Stupid question on why cutting both ways.

[hacknchop]

With a double cut blade, you get to saw into your backstop going both ways.  

I've never cut into the backstop going forward it was always on the way back.

[hacknchop]

Some 20 years ago I've look into the Select double cut mill. It was a popular mill around here and people were satisfied with it. As Southside is saying the blade were at $250 a copy, and sharpening is a quite a different ball game. From what I understood (long time ago ), the sharpening is more complex since the blade has to be retensioned and that needs a special equipment. The mill was around double price than an LT40,  but sure the production was there.

Blades were 250.00 each sharpening was handle by saw filer at local big sawmill usually anywhere between 45.00  to 100.00 depending on what all it needed sometimes cracks needed to be welded . Now the good news yes the production was there 2 men sawing on mill then running through separate Baker portable edger cutting the best and the most out of each log Harwood average about 4000 ft in 8 hrs , softwood 6000 plus  saws generally cut for 4hrs then swap out and if dull taken out of rotation and sent to saw filer. No debarker .

[kelLOGg]

How do you slot a blade along its whole length without cutting it in half? I'm sure I've misunderstood haha.

Interesting idea anyway. Groove the band? Or a complex toothed guide that could support the opposing gullets hah. Or just accept you don't have that backstop redundancy..

I will say for sure if it added half the price again to the machine I was buying, or blades cost 5x the price, it'd be a pass from me.

I think he means slots perpendicular to the band for cogs in the roller guides to mesh.

[Hilltop366]

Other options or crazy ideas.

turn the saw head around at the end of the cut. 

two blades back to back each on there own band wheel with two sets of guides in between them (I'm thinking the trailing blade would get bumped off)

two blades back to back on two separate saw heads that pivot up, one saw head for each direction the other saw head lifts up out of the way.

set of roller guides (one set on the top and one set on the bottom) and flip the saw head on a horizontal axes.

[moodnacreek]

I  think Baker made a resaw that cut 2 boards with one band and somebody did have a turn around head. The sliver tooth band saw blade has false teeth on the other edge to keep from being rubbed off the wheels on the gig back.

[RichTired]

Found this video on a double cut band-saw.

[Anderson]

There is a Select 3620 double cut for sale on Sawmill Exchange right now. 4" band. 7700 hours. 68 horse John Deere. $50,000

I watched one of the videos on their website, they had a electric mill just cooking through a log!

View Product » Select 3620 » Sawmill Exchange

[JoshNZ]

Other options or crazy ideas.

turn the saw head around at the end of the cut.

two blades back to back each on there own band wheel with two sets of guides in between them (I'm thinking the trailing blade would get bumped off)

two blades back to back on two separate saw heads that pivot up, one saw head for each direction the other saw head lifts up out of the way.

set of roller guides (one set on the top and one set on the bottom) and flip the saw head on a horizontal axes.

I thought about that too, the backwards blade would probably be happy riding in the kerf, until you started cutting waves haha.