I did see your video. I was cutting as you show at the 36 minute mark. One of the shims slipped…
Ahh, unfortunate. Glad you didn't get injured.
I didn't mention it there but I've been known to use hot melt glue to help hold the wedges in place on an iffy round. I sometimes cut wedges to fit the curvature of the log, but not usually. The trick for me is continuously holding the wedges in place and adding new ones as needed. I keep a box of various wedges, straight and curved.
Also, the plywood method at about 40:30 in the video is extremely stable. I didn't mention this either: if supported by plywood I don't have to make a cut right down the center, but can cut off to the side if needed (just keep away from the screws and use caution when clearing the end of the log) or make an angled cut to follow the pith. (I first mark a cut line on the top with a Sharpie.)
Using the chainsaw to make a skimmed flat on the bottom also works well but does take a bit of time. I use an electric chainsaw for this.
The carbide is too expensive for me, I'm a cheapskate. I've also used bimetal blades with hardened teeth, but they cost more also.
Do you have a Lenox bandsaw blade shop in your area? I looked them up once on the internet and found them all over the country. The local one is in a room in an industrial compressed gas company. They make blades of any type to any length, sometimes while I wait. Easiest thing the first time is to bring a blade that fits and the guy makes new blades to match exactly. After trying several, I always use 1/2" 3tpi spring steel blades. The blades I get are every bit as good as ordering blades and the cost is generally less.
He often has the blade stock I use on the shelf but if not I order a 100' roll and a few days later go pick up 8 blades - lasts me a LONG time! (I think the blades for my 18" Rikon are 142", but my memory cells get older every day.)
For me, the Lenox spring-steel blades are the best balance between cost and function (and easier on the bandsaw due to the lower force needed for tensioning). I can cut up a LOT of log rounds with a single blade, depending on the wood, sharpening if needed. Keeping the sawdust clear with a powerful DC helps too.
I do clean the bark first (with a wire brush or, better, ahead of time outside with an electric pressure washer (to remove any dirt, embedded gravel, etc.) which makes the blade last a lot longer. If the bark is loose I'll sometimes remove it with a hand axe or skim down the top and bottom with an elect chainsaw to expose clean wood.
I've had several requests for a follow up video - how I sharpen bandsaw blades. I usually sharpen a spring steel blade several times, occasionally as up to 5 times, before discarding it. I mention in the video how I check for sharpneess. Another test is like checking a knife - if you see light glinting from the sharp tip of the tooth it's not sharp! (You might see such a glint on the tooth right above the sharpening disk in the photo below.)
I use an extremely simple method to sharpen, using the side of a small Dremel cutting disk. I can usually sharpen one tooth in 1-3 seconds so my 400+ tooth blades do take a bit of time, but I'm retired. I sharpen only the front of the tooth (that nearest to me - not the gullet) - this method does reduce the kerf a bit with each sharpening and can cause a rougher cut since it's done by hand, but that hasn't affected my log processing. I've cut up many hundreds (thousands?) of blanks with the cheap blades over the years.
I mark the starting point with a red sharpie, rest my right hand on the table, angle the dremel disk so it's very close to the angle of the tooth, then touch the tooth for a fraction of a second. Glance to make sure I've just ground a tiny angled flat on the tip of the tooth. Pull the blade down a tooth with the left hand, repeat. And repeat... (Might be best to unplug the bandsaw first)
Although the teeth on the blades I use angle the points to the left-right-center I don't adjust my hand position for that - I just grind straight across. I've experimented with both ways and could see no difference in the resulting cuts.
BTW, over the years I've read of others that use this exact technique - Steven Russell for one. One guy made a video showing him sharpening with the blade on the workbench - not for me. Some have devised complicated sleds and devices to keep the angle consistent but I think that's unnecessary (and would require precise indexing of each tooth to be effective). Some sharpen the gullet instead of the face but I see no need for the type of sawing I do. Most people don't sharpen at all, just cut until the blade is dull then keep cutting until they get frustrated!
JKJ
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