Saw this post on a Massachussets wood turners post

A posting (and replies) from rec.woodworking newsgroup

Dear All,

I have 14″ 1HP bandsaw with a riser kit, and I am wondering what the best
blade choice would be for re-sawing frozen bread. I tried a 1/4″ 12 TPI, but
the cut was way to slow, the blade kept loading up and wandering. I had
better luck with a 1/2″ 3 TPI blade, but the cut was rough and I was getting
a lot of tearout when the blade exited the caraway seed, 12 grain, whole
wheat loaf.

Does anyone have suggestions as to what blade I should use? Different types
for frozen bran muffins vs. English muffins or even when re-sawing a full
12″ on a pumpernickel loaf?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

David

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Replies

David, 1HP is underpowered for resawing frozen bread. You really want a
minimum of 2HP. 1HP is ok for english muffins (only the pre-split kind).

As for blades, I use the DoeMaster (which is a 3/4″ 3 TPI blade) sold by
Hostess Hardware (can’t remember their website). This works well for all types
of bread. I usually let the bread thaw for 13 minutes before re-sawing.
One word of caution, unless you want the bread toasted, make sure you spray
some Pam Cooking spray while sawing.

Joe

———-

I would take the 1/2″ blade and by holding a stone against the back of the
blade with saw running get a nice non-toothed sharp edge on it. Be sure to
use a waterstone, or a vegetable oilstone. Then modify a 20 hp variable
speed dc motor to power the bandsaw. You can pick this up from the elevator
of any demolished hi-rise near you. Or try E-bay. (standard disclaimer – no
connection). Be sure to use a backer muffin to prevent tear out.

Steve

———-

David, I’ll answer your questions but first let me say that you really should try a
Google search first or at least read the FAQ’s. This question has been
asked and answered many times in the past.

Re-sawing frozen bread isn’t a good idea since when you cut it you’ll be
releasing tension in the 12 grains that will cause the slices to warp and
curl making the finishing process difficult. Soft finishes will go on okay,
but the poly will jam and will tend to go on unevenly and turn cloudy after
it thaws due to the moisture being released. Wait for it to thaw and dry to
insure even, flat consistent slices for finishing.

Your blade choices are totally off target. You should be using the 3/4″, 1
tpi, serrated blade from General Mills for the whole wheat loaf.

If you really need to cut these when they’re frozen then I suggest you
invest in the “Hot Wire” blade, .025, 0 tpi, high tension wire blade. You
take one hot lead from your 220v line and attach it to the top wheel, the
other hot line goes to the lower wheel and the neutral gets attached to the
table – no need for a motor using this blade. This blade will insure that
the frozen bread gets sliced and toasted all in a single operation
preventing the warping from the freeze/thaw cycle you’re now experiencing.
Be sure you’re standing on a rubber mat and don’t look directly at the
arcing.

Bob

———-

I’d be very wary of cutting small muffins on the band saw. You should
probably look into making a jig to keep your fingers away from the blade. I
remember seeing one on Martha Stewart’s website a while ago that doubled as
a festive centerpiece.

For slicing bread, your best bet would be a commercial gang rip saw that
will slice the entire loaf at once. The circular saw blade should solve
your chip out problems as well.

Good luck, and good eating.

Joe

———-

All of you damn Normites. Everybody knows that the cleanest way to cut
bread is with a Disston backsaw. I slice cheese with my Stanley #5 Jack
Plane.

Jonathan

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You know you’ve been turning too much wood when…

…you see a downed tree and you immediately wonder how many bowls it would make.

…you run over a scrap of wood on the highway and you wonder how it would have turned.

…you close your eyes and you see maple shavings curling off a sharp bowl gouge.

…you visit a junkyard and you start wondering how all those parts could fit together into a bowl lathe.

…you take a break in your favorite chair and you start wondering what you should turn next.

…your friends love the smell of fresh coffee, and you love the smell of fresh wood shavings.

…you see a nice shape on the beach, and you wonder what it would look like in wood.

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Edited 12/2/2003 3:42:31 PM ET by JAGWAH