In a YouTube comment on the video about the Laguna ceramic guides for the Italian LT-18, someone asked if the ceramic guides abrade the blade. The blade does show scuffs and scratches where the ceramic guides touch, but don't really dig in or anything. For example, the rear "thrust bearing" equivalent is a ceramic rod pressed up against the blade. You should rotate it more often than I do or you get a groove in it suggesting that though the ceramic is hard, the blade still wears the ceramic. I have a pronounced groove now, but you simply rotate it to a new flat spot.
With some of the goofy resawing I did for No Comment #2, my blade finally needed to be changed after 22 months. I'm not a pro so I don't use it daily, but I do use it a lot especially resawing wide stock so 22 months is a heck of a long time! Before shipping the blade for sharpening today, I took closeup photos of the blade to show the wear after 22 months (it was a new blade):
This is a 1.25" Resaw King and should get 5-6 resharpenings before it's dead. That's 6-7 "between sharpening" times you get to use it so the cost starts going down. When I got the Italian LT-18, I bought 2 Resaw King blades as they had a special for new bandsaw buyers so at least I can finish this project while the blade is out.
The crud in the kerfs is indeed MDF. Evil that stuff...
Naturally, I like woodworking as a hobby, but an ice hockey tournament will easily get me out of the shop :)
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Hi Paul,
Thanks for the update and pictures. There appears to be quite a bit of wear but after 22 months that's to be expected. With all of the buildup on the teeth I was wondering if you used any type of cleaning regiment like what can be done on a table saw blade. I've been using the CMT cleaner with success.
I need a larger bandsaw for larger chunks of freshly cut log that we cut into bowl blanks for turning on our lathe. Looks like this saw and setup is a great tool for the job.
Have an amazing day.
Chef Felisha Wild
The wear is more like scuffing than anything else. For example, rake your nail across it and you only feel the transition from really smooth to "satin", but no grooves.
I didn't clean the blade before packaging it up. I have a brass brush used exclusively for cleaning the blade; put it on the bandsaw deck and move it side to side while rotating the top wheel by hand. It knocks out the crud in the gullets.
The reason the blade looks so bad is because as part of No Comment #2, I had to basically resaw a 9" wide piece of MDF that was 2" long (effectively... wait for the video to see what it was). That seemed to take the blade over the limit before a resharpening, but I only realized that when I went to resaw a 10" wide piece of Cherry that was 2 ft long; since it was pretty dull, it just made a really burnt cut. Next time I'll clean it before removing it :)
I don't switch blades often; if I have a small curve to cut, I make multiple cuts with this wide blade and shape it with a sander, which I'd do even if I used a 1/4" blade. I'm not patient enough to swap blades :)
some day I hope to own a band saw (saving my pennies). I've tried resawing on my scroll saw but it doesn't work very well...
MDF is evil - except as a backing for marquetry, then it is wonderful stuff. Stable, predicable and better cut on a friends saw. ;)
you're resawing mdf? you know they make it in different thicknesses.
LOL, yeah, I know :) You'll see when the video comes out why the MDF got cut although next time I may lop off the part that got cut with the table saw or a jig saw.
Blade changes...... You need another bandsaw. Problem solved.
Pitbull