Free red streak try out

[smwwoody]

Well I finally got a chance to try out a few of them free RED STREAKS.  Not a bad blade at all.  Right now I am sawing red pine which is real knotty.  They did just as good as the monk's.  tomorrow I am going to throw on of my old timber wolf  bands on to get a real good comparison.  can't wait to see how they work when I get back to hard wood next week.  

I don't saw much pine.  Who has some good advice to keep the band from following the knots?

Woody

[Minnesota_boy]

Woody,
add set, go slow and remember to close your eyes.  :D

I haven't found anything to be completely foolproof, but sawing them when they are frozen seems to help.  

[LeeB]

HAven't had a chance to try mine yet. They're still sitten on the porch where you left em. Hope you didn't dull em up too bad :D LeeB

[Timbo]

Woody
Sawing pine usually requires keeping a good solvent on the band such as diesel fuel , or high consentrate pine sol , Or the purple cleaner from the parts store.
When a blade deveates from the line of cut that you direct, read the band to correct the problem. By reading the band I mean to watch for the first reaction as it leaves the cut line. If the action is up then you correct the up action. If it is down the correct the down action. Remember each band can have its on problem however most boxes are uniform, and as you use them the react the same at the same stages of their life.
Bands from different boxes and are at different stages in their life usually act different.
I like to segregate the bands in 3 groups. The band that (1) Rises (2)those that cut straight  (3) those that are Divers.
(1) if not extreme will get better as time goes on. (2) will cut great again and one day slowly begin to dive a age takes it's toll. (3) must be Rolled or hammered to flatten the middle of the band down. If you do not flatten you are wasting your time.
  Remember The Band Will Follow The LEAST PATH OF RESISTANCE, what ever that is. WE want the least path to be straight away. This can be achieved if the blade, wheels, and guides are working togather, of course sharp and set blades are a must.
   The blade flattness is more critical than the set. If the blade flattness is held within .001 then the set can vary .005 from side to side, and cut great. Blade set only clears the body to keep the friction away, the flattness controls the entire band from front to back.

[Timbo]

I Just ran a test on Red Streak vs Lennox. I ran them on a new mill and did not cut anything I just ran them. Here is the results.
The lennox ran 10-1/2 hours and Broke
The Simonds Red Streak Ran 4 days and did not break.

I was surprised that the lennox broke but this is the true results.

I would like to run another test when I have time.

[shopteacher]

LeeB: Found I left the wrong box on your porch. Got your blade mixed up with the box of used cat litter that was to go out for the garbage. Will deliver your blades next time I'm in Texas. :D

[LeeB]

 :D :D :D. Must be pretty good litter, leastwise it don't smell none. Gonna try em out monday. Got a feller with a couple thou mixed stuff he wants milled. Some of it will be Live Oak. That ought to sure enough be atest for them. Just the chicken sitting a clutch of eggs behind the box don't get too upset when I move her hiding place. LeeB
ps Hope they don't cut kitty shi%%y

[Norwiscutter]

You ran your mill for 4 days just to see when the band would break How much gas did you use on that experiment?  Glad that someone is willing to do that though... I would get a lot of funny looks from my wife if I left my mill running all day without cutting anything.

[T_in_SC]

Timbo
Just read your post about hammering blades and was wondering if you ever experimented with flat band wheels as opposed to crowned.

[beenthere]

T
I don't think flat band wheels (not crowned) will work, and they will drive you nuts trying to keep the band in its place.

The band will seek a "higher" place on the wheel, and the crown gives it that 'place' to go.

My early experience with a band saw (not a log sawing band, just regular 14" wheel band) was when a machinist (instructed to tune it up) took the wheels off and turned them flat. It was real ugly trying to keep that band on the wheel. The only way was to tilt the top wheel back so the blade rode hard on the back guide, which destroyed the blade very quickly. Adjustment was a nightmare. Then I discovered the lack of crown in this saw, and others that had a crown.

Just what I learned from experience, but intuition says there needs to be a crown. Even my belt sander has a slight crown to the center of the rolls.

[AtLast]

Well...I got mine and Im impressed....course ANY new...sharpe blade makes ME smile.. ;D....I did notice the " raker" effect was dramatically better.....MUCH cleaner cuts....I have Lennox blades that have only been re-sharpened 2 times and so far every one  has broken...so for me it will be THAT test that tells a tale....Im still VERY sold on the Monkey blades and thus far the Red Streaks have worked well....I guess it will boil down to who gives me the best deal when I order a new case... ;) ;D