This whole thing about band saws, blades and set up is interesting in that the combinations might nearly equal the stars in the universe. And I know as little as the next guy, but I did get some interesting advice from Suffolk Machinery that went against what I previously thought was good practice.
That regards the tensioning of Timberwolf blades. Art at Suffolk advised that when resawing with Delta, Jet or the other American brand saws that the "flutter method" of tensioning should be ignored and tension should be set using the scale on the saw. I questioned this since this is not what Suffolk prints in their literature. He explained that Suffolk had this in their earlier instructions, but received complaints from manufacturers of saws made in Asia. (European saws were not mentioned.) So, to please everybody, and to not appear as discriminating, that was taken out and the flutter test is recommended.
With my next resaw I applied tension using the scale, and sure enough, I got a superior cut. By the way, I am using a Delta 14" and was told that the half inch blade is the widest blade that can be tensioned properly (using the scale) with this saw. Apparently the manufacturers are a bit optimistic showing 3/4" on the scale since the frame of the saw may not be stout enough to handle the stress that would be encountered.
I know this can be a controversial subject and as stated in the first paragraph, I don't claim to be an expert. I won't be offended if you see this as "bull feathers" and I look forward to hearing ideas from others. We learn by listening, observing and experimenting.
I will be off line for awhile to vacuum and blow out the dust that has accumulated in my computer. Perhaps that's why this corner of the room stays so clean?
Roy
