Country Saw & Knife has introduced a new thin-kerf band saw blade called the Extreme XT blade. The new blade has undergone field trials for six to eight weeks by pallet companies, portable sawmill operators, and machinery manufacturers.

In developing the Extreme XT, Country Saw & Knife sought to design a blade that would remove fine, air-borne dust in the work area and from boards. The Extreme XT achieves both, according to the company, because it produces a coarse chip, not fine dust. The Extreme XT eliminates 95% of fine air-borne dust and 90% of the dust from boards, according to Country Saw & Knife. It is important to feed lumber rapidly to achieve less dust, the company noted.

The new Extreme XT also has longer blade life. Customers running 1-inch by 2T HB .035-inch blades have experienced blade life up to 18 hours with blade life averaging 14-15 hours. Customers running 1 1/4-inch by 3/4-inch .042-inch blades have experienced similar blade life.

The new Extreme XT 1-inch and 1 1/4-inch blades are available now, and the 7/8-inch tooth pitch blades will be available around the end of September.

For more information or to order blades, contact Country Safe & Knife at (800) 253-7379, fax (330) 332-1677, e-mail ctysaw@valuenet.com, or visit the Web site at www.countrysaw.com.