Resawing on 14" JET/Delta Possible? Resawing Mahogany

[Patrick Irish]

I have a bunch of 10/4 mahogany I need to resaw so I can plane and join for a table top.

I bought my Jet 14" bandsaw (delta duplicate) used last year. It has the riser kit and a bunch of blades. I added the kreg fence but that about it.

What are my realistic chances in consistently resawing some mahogany? Widest piece probably 6" or so. I could joint on the jointer them and then run it through the table saw and then flip it and do it again BUT I was trying not to do that and lose the material a saw blade eat up plus I kinda wanted to try resawing.

I'm going to watch some youtube vids on dialing in this bandsaw and the 'drift'. I initially tried to get the fence square to the table but then read the blade is what the fence needs to be square to, not the end of the table.

[lowell holmes]

I have a 14" Jet bandsaw. I have resawn with it.

Practice on scrap wood to develop a technique. You will answer your own questions.

Have push sticks ready to keep your fingers clear of the blade.

[Michelle Rich]

mahogany isn't very hard..you should be fine

[John TenEyck]

Patrick, I have resawed a lot of veneer on my old 14" Delta. If you have a 1/2" x 3 tpi blade for it you will be able to as well. If you don't, I recommend you get one, and unlike many others I recommend it not be a Woodslicer. They are fine if the wood doesn't move at all, but bind badly if it does. I have had very good performance from Starrett blades.
Whatever blade you use you need to get it so it cuts straight and parallel with the miter slot. I had to shim the wheels on my saw to get them coplanar before it would cut straight; hopefully, you won't have to do that but it's not that hard to do if you must. I can't recommend more strongly how important it is to have the blade cut straight and parallel with the miter slot. Everything becomes easier when it does, and nothing is easy when it doesn't. People will tune their tablesaws so the blade is dead straight with the miter slot but willingly adjust for drift on their bandsaw. I don't get it; there's no need to compromise. Your saw will cut straight if you take the time to adjust it and the blade you have on it is sharp with equal set of the teeth.

You would benefit with a tall fence, too, although 6" isn't all that high. Still, it makes it a lot easier. Here's how I have my Delta set up.



That fence bolts to the old Unisaw type fence I have on it and is about 6" high. The featherboard keeps the bottom of the board pressed against the fence which makes it easier to guide the work through the blade. I don't know how many HP your saw has, probably 1. That's enough but it will be pretty slow going. In your favor, mahogany cuts pretty easily. You also should install a dust pick up if you don't already have it, not for your health although that's always a good thing, but to keep most of the sawdust out of the saw.

Here's the veneer I cut from that 7" white oak board and another, w/o rejointing the faces between cuts.



Good luck.

John

[Jim Becker]

You should be fine and get nice results if you set things up well. What you will not get is...fast...which isn't often a problem for most folks.

[Dan Hahr]

I know you said you don't want to loose material, but if you have a good thin kerf, rip blade on the table saw, you will probably be better served cutting it on the table saw. If you haven't set up the band saw perfectly, I would not practice on fine mahogany. Assuming the boards don't warp when you cut them, the table saw can handle 6 inches very easily by flipping and is much faster than most 14" saws.
Dan

[Steve Lansing]

No problem resawing with your saw if set-up properly but one other concern no matter what saw is used and that the risk of cupping, mahogany is quite stable but I would give yourself a little extra thickness until you’re sure they will be flat in the morning.

[Tom Bender]

I prefer to use a point fence. That way if the wood warps a little after the cut or if the grain makes the drift angle change you can adjust.

You will want to plane the stock after each pass, but if you are resawing well it will be a light pass.

[Dan Schocke]

I think you'll be fine. I resaw on my 14" Jet all the time -- mostly hard maple. The Kreg fence is great. A sharp blade (I use Olson All pro 1/2" 3 TPI hook) and patience are all that it takes. I've done up to 10" in resaw height without any problem. It would probably feel slow if I had a more capable band saw to compare against, but I don't, and it feels fast enough .

--Dan

[Lee Schierer]

Here's the veneer I cut from that 7" white oak board and another, w/o rejointing the faces between cuts.

Good luck.

John

Any chance you could show closeups of the cut surface with edge views too. I'd like to see the surface as cut. What blade was used to make those cuts

[David Helm]

I also have the Jet 14" with riser block. All I use it for is resawing, mostly Maple but have done lots of other woods. The trick seems to be having the blade tension higher than the gauge shows for the blade size. I use a 1/2 inch 3tpi blade made up at my local saw shop. Works like a charm.