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Supposedly the issue with the thicker blades on smaller wheels is metal fatigue causing blades to break faster.

If you've ever taken a piece of metal and flexed it some without bending it, there's a point where it starts to heat up. That's what too thich a blade on too small a wheel does.

For what it' worth I've resawn over a hundred top and back sets by now with my 18 inch Laguna equipped with the resaw king blade. Still cuts like it did when it was new, amazingly.

I've been cutting some rock hard woods too.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I have a 24 inch Laguna Bandsaw with a 5 hp motor. With a Woodmaster CT it will resaw any wood that I might fine. Resaw for a lot of other projects than are not guitarmaking related. I bought it for $1900.00 used. Like brand new. Found it on Craigslist about 50 miles from my home. Had to rent a stake truck to get it home, but worth the money. Before you buy a new Laguna, try looking around for used one (or a Powermatic, etc.). You can get a bigger bang for your buck if you do your homework. Just a thought.

Thanks for the continued tips. And I may look around for a used saw.

Is anyone familiar with Mini Max? The Laguna dealer also sells Mini Max and said it was pretty much a split as to how many high end saws he sells of each brand.

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Hi josh FWIW I had a long talk with a pro - cabinetmaker who has 100k worth of top of the line Power tools .think PM. On the friendly advice of a woodwork hobbyists forum he purchased the 20in scmi 5hp Bs for his shop . Then he tested (all day) the new powermatic PM 1800 abt 4.7k us dollars . Whilst he found the Scmi a good BS , the PM is a great BS . If he was to do it over he would buy the PM . Also here in MO there is a company called Baker resaw BS . Rick turner a ca.loofier uses their resaw BS machine to resaw hundreds of gtr back sides and tops . He said the machine paid for itself after 1 month. His is a production shop . There are excellent used BS on industrial machinery websites and woodweb, if you can travel.

We have a 20" MiniMax at the shop. It is fine. I think ours has 4 hp? I wouldn't mind more when resawing. I've been using the Lenox Cast Master blades (which used to be AluminumMaster) on a recommend from a friend. They have been great-

I hate the switches and the guides these come with although those are somewhat minor (and replaceable) things. Ours get abused by students and need replacing. In a dedicated shop with respectful users they should be fine. The foot brake is really great.

I've done some resawing, not a ton. Used everything from small 10" flimsy saws to full antique 36"ers. Power and mass seem to be the trick. More HP is a good thing as is more weight. On the well tuned 36" saw (with an 7.5 hp motor the size of a keg) I could push through 14" mahogany more or less like it was nothing.

If this saw will be strictly for resawing then looking at the saws made specifically to do that would probably be a good thing. I have no experience with those but you figure they would have to be better as a single task machine.

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

Forgot to add josh, I did use a scmi 20in BS and it is a very good BS, I have not tried the Laguna 18in , but in perusing the internet . Some folks complain about the customer service from both laguna and SCMI . They may have corrected their CS problems , but I don/t know? PM has excellent CS. I would check the CS and parts service just in case from whomever you choose to deal with.

I have a friend with a Hitachi CB75F, which is no longer made, but you could probably find one. I have one, and I know of another resaw operation that uses one for tonewoods. This is a tank. BUT, there are a few things that SHOULD be done, IMHO.

First, although its called a 14" saw, the wheels are actually 16". +100 for the Lenox Woodmaster CT!

First thing to do: change out the motor - I have a 3hp 120v single phase. My friend put on a 5hp 3phase, and still runs the 3" Stellite blade.

2nd: change out the guides to accomodate the 1" Lenox blade.
Note: Hitachi sells the guide kit. I have this kit, and am now upgrading to Carter guides. Suffice to say the Guidall 500 with extended bearings and a 20mm x 7/16 offset shaft will bolt right into the bottom. The same parts will directly bolt into the top, IF you already have the Hitachi conversion kit. I THINK Carter's "clamp" mount will fit - I've been working with them for the past month and plan on posting a vid for all the Hitachi owners out there.
Note 2: The Hitachi guide kit with the 1" resaw blades are WAY better than 3" Stellite, again, imho. Lenox Woodmaster CT fits well (more on this).

Third: not required, but helps me - if you subscribe to lubricants, I swapped out my Lenox Micronizer Jr (over $500 now, I think) to a Noga Minicool and Lenox BandAde.

I've run basically 4 blades through this machine:
Hitachi Stellite 3" - good blade, when its properly tuned and REALLY sharp. Can be resharpened, SUCKS if its not properly tuned or really sharp.
Timberwolf AS-S (can't find it anymore) - really nice finish, dulls fast, throw away afterwards.
Woodslicer - SUPER nice finish, cheap, dulls faster than the Timberwolf, throw away afterwards.
Lenox:
Woodmaster B: BiMetal blade, super sharp, cuts lumber like buttah, stays cool, DEEP cut marks when pushed too fast. About the same as the Stellite, if you slow down.
Woodmaster CT: Expensive, but I haven't removed it in over a year (which for me, is not much - Stellites last a year, Timberwolf and Woodslicers about 3-6 months), and I won't remove it anytime soon. This makes it just expensive up front, but not long term.

Sorry for the long post, but I think most saws, if tuned properly can resaw (if that's what they're designed for). Personally, its the tuning, and the blade. I my sound like a commercial, but Carter guides and Lenox blades are up front costs that should last you a while. That said, I'd at least get a 16", so you can run the Lenox. I was actually looking for a new saw because I got sick of the Stellites, and "fighting" with the saw. Glad I didn't.

Thanks guys, I don't mind long posts. I'm looking for info and this is all good. It sounds like there are lots of good options out there, new and used. I appreciate the info on blades as well. It is giving me lots to think about.

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Now a used bandsaw, I'd be much more inclined towards..l

I assume you are saying that from the perspective of cost?

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Yep. Bandsaws being much simpler machines with things you can look for as far as future trouble.

Open up a wide belt sander, well, unless you have some real knowledge, how would you know if there was something wrong with it?

Careful. Saws can be addictive.

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High Mountain Tonewood Company
Bruce Andrews
Terrace, BC, Canada
http://www.highmountaintonewood.com

I just picked up a Rikon 10-325 14" Bandsaw Deluxe. Couldn't be happier. It's definitely in a lower price point than what everyone here is talking about. Paid $799 for it. 1.5 HP motor and you can resaw up to 13" without a riser block. I've done some resawing with a 1/2" woodslicer from Highland WW and it just purrs like a kitten all the way through the cut. So far I've done Sapele, Gonçalo Avles, EI Rosewood, Honduras Rosewood, and probably a few others. Great bang for the buck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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"I'm not going to say that perfection has never been achieved. However, if it has, it probably went unnoticed due to it's lack of character."

Absrec, where did you find EIR lumber?