is this a job for table or band saw?

[Eoin Ryans]

hi guys

a simple question, at least to the more experienced guys here!

Ive got a square spindle about 12" long, 2x2 inch.

i wish to cut some edge banding from this piec, strips of 1/2 inch wide by 3/8 inch deep and 12" long.

would this be best cut on table saw. or bandsaw?

[scott spencer]

A good TS tends to be more precise and can leave a glue ready edge with the right blade.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Even though I don't have a bandsaw, I'd use a TS and sled if I did have one.

[Mike Cutler]

You get 15 pieces on a bandsaw. Maybe 15 pieces with a thin kerf table saw blade, but probably 12, and 12 with a standard kerf blade. This is all pieces uniform in grain orientation and direction.
Either machine will do the work. If you have a questionable bandsaw for resaw, do it on a table saw.
I'd do it on my bandsaw. That way I know I'd get at least 15.
Change that 1/2" dimension a 1/16th, and you could possibly get 17 pieces with a bandsaw, if grain orientation isn't important.

[Eoin Ryans]

ok guys, thanks. So, it would be easier to maintain accuracy with the ts, but at the expense of more waste, in comparison to the bandsaw?

[Pat Barry]

I suppose that all depends on how straight you can cut with the BS and how much planing you need to do to straighten the ripped pieces back out.

[Lee Schierer]

ok guys, thanks. So, it would be easier to maintain accuracy with the ts, but at the expense of more waste, in comparison to the bandsaw?

I'm not sure you get more waste with the band saw. Even though the BS kerf is smaller, the cut surface is of a lesser quality. Since the cut surface is going to be considerably rougher on the BS, by the time you sand the surface to the equivalent of the cut surface from the TS I think you would have to make thicker slices on the BS to end up with the sames finished thickness of wood. If the kerf from a BS is 1/16" and you have to remove an additional 1/32" on each cut surface to get the smoothness needed, where is the material savings other than on the first and last cut pieces?

[Mike Cutler]

Folks

Unless I'm drawing this out wrong, you end up with 3, possibly 5 extra pieces with a bandsaw, with room to sand.
I've got a 1", 2/3 varipitch, Tri-Master on my bandsaw, and I'm fairly confident I can hold all these pieces to tolerance. On pieces this short, 12", I can produce an edge equal to my tablesaws with my bandsaw.
This is a bandsaw's work, it's bread and butter so to speak. It can absolutely be done on a table saw, no question about that, but the bandsaw would economize the waste.

[Keith Christopher]

The rough bandsaw edge that is left behind will need

1) a pass through the planer or a hand plane to smooth the edge for the next cut
2) a drum sander to sand the sawn pieces smooth and a uniform thickness ( a planer will chew 'em up)

if you do 1, you can always glue the planed surface to the final piece and sand away the saw marks however.