11 inch by 20 foot bandsaw blade

catsupdog · June 13, 2012, 12:07:07 AM

I just bought a very large bandsaw blade through craigslist. Also got a number of medium to large buzz saw blades.

Here's the listing while it lasts. http://medford.craigslist.org/tls/3065765523.html I'll add a photo as well, if I can. (first post)

My question is if this old bandsaw blade would be a good thing to build a small mill around? The teeth are not separate pieces of metal, but are part of the whole saw. They are slightly thicker than the rest the blade, though. If it's not good for sawing wood anymore, what are some other ideas for it?

: https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/29821/bandsaw.jpg

hackberry jake · June 13, 2012, 12:17:14 AM

Small mill... No. Ur band wheels for that dude would have to be massive. I would use it as decoration in my saw shed 8)

catsupdog · June 13, 2012, 12:39:55 AM

How big would the wheels have to be?

hackberry jake · June 13, 2012, 01:32:13 AM

My guess would be in the 48" range. To build a sawmill around that old worn out broken band would cost at least $10,000 probably. If you want a "little" sawmill. You could probably build one of those for about $1,000 if you scavange and use resources wisely. A band for a "little" mill will cost you less than $20. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum for building your own mill.

Ianab · June 13, 2012, 01:33:57 AM

Quote from: catsupdog on June 13, 2012, 12:39:55 AM
How big would the wheels have to be?

Big...

It would be off a mill like this one that was used for breaking down large Kauri logs, probably in the 1920-30s?

That's me standing in front of it for scale....

Ian

jpmorris98 · June 13, 2012, 06:48:07 AM

Band blades such as that one make great knives. Have 5 or 6 my kin-folks (rest their souls) made. Of course, they were guild members that had 40 or more year experience shaping and tempering the steel.
Just a thought.
jpm

bandmiller2 · June 13, 2012, 07:08:02 AM

Catsup,you could cut that band in sections and make a copy of a sash [up and down] sawmill that would make multiple cuts per pass. Frank C.

Magicman · June 13, 2012, 07:18:09 AM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, catsupdog.

That small section of band plus the buzz blades will make very nice decoration and conversation pieces.

thecfarm · June 13, 2012, 07:39:24 AM

catsupdog,welcome to the forum. One of my friends tends a bolier at a local sawmill. They use to have some bands like that. They used them at the softwood miil. They are really a pallet mill. When they re-did the mill they cut hard wood at the softwood mill. Did not work the best,but they kept up with the orders. That part is now gone and they just do hardwood. That would have to be welded to make it into a loop again too. I think most of us use about a 12½ foot coil blade.