Bandsaw blades

A bandsaw is an indispensable tool, but to get beyond just cutting circles and little stuff, we have to get serious about tuning it up -- especially for resawing. Resawing accurately opens up a world of possibilities to you. So what kind of blade is best?

Highland Tool makes a Wood Slicer 1/2 in resaw blade that works well with QSWO 4 inches thick. I also use the Olson 1/2" resaw blade. And apparently, the Lenox Pro Master III carbide-tipped blade is a beauty for resawing. 3 or 4 teeth per inch, but at 80 bucks a blade I don't think I will be getting that one soon. Gee, I have to plane the resawn boards anyway. Seriously though, the advantage of carbide is that you don't have to resharpen or replace the blade but once every time your taxes are reduced, i.e. not very often.

A couple of key points to consider before spending a lot of money on blades -- check your saw setup, and consider the type of sawing you'll be doing. Obviously, resaw needs fewer teeth. More teeth equals more friction equals more heat. Of course, you might enjoy that odor of toasting wood.

As to setup, the rub-blocks/rollers and bearings must be carefully adjusted. I'd throw away the factory rub blocks and buy the roller or bearing upgrades. You will thank me.

Adjust the blade position on the tire for proper tracking -- takes some testing. And as for tracking, you need a good line to follow and a guide to keep board at 90 degrees. Just cut an L shaped bracket and 45 the edges to give a single point of contact precisely where the blade enters the wood.

Adjust the blade tension. --Here is a problem. You can't trust the tension guide on the saw, so for most cutting, just put your guide up to 6 inches and tighten until blade deforms 1/4 inch when you push it sideways.
When resawing, crank up the tension as far as it will go (or as far as your anxiety will go) . Take 'er back down when you're done.