I'm going to need a bigger Bandsaw

[Flem]

Yeah that 17", 2hp Grizzly has been calling my name. I am working on rationalizing spending $1100.
I had a riser block on my 14", it needed more motor, so I took it off.

[Roy from Pa]

Go for it...

[Flem]

Go for it...

I never saw a pitch fork in any of your shop pics 

[Phil-D]

Do a google search for portable band saw milling service in your area.  You may be surprised how many there are.  You can also try craigslist for the same service, or try contacting people that are selling hardwood.  They may have a mill and could possibly help you out.

[fujimo]

Shredd, personally i like cool blocks top and bottom, but for those that like to use the bearings, then only use the bearings on the top side, and the cool blocks on the bottom.
however, i do like a back bearing that runs against the back of the band- to help prevent deflection on the skinnier blades, but i use 1.3/8" blades on my big shop saw and also as the resaw blade on my 16" saw in my hobby shop.(that way i can resharpen them both without messing with my sharpeners settings.)
the 1.3/8" blades dont deflect much( only when they start getting dull- so its a great indicator to watch) as they are nice and wide and stable, so i dont even have the back bearings on my shop saw.
my shop saw is a 24" saw, and i have a 36" saw i am busy  refurbishing as our back up saw.

if you set up the cool blocks correctly- they are great IMHO.
they need minimum clearance- just a few thou- just so that they are not rubbing, but also check that the weld on the band clears the blocks.
everytime you change the blade, or everytime you adjust the tracking- recheck the blocks or bearings for clearance.
 A wider blade will run "stiffer" and will not be a straight line from the top wheel to the bottom wheel, it will be kind of bellied out slightly more than a narrower, blade.
always check your clearances- people neglect that, then their cuts turn to poo, and their blades dont last as long.
Bandsaws are my favourite tool, i do everything on them, but do require a bit of tweaking here and there to get optimal performance from them, and longevity on the blades.

i also buy the best blades i can/balanced against expected lifespan of the blade.- currently using woodmasters. or Ripper 37's.
used to use stellites- but at $200 a blade- it gets a bit expensive when they break on their first go around

[fujimo]

thats a really good idea to check for local portable millers- and they can just cant the log for you to cut up later.
always cut it through the heart, if you "box the heart" on a cant ( leaving the heart in the middle of the cant) it will check like crazy!!!

[BMorv]

Yeah that 17", 2hp Grizzly has been calling my name. I am working on rationalizing spending $1100.
I had a riser block on my 14", it needed more motor, so I took it off.

I just nagged my wife for 3 years and did a bunch of honey dos.  I'm not sure it was worth it though 

Fujimo, what's your take on these "Euro-style Roller Disc" like on the 2 HP 17" Grizzly?  I don't know a thing about them.

[fujimo]

i dont know, i will take a look.

[Flem]

Sounds like you have a big operation going there, fujimo. You making timber frames or something?

[fujimo]

they look perfect!
same idea as the cool blocks.
i have had a saw in the past, that had those sideways back bearing. personally i didnt like them- i prefer if the blade is going to touch- that it touches the roller face- not the side. but i am not an engineer so who knows.
 problem i found with the side on bearings, was that you have to be really careful where the blade may contact the  side face- too close to center and the bearing wont spin, and the blade will cut into the bearing pronto!

But, having said that, there should always be about 1/4" to 3/8" between the back of the band and the bearing, especially on bigger bandsaws, with wider bands, on skinny bands and smaller height bandsaws, that gap should be a lot smaller.
Ideally with normal cutting, and normal feedrate- the band should just be clearing, and just not touching the back bearing.
the back bearing is there to prevent the band from stretching backwards- and breaking the blade. too much pressure against the back bearing, will cause the band to flip, or tilt one way or the other- causing your cut to go crooked.
so its all a balancing act  between a sharp blade- that hardly flexes at all, a slower feedrate, big enough toothspacing, to give adequate chip clearance, (but still ensure a nice finish), and as the blade gets dull, you have to slow the feedrate down, i really watch that back bearing, thats the tell tale for me, besides a " feel"  and the sound of the blade getting duller, and the feedrate needing to be adjusted ( same as when you go to a bigger piece of wood and a deeper cut) but if the blade is going to touch the back bearing, then i missed something in my "feel" i need to pay attention, or sharpen the blade etc.

but its also horses for courses, we can make a 10- 12 " deep cut by 4' long in under 30 seconds, and i am still not happy with that rate- i am going to double the hp on the big saw to improve that.
when we cut Sitka spruce, as soft as it is, sawyers and bladesmiths will tell you, its so tough and fibrous, that you actually have to treat it like a hardwood. tooth hook angle and feedrate as if cutting hardwoods.
 if i cut D. Fir, i can get at least a 30% increase in feed speed.

our biggest issue, is that the blade slows down then the  chips dont clear fast enough, and that slows the blade more, an ever descending spiral.

i only draw comparisons to the commercial side of band saw application, just to offer a comparison. i never expect my hobby saw to perform the same, its a lot more finnicky- but the knowledge from the bigger saws- really helps with the smaller saws, and visa - versa.

[wood carver 2]

I’m on my 3rd. Bandsaw. My first was a Delta 3 wheel bench top. It was a good saw, but it required expensive thin kerf blades and they broke easily.
My second was a 17 inch German made saw. Wow you might say, a European saw. Must be good. Not so. It was anything but. The table was extruded aluminum and not flat. The guides were too small and the lower guide support was a thin little piece of cast pot metal that broke twice. This saw also had the sideways back guide bearing. It began to clog with dust and the blade quickly cut a groove in it.
Now I have a 19 inch Grizzly and I love it. I looked long and hard at all their saws before ordering the one I have. Being a Canadian, I also looked at local dealers and I saved a thousand dollars buying from Grizzly. A similar saw from a dealer here in Cambridge was listed at over $3000 plus tax. I got mine from the USA delivered to my door for about $2000. I almost bought a bigger one but it was too tall to go into my shop. I normally run 1/4” and 3/8” blades because I cut lots of tight radius curves. The biggest blade I have is a 1 1/4” ripper. I re-sawed some still damp 12” doug fir that had been salvaged from a canal lock. The saw cut it perfectly straight and with absolutely no resistance. Wayne, I like your idea about running cool blocks. I think I’m going to give them a try.
I’d like to come up with a way to hoist small logs onto the saw to do my own re- sawing.
Dave.

[fujimo]

Dave , i saw these little electric winches at princess auto, thought about getting the #200 model- they are 110 v
https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/220-440-lb-electric-cable-hoist/A-p8041840e;jsessionid=lPgmB9fsAP3ojKi53wZpw90Y.pal-prod-com3
but being P.A. one might expect the same quality as your german saw maybe- but they are pretty cheap- and would be overpowered for the job, so may last.
i have a friend who has one in his shop for light work- he says it works really well.

[Flem]

I tried those cool blocks on my bandsaw. They worked good. when they finally wore down, I replaced them with some chunks of UHMW plastic I had left over from another project. I have to say, I like the slippery plastic better than the graphite, but I'm not sawing on a commercial scale.
I've managed to justify about $500 toward a new saw, $700 too go!  Got some stuff to post on Craigslist today

[wood carver 2]

I saw that hoist in the PA flyer this morning. Something like it plus a pair of extension tables for the saw and I’m in business. In October l got an apple log from my sister’s house. I want to get it slabbed so I can make a bench and a coffee table from it. My local wood guys won’t cut it because it’s an “urban” log. They’re afraid it might have nails in it. A buddy took it to his neighbor who has a portable mill but he still hasn’t cut it.
I’m dying to see the inside of this log. It’s a gnarly bugger and there might be a couple of bow risers in it too.

[wood carver 2]

Does the UHMW get hot during cutting?
Dave.

[fujimo]

my only concern is that the uhmw may be a little soft, but heck, its easy to replace- and a little piece will go a long way.
in the old days they used lignum vitae, a wood from a tree indigenous to the Caribbean, but i think its now on the Cites list.
"cool blocks " are actually a phenolic with graphite in them.  and so many other alloys are used nowdays besides the phenolic.
if the uhmw works, and its handy- thats the best tool for the job.
in fact i may give some a try- nice thing about it, is that it kind of " self lubricates" so reduces friction, just like the cool blocks!

[Flem]

The UHMW wears faster than the graphite blocks. Never had a problem with melting, but I'm only sawing 1/8" slices from 2-4" stock. The plastic is convenient for me, I have a couple of 3' off-cuts to make blocks from. I like the idea of using dense wood, good use for those tiny pieces of exotic's that you can't throw away.

[BigJim]

My laguna saws have ceramic guides. I'm generally running 1" blades, but when using wood slicers, I will run a 1/2" blade. I really like the ceramic  guides and have replaced the guides on my grizzlies with ceramic.

I am constantly switching companies ..or models of bandsaw blades because I'm never happy with the longevity or cut, but then I am a tough customer and very hard on them.

The absolutely best yield I get is with the wood slicer and as far as it goes, as long as I'm cutting dry and clean wood, they will last fairly long for me. I'm capable of getting 12 or more veneers out of a 1" thick block of ebony with a sharp wood slicer.

I bought a second laguna so I didn't have to change blades all the time.. or won't change them and then subsequently damage the blade. I find bamboo to dull the wood slicer quicker then ebony or ironwood.

I have bought several different carbide tipped blades and have found the best for me to be Lenox tri master 3's. I have cut up over 2000 bd feet of macassar ebony for Bear and tried all of the carbide models they have. I have only been happy with the tri-master. They cut clean and last long, but the kurf for cutting veneer is thick!

Now I am not done searching for the "best" blade and am a bit frustrated. Probably just need another saw or two!
I have tried USA blades... won't do that again. Have also tried starett. They were pretty good. Tried the lenox woodmaster CT.. won't waste that money again. Won't buy the Laguna blades anymore either.

So far, for carbide tipped, I have found the laguna tri master 3 to work the best for me and on non carbide, the wood slicer.
Not giving up on finding the "magic perfect indestructible" bandsaw blade.. So many guys out there looking for the magic bow, this is my version of that search.

On bandsaws... love my laguns's for resaw. My Grizzly's are good radius saws. Again, I hate changing blades so I don't, but I'm sure the laguna wood cut good radius if set with the corect blade.

BigJim

[Flem]

Got this in the mail. How'd they know I was on the sucker short list? Maybe their just messing with me

[Roy from Pa]

Well ya can't pass that up..

LOL