Where do you buy sawmill blades in Canada?

Slablord · August 24, 2020, 10:43:25 AM

Hi there,
I've got a Woodland HM130 and I've gone through my first pack of blades from them. They seem good, but I don't have anything to compare them to so I thought I would try some different brands such as Kasco but it's hard to find anybody who sells bandsaw blades in Canada, at least with a google search. Where are you Canadian sawyers getting your blades?

I'm cutting 80% Douglas fir with some birch, red cedar, hemlock, and grand fir thrown in. Would a 7 degree blade be worth trying out? The blade size I need is 144" long and 1.25" wide.

Thanks for any advice!

Gere Flewelling · August 24, 2020, 04:29:19 PM

I would suggest Cook's Saw (sponsor to the left of screen). I have had good luck using their Super Sharp blades. They also appear to be geared up to ship to Canada as well. Great company to do business with. They might even have a package deal specifically for your saw. You should be able to find that on their web site before you even call them. Good Luck!

Tin Horse · August 24, 2020, 04:52:28 PM

Not sure which province your in. I'm in Ontario. As mentioned Cooks is a good option I've used but our dollar and border makes it a bit more money and work. I've often ordered from Honig in Toronto. They offer good advice and sell Ripper 37's plus others.
More recently I'm trying WM bands ( 4 degree and 747's) from Lindsay. So far very happy with the results. All ship quickly. All can give good advice as to which band suits you mill.
Best of luck.

RAYAR · August 24, 2020, 08:09:26 PM

I've ordered from Kasco in Montreal. I ordered their 7 degree bands and am quite pleased with those, running them on a manual mill. Minimum order is 15.

btulloh · August 24, 2020, 08:18:27 PM

Kasko 7's work well on my HM126. Much better than the 10 degree Lennox blades I got along with the mill. I need some 4 degree for hard stuff that everyone is real happy with, but haven't bought a box yet.

dgdrls · August 24, 2020, 10:34:14 PM

Wood-Mizer Sawmills and Wood Processing Equipment | Wood-Mizer Canada

D

sawguy21 · August 24, 2020, 10:57:57 PM

Where are you located? From what you are cutting I am guessing B.C., you might try Wood-Mizer West in Salmon Arm.

curved-wood · August 25, 2020, 05:41:25 PM

I live in Québec and I've tried many different blade companies over the years (+20 years ), mostly canadian, and I've settle with Woodmizer blades. May be today there is some better or cheaper but I am satisfied with WM

Slablord · August 26, 2020, 10:13:43 AM

Quote from: btulloh on August 24, 2020, 08:18:27 PM
Kasko 7's work well on my HM126. Much better than the 10 degree Lennox blades I got along with the mill. I need some 4 degree for hard stuff that everyone is real happy with, but haven't bought a box yet.

I've seen that some people swear by 4 degree for everything, but I thought that might be a bit much.. I have found a source for Kasko 7s somewhat locally so maybe I'll start there.

Slablord · August 26, 2020, 10:16:49 AM

Quote from: RAYAR on August 24, 2020, 08:09:26 PM
I've ordered from Kasco in Montreal. I ordered their 7 degree bands and am quite pleased with those, running them on a manual mill. Minimum order is 15.

Are you cutting mostly hard woods with the 7 blades? Seems like a lot of people like them for cutting everything but I'm hesitating just a bit to pull the trigger on them..

btulloh · August 26, 2020, 10:20:19 AM

It pays to experiment, but that takes some time. I think you'll have good luck with those. I know there a lot of good blades out there, but I really haven't tried any except for the Kasko 7's and the lennox 10's. I think you have go through 5 or 10 blades in various l ogs before you really know what they'll do.

Glad you found a source. Let us know how it turns out.

Brucer · August 26, 2020, 02:40:02 PM

Slablord, I've cut half a million board feet or so of exactly the same species mix as you using 10° blades. The only time I had a problem was cutting some very dry Spruce on a special order -- the blade was all over the place. I tried 7° blades (at Wood-Mizer's suggestion) and that did the trick. I continued using the 7° blades on my regular work until they were worn out and they cut just as well as the 10° blades.

The only thing I'd watch out for with the 7° blades is whether they draw more power. I didn't notice any difference with a 28 HP engine.

tonyg2k · September 21, 2020, 10:39:58 AM

Thanks for this thread -- so I'm looking at Kascos -- https://www.kasco.com/cmss_files/attachmentlibrary/WoodMaxxFlyer_English.pdf

If you can see that PDF -- Woodmaxx -- I assume these are the blades everyone is buying from Kasco? I was thinking I'd try some of these sevens. (Not sure I can pull the 4s on my 14 HP motor...) How do these tens compare to the stock Woodland tens?