1 1/4" or 1 1/2" band blades

[difflock]

I understand 1.25" is the standard band width for most of the Woodmizer/Norwood/TimberKing type bandsaw mills.

I have note a couple of manufacturers offering the option of 1.5" wide blades, on mills I am considering.

Is there any sensible merit in going wider.

Or are the wider blades more difficult to source or significently more expensive.

Or what?

[Big J]

I understand 1.25" is the standard band width for most of the Woodmizer/Norwood/TimberKing type bandsaw mills.

I have note a couple of manufacturers offering the option of 1.5" wide blades, on mills I am considering.

Is there any sensible merit in going wider.

Or are the wider blades more difficult to source or significently more expensive.

Or what?

 

Wider bands will be a bit more expensive, but 1.5" bands are easy to source. They will cut flatter, so are well worth going for. For instance, my LM2 was standard with a 1.25" band, but I upped that to 2". It means that the bands cost about 2.5 times as much, but they cut far better, so the economy is gained there.

 

When considering band mills, it's worth looking at the size of the band wheels. A larger wheel will mean that you can run a thicker band (not wider, but thicker steel) and a thicker band will stay sharp far longer. I typically get three times as much cutting on the 2" 0.055" bands as I would have done on the standard 1.25" Woodmizer bands.

 

Jonathan

[difflock]

"J",

I was literally coming back to amend my post to include the 2" band option (CooksSaw AC-36) having thought to double check the specs.

Yes the bigger band-wheels, were as you will recall, my prime reason for wanting the LM15 Mill from LogMaster, as I intutivetly understood the engineering benefits of the larger diameter.

I presume the wider and thicker band can also be strung a lot tighter, before risk of failure, and is also less "twisty" anyway.

Marcus

PS

Did I ever mention I was a "perfectionist" by Sociometric:lol: profiling.

This is not all good.

Particularly susceptible to "Analysis Paralysis", for a start!!

m

[Big J]

Correct. My 2" bands run at 6000psi, whereas the 1.25" bands I used to run on the LT40 run at 2300psi.