Today's
Sponsors:


Elias Woodwork & Manufacturing

Endeavor Hardwoods

Erecta-Rack

ETK International

EX-FACTORY

Excel Dowel and Wood Products Inc.

Extrema Machinery

FastCap

Felder USA

Festool

Finish Systems

Firth Maple Products

Flap-Wheels.com

FormWood Industries

Freeborn Tool Company

Freedom Machine Tool

Fuhr International

Fuji Spray

Gary M. Katz

Goby Walnut Products

Graco, Inc.

Great Lakes Kiln Drying Association

GreCon

Green Valley Wood Products

GUHDO

Hanson and Leja Lumber Company

Hardwood Council

Hardwood Store of N.C. Inc.

Heartwoods, LLC

Hendrick

Her-Saf

Hermance Machine Company

Hi-Knoll Cedar, John Langstroth Consulting

Historical Plus Wood

Centre for Advanced Wood Processing

Charles G.G. Schmidt Co.

Chicago Dowel Company, Inc.

Classic Designs by Matthew Burak | tablelegs.com

Clear Lake Lumber

Clear Vue Cyclones

CNC Parts Dept.

CNCROUTERSTORE.com

Colonial Saw

Construction Programs and Results

Cook's Saw Mfg.

Coulee Region Hardwoods

Country Saw & Knife, Inc.

CP Adhesives

CSH Custom Service Hardware Inc.

Cutlist Plus

Cutting Edge CNC

Delta Power Equipment Corporation

Denray Machine

Digital Wood Carver

Dispoz-A-Blade

Don Hall & Associates

Donald Dean and Sons

Eagle Bay Cabinet Doors and Drawers

Eagle Machinery and Repair Co.

Eagle Mouldings

ECabinet Systems

Edge-It Edgebanding

Electrophysics




Sawing Hard Maple

      Advice on bandsaw blade characteristics for good performance in hard Maple. October 29, 2008

Question
I recently started running a horizontal resaw and was wondering why I have to go so slow on hard maple. On soft maple all I have to do is slow down on the knots. On oak it's just watch I don't go too fast through the really wide ones and rip the band right off. Why does the hard maple snake on a clear slab at about half the speed I would normally run at?

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor S:
What mill and what blades are you running?



From the original questioner:
The mill is a Salem horizontal resaw. As for the bands, I don't know. I can usually get close to 30 lines a minute but am lucky to get half that on hard maple.


From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
Without further info, I would guess that you have insufficient side clearance (or not enough set on the teeth). After the saw tooth has gone by, maple likes to spring back and close the gap or kerf.

Further, maple requires sharp saws and good side dressing. I suggest that your saw filer get a bit of training, perhaps at a neighboring mill cutting maple.



From the original questioner:
Today one of our filers that used to run the saw told me that it is better to go faster because the band will pull more sawdust from the cut. Is this accurate? I don't see how it would pull more dust without the band going any faster. I just think you would have a better chance of ripping the band off.


From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
Faster will result in less fine sawdust and bigger chips which a band saw will carry away easier. However, faster can also mean stalling and having the band leave the saw... dangerous. Sometimes a band with half as many teeth will work better as this will have the same feed rate but each tooth will do more work and give a bigger chip.

Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?


Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?
  • KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base

  • KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing

  • KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Sawmilling




    Would you like to add information to this article? ... Click Here

    If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Before posting your message, be sure to
    review our Forum Guidelines.

    Questions entered in the Knowledge Base Article comment form will not generate responses! A list of WOODWEB Forums can be found at WOODWEB's Site Map.

    When you post your question at the Forum, be sure to include references to the Knowledge Base article that inspired your question. The more information you provide with your question, the better your chances are of receiving responses.

    Return to beginning of article.



    Refer a Friend || Read This Important Information || Site Map || Privacy Policy || Site User Agreement

    Letters, questions or comments? E-Mail us and let us know what you think. Be sure to review our Frequently Asked Questions page.

    Contact us to discuss advertising or to report problems with this site.

    To report a problem, send an e-mail to our Webmaster

    Copyright © 1996-2012 - WOODWEB ® Inc.
    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission of the Editor.
    Review WOODWEB's Copyright Policy.

    The editors, writers, and staff at WOODWEB try to promote safe practices. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Readers should undertake the use of materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.

    WOODWEB, Inc.
    335 Bedell Road
    Montrose, PA 18801

    Contact WOODWEB













  •   Home » Knowledge Base » Knowledge Base Article