Product Review: Blades from Various Suppliers

I have used the following sawblades on a Cooks AC 4449 Sawmill. All of the blades were 1.5”. The sawblades I am reviewing come from Cooks Saw Mfg., Wood-Mizer, Timberwolf, Kenne-Saw, and Jerry’s Resharp, Inc.

Sawblade from Cooks Saw Mfg.

I used their Super Sharp DuraTooth™ blades with .045 and .055 thickness and an 8 degree hook angle tooth profile. These blades produce a nice chunky sawdust. They leave very little sawdust on the boards. So far, with the .045 blades, I have been able to get them sharpened 3 times.

The .055 seems to break pre-maturely, as in only running a couple hours on a new blade.  I like the .055 better than the .045 blade due to the fact they seem to produce straighter, less wavy boards. Unfortunately, however, I have not been able to make them last. These blades are easy to re-sharpen and I have not had any issues breaking teeth on the setting machine.

Sawblade from Wood-Mizer

From Wood-Mizer, I used their Turbo 747 sawblade with thicknesses of .045 and .055. The blades cut very fast and leaves a smooth finish on the material being milled. The blades work well on hardwood and softwood.  

So far, I have only had one .055 blade break and that was at the weld. These blades are also easy to re-sharpen and I do not have any issues breaking teeth on the setting machine. This blade is shaping up to be my favorite blade for cutting nice straight lumber as well as lasting up to 400 and even 500 board feet before changing out.

Sawblade from Jerry’s Resharp, Inc.

I am super impressed with the Ripper 37 sawblade from Jerry’s Resharp, Inc. This is a very rigid, straight cutting blade. The Ripper 37 is also very fast and leaves an extremely smooth finish. As far as durability, this blade seems to outlast all the other sawblades I have been cutting with. 

So far, the only drawback is that I tend to break a few teeth here and there on the setting machine. If I were to plan on sending the blades in for re-sharpening, this by far, would be my go-to blade.

Sawblade from Timberwolf

This sawblade is very smooth and fast-cutting. I did find myself adjusting my band wheels slightly to get these blades to track better. There is nothing wrong with the blade, but so far I feel the Ripper and Turbo 747 outperform the Timberwolf sawblade. It is easy to re-sharpen, and so far none have broken pre-maturely vs the sawblade from Cooks.

Sawblade from Kenne-Saw

I would compare this sawblade to the Ripper 37 in regards to cutting capability and durability. So far, I have not sharpened any of these blades.  When I do sharpen them, and if I do not have any issues breaking teeth on the setting machine, this could very well be my go-to saw blade.

Sawblade Review Summary

Re-sharpening aside, I would put the Ripper 37 at the top of the pack. When I consider re-sharpening my own blades and the results of my own re-sharpening, I would have to bump the Wood-Mizer Turbo 747 to the top. I would like to note that all of the above blade suppliers have not had any issues sending blades providing I give them a couple weeks to work with.