A while back I wrote about finally finding a great bandsaw blade, the Wood Slicer from Highland Woodworking. I talked about it doing a wonderful job ripping wood, and how it cut through the wood as if it was butter. One thing I didn’t include in my article was the physical properties of the cut directly from the saw, and in this article, I will do just that. I think it’s important to have what is more empirical rather than just superlative information.
The pieces of wood I’ll present are from two corners of a rectangular piece of figured maple. This piece of maple is a fence for a home made marking gauge, and I decided to change the shape to something a bit more pleasing. I wondered just how much work I would have to do to smooth out the curves where the band saw cut the wood. In the past, the band saw blades I’ve used would leave a surface that was extremely rough in both the visual and tactile sense. Not the case with this Wood Slicer. Now I’m not going to say it was as smooth as glass, but some areas did shine when light bounced off. It is yet another aspect of this blade that will keep it as my go-to for all but the most specific usages.
First corner piece
Second corner piece
When you look at the photos, be aware that I’m not a band saw expert, and as such, I believe even better results would come from a hand with better feed control. That being said, I’m still just as happy as I can possibly be that I finally tried this blade. It rocks.
Click to take a closer look at the Wood Slicer Resaw Bandsaw Blades.
Lee Laird has enjoyed woodworking for over 20 years. He is retired from the U.S.P.S. and works for Lie-Nielsen Toolworks as a show staff member, demonstrating tools and training customers. You can email him at lee@lie-nielsen.com or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/is9582