yet another band question

[T.J.]

okay i hope to get a mill next week. an EZ Boardwalk Jr. that has been a demo'd at a show.
i know Mr.Zimmerman reccomends Timberwolf blades and i plan to get some and try them.

i was wondering what y'all thought - would it be better for a "newbie" to stick with one brand of blades to start with or should i go ahead and try some different brands? i want to try some super sharps & i am also open to reccomendations of other brands.
i have done a search on here about brands and have learned alot...i have heard of Lenox & Simonds but the Munkforssagars was a new one to me.

also,where do all of y'all order your blades from?

any advice would be appreciated.
T.J.

[Tom]

I don't use Timberwolf but that doesn't change my opinion of what to use.   Manufacturers use a specific band when building and testing their saws.  They find one that works and that is what they recommend.   That doesn't mean that something else won't work.

I'm in favor of using what the Manufacturer suggests until you become knowledgeable enough to know why you would change.  There are a lot of little idiosyncrasies related to all mills.  It will take you time to learn those about your mill as well as to learn what to expect from any mill if you are new.

It's a mistake that too many new users make, to start off by making changes.   Change isn't necessarily good.

You will find that band material, shapes of teeth, depths of gullet as well as cost of bands, customer service and shipping expenses will go into your decision.  Give it some time and give your manufacturer some credit for making an effort to find the best bands, lubricants, etc. for his mill. 

[T.J.]

Tom,
thanks for the advice.i appreciate it.i was thinking along those lines (staying with one brand till i know what i am doing)

also,another question - what Timber Wolf bands do y'all reccomend for cutting SYP,Soft Maple,Red Oak,Yellow Poplar,and just a little Black Locust? starting off i will be cutting pine,oak,& poplar mostly.

thanks again,
T.J.

[paul case]

congratulations on your new mill.
i have used a lot of those timberwolf blades. they work well. i have tried super sharps by cooks and they work well too. i am kinda hooked on simonds red streak. they cut real well and sharpen well too. i found that the timberwolf for my mill was $26, cooks was $22 and simonds was $17. the cooks super sharp do stay sharp longer in my experience but if you hit some hardware it will ruin them. it breaks the teeth off.
mostly cost motivated me to switch. if i find a cheaper band i will try it. pc

[bandmiller2]

TJ,I've had good luck with most bands.The usual advice is 7/8 10 degree hook.Call as many companys as you can tell them you want to try their bands, ask their advice for what your cutting especially, at a show.Most will ship a couple to try.If your not going to sharpen your own you may have to stick to those that offer resharp.Frank C.

[thecfarm]

You will have alot of questions and wonder when you first start to saw. Change too much at one time and you won't know what worked and what did not. I myself would stick with one kind,style of blade until I have cut enough lumber from it to get the feel of the mill. Don't need to add problems first thing. What's all the lumber going to be used for? I have a local guy sharpen my blades.

[T.J.]

i want to thank everyone for all the help / advice.it is greatly appreciated.

i know i will have alot of "newbie" type questions to bug y'all with  :D but, i promise to use the search feature first.

i plan to use the pine as framing lumber to build a woodworking shop - when the tornados came through in April it put a big White Oak tree on an old shed behind my house.i plan to expand that shed into a shop.

we also had a tornado come through last October and it got a bunch of my Yellow Poplar,Red Oak,& Soft Maple.i will cut that in various sizes ond use it for different projects or try to sell some it.

again thanks for the help,
T.J.

[Carpenter]

     I've been using Timberwolf blades on my EZ Boardwalk 40.  I haven't tried any other blade so I don't know if another blade would work better.  But, I did find that a 30 thousanths set makes a big difference with the logs I get to cut.  Mostly ponderosa pine and ERC.  The blades seem to stay sharper longer and make truer cuts, and I can push the feed a little more with more set.  I was about to try a different blade because the timberwolfs just didn't seem to stay sharp very long, but, I really like them now.  Might still try some different blades in the future though.

[T.J.]

Carpenter,

thanks for the info.i plan on ordering 10 Timberwolf bands to get me started & later on (after i know what i am doing  ;D ) i plan to try the Cooks

thanks again,
T.J.

[customsawyer]

When you are first getting started you are going to get your eyes opened up to a lot of different things that effect your sawing. Blades is just one of the many things to look at.

[T.J.]

customsawyer,
i know your right about that.i cant wait to get started though.and with all the helpfull people on here i think i'll be able to work through any problems i have.
thanks,
T.J.

[customsawyer]

By all means ask away. I don't know of a single person on this forum that is not willing to help. All I was trying to say is that there is different types of blades because it is difficult to find one that cuts perfect in all types of wood. Then you have to find the one that works best for your mill. What works best for me in my situation might be all wrong for someone further north.

[T.J.]

customsawyer,



T.J.