Wider blades for increased beam strength

[RPowers]

Ever since I got the LT50 my blades have been my limiting factor. With the old LT28 it was the 25hp motor which a sharp blade could almost stall out. The 47hp yanmar on this new mill hardly even ever grunts and will wad up a blade if I push it. I prefer to run the 7/39 turbos, but seeing as they are made from the same stock as the other 1.25" WM blades that big gullet eats up a lot of the body.

For those of you running thicker or - most importantly - wider, blades, can I expect a better cut rate running a 1.5" turbo 7/39 over  a 1.25" ? would increasing from .045 to .050 help more or not much? I'm skittish on moving up to the .055s on my mill since it doesn't have the larger bandwheels like the LT70.  I cut 90% red and which oak with some other hardwoods mixed in, thus the though that I need a stiffer band.

Thanks, RP

[barbender]

The .055 blades I tried on my LT40 didn't last long- 3 sharpenings. They certainly cut nicely though. These were the regular 7° blades, I haven't tried the Turbos yet. I can't tell a lot of difference between the 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" bands, I see more difference with increased thickness BUT I'm just running the standard 1 1/4" rollers for both- that may not be a fair test for the 1 1/2" blades. I've also ran .050" blades, they seem like a decent compromise. I'm basically a hobby sawyer, if it was straight up production I was after I'd probably go with 1 1/2" .055's, and not worry about the decreased blade life.

[barbender]

I forgot to say, I can see with the deep gullet of the Turbo blade where the 1 1/2" blade would be a real benefit.

[Bigsticks]

Absolutely. I, too, have the 50, but with a 51 hp caterpillar doing the pushing. When I bought the mill, it came with a bunch of .25 blades. I felt the machine should be able to produce a smoother finish at high fees rates, so I swapped to .5 7 degree turbos and would never think of going back. It's all I use. I tried the new sawdust free profile blades, and if they didn't break the very first time, bet your cookies they did after 1 restarp. They cracks were plainly visible running from gullet to butt.

[Magicman]

I tried a box of 1¼" X .055 Turbos.  They cut good but I was very disappointed with the blade life.

[scully]

I used to think that the 1.5 bands were the ticket . That lasted about a minute . I don't mind them in soft wood but blade life in my opinion is short .  I run allot of tension and 1.5's don't seem to like that .

[YellowHammer]

I have a diesel LT40 and I believe the 1.25", 0.55 turbos are an excellent blade for higher hp and hard wood. Like all 0.55's they have a short blade life, maybe one or two sharpenings at most, sometimes not even that.  They will cut flat and definatly make your diesel grunt. I use them for hickory and white oak.

[Percy]

Ever since I got the LT50 my blades have been my limiting factor. With the old LT28 it was the 25hp motor which a sharp blade could almost stall out. The 47hp yanmar on this new mill hardly even ever grunts and will wad up a blade if I push it. I prefer to run the 7/39 turbos, but seeing as they are made from the same stock as the other 1.25" WM blades that big gullet eats up a lot of the body.

For those of you running thicker or - most importantly - wider, blades, can I expect a better cut rate running a 1.5" turbo 7/39 over  a 1.25" ? would increasing from .045 to .050 help more or not much? I'm skittish on moving up to the .055s on my mill since it doesn't have the larger bandwheels like the LT70.  I cut 90% red and which oak with some other hardwoods mixed in, thus the though that I need a stiffer band.

Thanks, RP

I have found that the .050 blades are a nice compromise between the .045 and .055 blades. I do notice slightly higher feedrates with the 1.5s before the wave starts. I cut softwood mainly and have noticed the taller tooth blades seem to cut straiter when pushed. I been using .055s lately(13 degree). I push them hard and take them off early. Net result for me is better production with same blade expenses. The 1.25 blades seem to be more forgiving alignment wise on my mill.

[Dave Shepard]

I run 1.25"×.055" Turbos. I get 3 or 4 sharpenings, that doesn't bother me. Band cost is a much smaller part of the big picture than most people realize. If you aren't cutting flat lumber, then you are just making expensive  firewood. My only experience with 1.5 bands was a few 13° that WM sent me to try. They cut really well. I don't know if it was the profile, the width, or both. I don't see where a wide .055 should last any less than a narrow .055.

[Bruno of NH]

I have a low Hp mill 13 and I run 1 1/2 .50 with the best results.
19" band wheels
I tried 1 1/4 .45 didn't work for me wavey cuts
I have only broken I band and it was a .45

[Seavee]

I have the exact same mill with the 47 hp diesel. I started with  regular 7's and 10s in .045 Marty go me started with the 7/39 turbos in .045. I am real happy with how I can push the cut in oak and hickory.  Like Marty suggested  push it til you just start to hear the motor lose rpm's and then back off. I'm cutting real flat now and getting decent band life. I think I'd be chasing the ghost if I went looking at other bands.

[RPowers]

Thanks to everyone for the comments and advice. I may get a couple different blade options in the .050 and .055 and try them to see what cuts fastest. Like everyone else who saws for $$ I am wanting the fastest flattest cut I can get. I wish they offered a .050 in the 1.5" but they don't. Honestly if I can get 2 sharpenings from a .055 blade then I'll run those because I have about decided that that is all they are good for anyway. Once I try to get several resharps out of a blade the things cut like crap right from the box so after 2 sharpenings I throw them away. Keep in mind that I am in 14"+ of white oak half the time so I am pushing my blades hard.

[barbender]

I thought I got some .050 x 1 1/2" blades from WM before, they might have been Silvertips though. If you're tossing your blades after 2 sharpenings you may as well go to the .055". They will definitely cut faster and flatter.

[Peter Drouin]

I tried the 1.50 and did not like them. They seem to catch bark and pieces of wood in the covers around the blade. I went back to the 1.25x55x7.
And as far as blade life, I get 5+ sharping, But I use WM cbn.

[RPowers]

Peter,

When you said they catch debris around the blade, was that causing issues with the blades such as heating  them up from rubbing, or just a pain to clean out when you changed them?

[Peter Drouin]

Ya, rubbing, Junk in there. Have to stop and clean it out.

[4x4American]

Peter is mainly cutting pine and you're mainly cutting white oak, big difference.  I use 1.5" blades cutting low grade hardwoods.  I don't remember what the 1.25" blades cut like in comparison honestly it's been so long since I've used an 1.25" blade but the 1.5" blades just have more meat and feel like a real blade.  It only makes sense they have more beam strength.  One thing I have noticed about the 1.5" blades is that when they pop off the wheels they don't ruin the bandwheel belts.  The 1.25" blades would always ruin a belt.  The 1.5 blades are slightly harder to change with HP guides because they don't fit very well.  1.5 blades are more likely to need to be rolled flat though.  I might go back and try 1.25 again just to compare but I don't know if I have any good 1.25 guide rollers.  Thats another thing, if you're gonna try 1.5 blades, get 1.5 guides otherwise no point.

[RPowers]

Thanks for the information. I am trying some 1.25 x .055s and a bi-metal as well to to test the increased time before dulling. I figure that a standard WM doublehard is getting 2-3 resharps at $10 each, plus the new cost of $26 so around $15 per use of the blade. If I can use a stiffer or wider or harder blade for 50% more sawing time before changing then they should justify the increased purchase cost. If only because I will spend less time farting around with blades. I wish I could run something like a 1.5"x.055" carbide-tipped and see how long they would cut. It would be sweet to just run one till it breaks after 2-3 days sawing and then put another on and not bother with resharp.

[killamplanes]

When you find that blade make sure you let us know. I would be in heaven going 2-3 days between blade changes.  8)

[4x4American]

There was a guy on fb said he was able to go 6mbf on the first carbide blade he used.  Me, I'll cut 3' and hit a nail with it lol.  And I only get 2-3 resharps out of 1.5 .050. blades so I'm making the change back to .055"

[gmmills]

RPowers, If you would like to try 1 1/2" wide .050 blades Kasco offers them in a 7 deg and a 4 deg hook angle. Might want to check Kasco out.