What is the Best Sawmill Blade for Pine?

Let's find out what are the best sawmill bandsaw blades for dealing with green softwoods like pine

You want the best bandsaw blades to cut through pine with the best tooth spacing and blade thickness to get through even the toughest pine.

Thankfully you have some great options, especially when you understand how bandsaw blades work and the specific dimensions that will help you cut through pine. Knowing this can help extend your blade life and let you customize your own blades to cut through your wood.

Starting with a new blade ensures optimal cutting efficiency, durability, and the longest lifespan before sharpening or replacement is needed. For pine, the ideal blade features the right blade profile, width, thickness, and tooth configuration. Matching these characteristics to your sawmill and wood type maximizes efficiency and cut quality. When customizing your own blades, be sure to consider the profile width thickness tooth as key parameters for achieving the best results. 

So let’s get into it.

How do bandsaw blades work?

All portable sawmills, including Woodland Mills sawmills, use a flexible bandsaw blades that runs between two bandwheels on a head assembly. The head is then driven down a track where it cuts into the lumber as it goes.

By using thinner blades with a small kerf, only a small amount of material is lost from the cut, making it an efficient way of conserving lumber.

The blades work when the tooth faces lean forward, cutting into the log with each pass and cutting away a small amount of material. With a sharp blade this can cut through even the most abrasive hardwoods to turn your logs into cants, slabs or dimensional lumber.

What makes a bandsaw blade better for cutting pine?

Each bandsaw blade has several components, such as the:

• • Tooth Face: The head of the tooth that leans forward and cuts into the wood with sharp penetrating points.

  • Gullet: The space between teeth. This area tends to develop stress and needs to be ground down during sharpening to prevent stress fractures.

  • Pitch: This refers to the distance between the tips of each tooth. A shorter pitch is better for hardwoods while a longer pitch is better for general use.

  • Hook Angle: Also known as the Rake, this is the angle of the tooth face. A 10-12 degree hook angle is great for softwood species while a harsher, sharper angle is better for more abrasive hardwoods.

Each of these components is used to gauge the effectiveness when manufacturing sawmill blades. If you own a blade sharpener like the RS30 PRO you can maintain the sharpness of your blades so they continue to do their best while cutting pine or even for sawing frozen wood.

What bandsaw blades are best for cutting pine?

When it comes to pine, a softwood species like soft maple, you generally want a softer hook angle and further pitch with wider tooth spacing. General use sawmill blades, like the ones offered by Woodland Mills, will generally give you the best cutting performance with pine, giving you faster sawing speeds and wasting little material from the kerf.

These band sawmill blades work best, as opposed to thicker blades with a shorter tooth spacing, which will waste more material and won't be as efficient.

If you own a blade sharpener then you should ensure your general use bandsaw blades are kept sharp as dull blades won't be as effective at cutting pines.

What about sawing green softwoods?

Some sawyers prefer to cut green wood, saying the moisture trapped inside the log makes it easier to cut as it acts as an additional lubricant. Others wait until their logs are a bit drier but this is a matter of preference.

In Summary: Here are the Best Sawmill/Bandsaw Blades for Pine

When looking for great sawmill blades for your Woodland Mills portable sawmill here is what you should look for:

• • Blades with a softer rake angle

  • Blades with a larger pitch

  • Blades that can be easily sharpened when dull