B L A D E S
Update on RazorTip
RazorTip is a Stellite-tipped blade designed for
cutting hard and difficult timber, and is the most
recent addition to the range of narrow bandsaw
blades manufactured by Wood-Mizer.
In developing the blade, Wood-Mizer wanted to
ensure that it was as easy to maintain as the
DoubleHard and SilverTip blades, using the
company's existing sharpening and setting
machines. As a result, RazorTip is different from
other types of Stellite-tipped bandsaw blade on the
market.
The traditional method is to apply Stellite to
'straight' or 'unset' teeth using one of two processes:
either Stellite rod is welded to the tip of each tooth
and then parted from the rod, after which the blade
must be further processed on a side grinder to
achieve the correct tooth width and a profile grinder
to shape the tooth top and face; or the Stellite is
'melted' onto the tooth tip using a water-cooled
mould to achieve a shape close to the final profile
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and width, which reduces the amount of subsequent
grinding required. In both cases, it is the width of the
Stellite itself that creates the kerf of the blade.
These methods require expertise and expensive
equipment for applying the Stellite and grinding and
resharpening the teeth.
With RazorTip, the Stellite is also applied to the
tip of the tooth, but the teeth are then spring-set in
exactly the same way as DoubleHard and SilverTip
blades. This means that less Stellite has to be used
since it is the set of the teeth that provides the kerf
rather than the thickness of the Stellite, which keeps
the cost down. It also means that blades are easily
sharpened and reset using Wood-Mizer's
equipment.
RazorTip has already proved a success in all
markets, for use both on Wood-Mizer sawmills and
on other makes of bandsaw and resaw. User
feedback has included a number of frequently asked
questions, a selection of which appear on page 15.
WOOD-MIZER TODAY AUTUMN 2011