News
Happy Customers in Quebec Canada
Thode Knife & Saw and Iseli thank Scierie St-Armand, Quebec on their purchase of their Iseli BNP200 Profile Grinder. The BNP200 is one of the most advanced Bandsaw Profile Grinder available and is becoming first choice amongst advanced Sawmills in Canada. Pictured is Renald Yergeau with his New Iseli BNP200. Renald is head filer (left) with Phil Higgins (Manager Thode Knife & Saw Canada) who completed the commissioning.
Thode Knife & Saw & Iseli also thank Affutage JL at St-Pamphile, Quebec on their purchase of a new Iseli RZ1. Kathy Pelletier on the left and Christopher Gagnon on the right with their new RZ1.
The Iseli RZ1 is the worlds biggest selling Automatic Levelling & Tensioning machine and is a great addition to their filing room.
One Forty One Jubilee Highway Australia BNP200 Left & Right Hand Bandsaw Grinders
One Forty One Jubilee Highway BNP200 Left & Right Hand Bandsaw Grinders Installation
December 2022
Aaron McRae & Regan Eisenhut Commissioned two new Iseli BNP200s with the latest Tooth Tracing System for One Forty One Jubilee Highway Sawmill in Mt Gambier South Australia.
These two machines will now complement the recently installed RZ1, BNF100 side grinder and SAA stellite tipper as part of their major capital investments in the Sawshop.
Aaron McRae (Thode) Mauro Rossi and Matt Bowering (OFO) going into the screen settings on the BNP200
Thode Knife & Saw Pty would like to Thank OFO for their ongoing support of the Iseli products.
Special Thanks to Barry Kuhl, Matt Bowering and staff for your Hospitality.
Aaron & Regan.
Iseli Machinery commissioning in Canada Dec 2022
Over the past 12 months our CA customers have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new Iseli sawshop equipment.
After successful comissioning, it's all smiles for this group of discerning buyers.
Thode and Iseli thank you for your continued support.
Iseli principle Philipp Iseli visits Thode Canada’s manufacturing plant in Chilliwack BC

From left Philipp Iseli CEO Iseli Swiss Precision, Phillip Higgins Manager Thode Knife & Saw Canada, Kevin Parker CEO Thode Knife & Saw
Thode now in its fourth year providing filing-room solutions with Iseli Machinery and saw blades in Canada after expanding from Australasia where it has been operating for over 75 years. Iseli also in business for over 75 years has had a collaborating partnership with Thode for over 20 years in Australasia and since the inception of Thode Canada.
Our Canadian customers are very supportive of the world class technology being offered by Thode Canada. We have a growing order book of Iseli machines which follow on from installation’s that have proven to increase efficiencies in filing rooms across Canada.
Our bandsaw manufacturing plants also use the latest technology featuring Iseli equipment which is giving customers Canadian made saws of the highest standard and consistency using renown Uddeholm 000 material.
We would like to thank our customers for their support giving us confidence to build a new manufacturing plant in BC and we look forward to building on the relationships and business that is growing as a result.
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Please direct your enquiries to Mr Phillip Higgins our Thode Canada Manager.
Tel: +1 (778) 684-6078
Email: phil@thodecanada.ca
Iseli BNP200 featured on BC Saw Filers Convention 2022
Phil shows off an Iseli BNP200 bandsaw profile grinder at the BC Saw Filers Convention 2022.
Link to Canadian Forest Industries article here.
Iseli RZ-1 Installation at Freeman Lumber Nova Scotia
Kendall Lawson of Freeman Lumber Nova Scotia stands proud of his new Iseli RZ1 Auto Bench. This was commissioned by Regan Eisenhut (Operations Manager from Thode Knife & Saw). The Iseli RZ1 is the benchmark of Bandsaw Auto Level & Tension Machines available in the world today.
If you are wanting high efficiency and consistency in your filing room contact Thode Knife & Saw to discuss the benefits this machine will give your Sawmill.
Thode Knife & Saw would like to thank Freeman Lumber for their purchase.

Kendall Lawson of Freeman Lumber Nova Scotia

Downie Timber invests in Iseli BNP 100 CNC Bandsaw Profile Grinder
Phil Higgins (Thode Canada Manager) recently commissioned an Iseli BNP100 CNC bandsaw profile grinder for Downie Timber
Heath Hanson (pictured) the head filer at Downie Timber in Revelstoke BC Canada stands proud with the new BNP100 grinder which has just been installed.
This is a new filing room in their Selkirk Cedar plant where a variety of saw specifications are catered for as used in the production process.
Thode Knife & Saw Ltd thank Downie Timber for choosing Iseli equipment for their filing room. Iseli has become a brand of choice for many leading companies throughout the world due to the technology, precision and reliability which gives customers assurance of improved quality and efficiency.
OneFortyOne Jubilee Sawmill Mount Gambier Saw-Shop upgrade
OneFortyOne is committed to ensuring they remain one of the most progressive and efficient mills in Australasia. By investing in new technology, they are continuing towards their objective of valuing every strand of wood fibre that they process. OneFortyOne has invested $40 million since purchasing the Jubilee Sawmill in 2018.
As part of this investment OneFortyOne has chosen ISELI equipment for its Saw-Shop upgrade. ISELI is regarded by Industry as being the most innovative company in the world when it comes to Saw-Shop technology. Thode Knife & Saw proudly represent ISELI in Australasia and Canada wide.
Barry Kuhl Saw-Shop Manager (second from the left) and his team are upgrading their Saw-Shop. The latest delivery consists of an ISELI BNF100 CNC Bandsaw Side Grinder and ISELI SAA Automatic Stellite Tipper which followed on from a new ISELI RZ1 Auto Levelling & Benching station in 2020. Thode and ISELI are proud to be involved with this project and look forward to the upcoming installation of two new ISELI BNP 200 CNC bandsaw sharpeners . Thank you to Barry and his team from Aaron Mc Rae of Thode for the hospitality during the commissioning process.
Another Iseli Installation
Proud Filers Kevin Ransom (head Filer) & Shane Marin of Apollo Forest Products either side of their new Iseli BNP200
Variable Pitch and Depth Bandsaws
Variable Pitch and Depth Bandsaws
By: John Eisenhut
A bit of background on myself, I’ve been in the Saw doctoring industry for quite a few decades now and in those years I’ve experimented a little outside the box with many things over those years.
Several in particular:
- Hit and miss tipping
- Variable kerf, something I have a huge passion for.
- Variable pitch band saws off older cam Technology grinders.
Now most of us know and I would think agree that reducing vibration in a saw is beneficial.
A Variable Pitch or Variable Pitch and Depth saw will run quieter than a standard pitch profile. There is no doubt about this; it’s an actual fact and has been documented well over the years.
So a few points to consider
Firstly: from a health and safety point of view, quieter saws in the saw mill are an immediate benefit in itself, and for most in the industry reason enough to make the change to a Variable Pitch saw.
It is common to receive feed back from the operators that they can’t hear the saw and in the next breath say I don’t like it, I can’t here it how can I cut fast and smooth if I can’t hear it?
What he is actually saying is the saw has changed its cutting pitch.
This is nothing that a re-adjustment period and a bit of reassurance and coaching over a few days won’t fix and it is definitely not something that should dictate not changing to the Variable Pitch concept.
This is a free advantage, no outlay, no more expensive than a standard saw.
Old technology grinders or standard cam grinders can grind a three pitch scenario with not too much effort, so the gain is there for us all.
Another benefit from a VP saw is the ability of the saw to decrease or eliminate completely any wash board that may be occurring… This. again is achieved without any other investment or modification being required. It’s a free fix.
Some of the myths around using Variable Pitch saws are that they cannot be serviced on a cam driven grinder, this is absolutely not the case.
Yes care needs to be taken to not over grind the face of the tooth “and” the tooth shape may not be as “pretty” as a CNC machine, however the additional benefits are there to grab. Your choice
The assumption that a VP saw is harder to deal with is also misguided information, setting a Variable Pitch saw going on a cam grinder or a CNC grinder is a simple task.
Continued Benefits
Now the money maker advantages
Increased feed rates
A decrease in within board deviation or a combination of both and again these benefits are being harnessed without any other investment or upgrade, it’s effectively a free performance increase for your sawmill.
You have to buy saws for your saw mill; there is no difference in price between buying a standard profile saw or a Variable Pitch profile saw,
We at Thode can cut your saw to any profile you require
Water cut by Thode Knife and Saw / cold cut flat and true, with no punch deformation
Even if you only have a cam driven grinders we can cut a profile to suit what they produce,
Our CNC water cutter allows us to cold cut your profile to very close tolerances,
The cut is clean, accurate and without heat absolutely no deformation in the plate
This can save you hours of grinding time, and have your new saw up and running in no time at all.
Massive leap in technology for Bandsaw Shop" self programming & self setting bandsaw profile grinder (Iseli BNP200)
Iseli Latest Technology
ISELI TOOTH TRACING SYSTEM (TTS)
Programming tooth shapes is still a major challenge for many customers. The ISELI Tooth Tracing System (TTS) can help! The tooth shape of the saw you desire to be emulated can be probed automatically by an acoustic sensor and saved as the tooth shape of your choice. The data obtained is then used for sharpening in the recipe. Parameters such as tooth profile, hook and back angles, tooth height, variable pitch and depths etc, are automatically determined and saved by the program.
This process enables the exact reproduction of existing tooth shapes directly on the machine without a great effort. These can be used going forward on all saws you have in service. So an exact repeat of tooth profiles on every saws
Inaccuracies are also copied, which means that the removal and thus the costs can be reduced to a minimum, even if the profile is not precisely defined. In addition, inaccuracies on the grinding wheel are compensated for when probing and enables absolutely precise grinding of the profile, even with a worn grinding wheel.
Tooth shapes generated on a system using TTS can be read in other ISELI machines of the BNP series.
AUTOMATIC INSERTION AND EXTRACTION
Automatic insertion of the blade is now possible. The machine inserts the blade until a height pre-set in the recipe has been reached; the machine then closes the saw clamp. The first saw tooth is determined and the tooth pitch is calculated. In the case of variable tooth shapes, the group of teeth is automatically detected. This significantly reduces operating errors and the effort involved in searching for variable divisions.
The saw blade can be inserted / lifted to the stop point automatically on demand in automatic mode. The search for teeth and the determination of the zero point takes place automatically and the grinding process is started. In summary, the operator can insert the blade and start the machine by pushing the start button. The rest of the work is done automatically by the machine. The option is completed with a revised height adjustment, which works faster and more precisely thanks to a variable-speed drive.
Pan Pac Napier Invests in High Tech Iseli Saw-Shop Machinery
The Iseli BNP200 Bandsaw Profile Grinder
The BNP 200 automatic profile grinders are equipped with a 3 axes CNC system which gives automatic tooth finding functionality and different options for optimised accurate profile grinding. This also opens the door to many other saw machining options for the future.
A user friendly touch screen makes the machine very easy to use.
Pan Pac have opted to run a full oil immersed CBN wheel system. The Iseli machines were found to have the best oil containment details of all machines considered including close fitting wipers, oil mist extraction system and a fully automatic fire suppression system.
The machines run an electronically controlled central height adjustment system for saw blades, a pneumatic blade clamping system. The machine also has a Thode designed swarf magnet and back feed engagement device, both of which build upon the base machine from Iseli.
The Iseli BNF100 Bandsaw Side-Grinder
The BNF side grinder from Iseli is a 4 axes CNC machine; it runs a user friendly touch screen that makes the machine very easy to use.
The machine runs a full oil immersed CBN wheel system for the very best side grinding results with accuracies second to none.
The oil also assists in lubricating all moving parts keeping maintenance to a minimum.
The machine also comes with an oil mist filtration system and a fully automatic fire suppression system to mitigate against the risks of using an oil lubricant.
Iseli KHB110 Niagara Sawmill
Thode Knife & Saw Newsletter
We are now seeing the market return to normality post Covid lockdown with strong orders for knife steel and bandsaws, we have good stocks and capacity to process your orders quickly.
Onefortyone Mt Gambier Aaustralia Iseli RZ1
Onefortyone's Matt Bowering on the left and Mark Barrington on the right after successful commissioning of their new Iseli RZ1 supplied by Thode Knife & Saw
A World Leader in Saw Shop Machinery
Oil CBN versus Water Miscible
Iseli stand Ligna 2019
Thode at the Kanefusa Seminar during Ligna 2019
Kevin Parker and Darren Clissold (2nd and 4th from right) representing Thode at the Kanefusa Seminar during Ligna 2019.
New Iseli install in Australia
New Iseli RZ1 Install Canada
Our latest happy customer Produits Forestiers D&G Canada, have taken a leap for the future and invested in the latest Iseli RZ1.
Red Stag Saw Shop
With two sets of quad saws requiring saw changes every six hours on average, a brand new saw shop has been built, much thought went into the planning and equipping this important element of the operation.
The saw shop is bright and airy and features the latest automatic saw sharpening equipment made by Swiss manufacturer, Iseli, considered to be the best in the world. Under saw shop manager Regan Eisenhut, the facility is kept meticulous.
Thode Knife & Saw Canada
LATEST Iseli BNP200
Another site that has taken the leap into the latest technology that Iseli has to offer.
Trevor Payne (Head Sawdoctor) Wespine next to his new Iseli BNP200 supplied by Thode. Trevor says the site’s band saw cracks are now a thing in the past after the installation of his new BNP200.
Please contact us if you would like a quote on any of the machines Iseli offer, we are more than happy to help you out with all your saw shop needs, our contact email is sales@thode.co.nz