. here's some white oak (similar in hardness to maple):

as to longevity i can't comment b/c i have nothing to compare them to, sorry about that. they don't seem to last super long to me but i'm new to this and there's got to be some operator error built in. :msp_rolleyes:

That looks very similar to what im getting when I mill white oak. I am currently running 10 degree. Nice pictures!

Just found a really good page on timberwolfs site enplaning all the sets and angles.....this is a "must read"! Gotta do my homework now and find the best setup for hardwoods!

Six Rules Of Sawing | Suffolk Machinery - Timber Wolf Bandsaw Blades

 

[windturbineman]

I have done enough cutting with the timber wolf (suffolk) blades to say that I am happy with them. They stayed sharp for just as long as the other premium blades. The test will be how many sets and resharps they will hold up to. So far so good.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

First of all, i want to start out by saying i don't sort my logs by softwood and hardwood. I may cut both in one day in any order. I don't like to have to switch bands back and forth to what i'm cutting even though i really should. SO, i like a band that is at least "good" for what ever i roll onto my mill, hard or soft..... a "do all" band.

With that in mind, i've stuck with Norwood Gold Line bands... They do a good job for me as an all around band, so i've stuck with them.

Rob