Resawing stock - what do you do?

[Daniel Rode]

I'm finding myself wanting to do a fair bit or resawing for a variety of reasons. Many of the projects I'm currently drawn to will use thinner stock in the 1/4" = 1/2" range. Resawing 4/4 or 5/4 stock is much less wasteful than planing it off and throwing it out. Additionally, would like to do some bent lamination, thick veneers (1/8") and book matching.

Once upon a time I had a name brand 14" 1HP bandsaw with a riser block, so I was able to resaw up to 12". However, I sold it a a few years ago and replacing it would run $750 - $1000. As much as I miss it, $1000 is a lot of money for a tool wouldn't use often. Plus I'd need to find space for it and connect the DC, etc...

I can do some re-sawing on my table saw but it's not something I enjoy. For wider stock I've even considered using the TS to cut into each edge and finish the center with a hand rip saw. I haven't tried this, but it ought to work.

I'm struggling with a reliable way to resaw with hand tools. My hand saw skills are not strong and I've watched a hand tool "expert" struggle to split a 3" board with a rip saw. How would I go about halving a 8" board with hand tools?

How do you resaw? Frame, saw? Rip saw? Bandsaw? Other?

If you use a bandsaw in conjunction with hand tool work, is the BS the main (or only) big power tool in you shop?

[Adam Cruea]

From a 34 year old guy's perspective, hand-resawing is work for a monster. Seriously. . .you gotta be a monster to be able to do that when it comes to anything over about 2 inches.

I use a band saw, and I bought it for that purpose really. I also have a drill press so that I can drill straight and true holes.

Those are the only two power tools in my basement shop, and I really don't like using the band saw because it kicks dust everywhere, but unfortunately, I'm not about to hand-resaw 8 feet of 8/4 soft maple, for example.

I'm crazy, yes. But not psychotic.

[Tony Wilkins]

Started out wanting to use only hand tools for a variety of reasons. Trying to rip 8/4 walnut for leg stock abruptly changed that just a tad. Now have a 14" Grizzly BS just for long rips/resawing. It is my only tailed appliance but finding indentured servants to do this sort of thing is apparently frowned on these days.

PS. and ETA: My grizzly was about half of the price you mention in your OP.

[Jim Matthews]

I have done it both ways.

If the resawing is less than 10 inches wide, I can manage.
If it's anything harder than American Cherry, it's the only thing I can do that day.

I would suggest a 5 TPI rip blade on a bow saw.

Use a starting groove all the way around, I make mine with a plow plane and fine blade.
I've seen others start with a miter box saw - but that's difficult for me to start.

If I'm to cut more than one of these, and be consistent - the bandsaw is best.

[Daniel Rode]

I'm not a hand tool purist. I use hand tools more and more because I enjoy it and I feel I can be more precise. Plus it's quiet, not dusty and safer. I use power tools on every project and would use a bandsaw regularly if I had one.

An exact replacement of my previous saw is $1100 (1.25 HP, 12" resaw fence, etc.). A HF or Grizzly bandsaw would start around $300 for a basic 3/4 HP model. Much less but still expensive. I wish I had not sold the one I had :(

Started out wanting to use only hand tools for a variety of reasons. Trying to rip 8/4 walnut for leg stock abruptly changed that just a tad. Now have a 14" Grizzly BS just for long rips/resawing. It is my only tailed appliance but finding indentured servants to do this sort of thing is apparently frowned on these days.

PS. and ETA: My grizzly was about half of the price you mention in your OP.

[David Weaver]

Use your table saw plan. If I have stock less than about 6" wide and 3 feet long or so, I will resaw it just because it feels good to do so. I keep a couple of large toothed western saws for the job, and one is filed very aggressively.

If you have a TS that will cut close to an inch deep, an 8 or 10 inch board won't be a big deal (it'll end up being 6 or 8), but you will need to have a well set up saw and be comfortable with it. I resaw stuff either in the bench vise or standing up so that I can have both hands on the saw and work comfortably.

(I have an 18" bandsaw, too, but sometimes I'd rather have 5 minutes or a little more of tactile exercise than spend a couple of minutes rolling the bandsaw out and using it, even though the BS is obviously much less demanding physically. Or it may be that the BS is set up with a rip fence, and my resaw bar isn't on it, and again, I'd rather spend the time sawing than fiddling with accessories).

It's important to establish a rhythm that is moderate and that you can stick to, and if you get tired, flip the board around from time to time. Anything uncomfortable or anything that's race speed isn't going to get the job done much more quickly, but you're going to feel much worse after doing it, anyway. an "80%" type rhythm in the shop with all handwork makes everything less arduous and leaves some reserve in the tank for the next task, and in the end, it's faster, because you're never standing around. Not to mention, it's so much nicer to work with a specific rhythm and think about something else than it is to ponder whether you're getting tired or you should go faster or slower, etc.

As with ripping boards, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

The real downer, though, is if you have a stressed board that moves - just as it would with a bandsaw - but it seems to be a bigger downer when you put the physical effort into separating the board.

[Daniel Rode]

Excuse my ignorance. The bow saw you refer to is somewhat like a frame saw, right? In other words, not the modern metal frame bow saws one finds at the big box stores.

I have done it both ways.

If the resawing is less than 10 inches wide, I can manage.
If it's anything harder than American Cherry, it's the only thing I can do that day.

I would suggest a 5 TPI rip blade on a bow saw.

Use a starting groove all the way around, I make mine with a plow plane and fine blade.
I've seen others start with a miter box saw - but that's difficult for me to start.

If I'm to cut more than one of these, and be consistent - the bandsaw is best.

[Shawn Pixley]

I started a thread a couple of months ago on the same subject (nominally, noting that I seldom use a planer). I am a blended woodworker but prefer handtools for joinery. I have resawn by hand, but consider it drudgery. I have a okay Rikon 14" bandsaw. Primarily its use is resawing. For most sawing work, I prefer the tablesaw. And if I had only one power saw, it would be the tablesaw.

My little bandsaw rolls against the wall and waits for some resawing to come its way.

I often work in odd shaped stock. Instead of thicknessing on the planer, I joint by handplane. Then I'll resaw to just over thickness. The piece will be reflattened / thicknessed by hand plane. The off-cuts will also hav ethe saw marks removed. I have some stacks of off-cut material (generally nice surfaced wood, not blocking carcass material) in 1/4" to 1/16" thicknesses that are useful in othe projects. I try to minimize the wood I turn into sawdust / chips.

[Judson Green]

Not sure how often or for what else you use the table saw for you may want to consider selling it off and buying a good used band saw. I bought my Delta 14" (from the mid 70's, 1½hp, with riser block, fence, mobile base, and other goodies) last year for a very good price of $300. It needed tyres eventually, but that was pretty small price. And have decided that my table saw isn't used enough... really hardy at all... so its currently on CL. If you're patient I'm sure you can find a good deal.

If space is a concern, the foot print of a band saw is much smaller compared to a table saw. Also if you've got a dremel, or similar, you can sharpen your own saw bands.

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks Sean. I feel exactly the same way about the table saw vs bandsaw as well as where I want hand tools fit into my work.

I started a thread a couple of months ago on the same subject (nominally, noting that I seldom use a planer). I am a blended woodworker but prefer handtools for joinery. I have resawn by hand, but consider it drudgery. I have a okay Rikon 14" bandsaw. Primarily its use is resawing. For most sawing work, I prefer the tablesaw. And if I had only one power saw, it would be the tablesaw.

My little bandsaw rolls against the wall and waits for some resawing to come its way.

I often work in odd shaped stock. Instead of thicknessing on the planer, I joint by handplane. Then I'll resaw to just over thickness. The piece will be reflattened / thicknessed by hand plane. The off-cuts will also hav ethe saw marks removed. I have some stacks of off-cut material (generally nice surfaced wood, not blocking carcass material) in 1/4" to 1/16" thicknesses that are useful in othe projects. I try to minimize the wood I turn into sawdust / chips.

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks Judson. Despite doing more and more hand tool work, the table saw is the primary tool in my shop. For me, a bandsaw would be an extra power tool that takes space but doesn't get used often except for resawing. It's even harder for me to justify the smaller and/or cheaper band saws as they cannot resaw wider stock and so the value is limited to stock that (relatively) easier to resaw by hand.

That 70s Delta will last you for many decades. I'm not sure the new ones will last even 1 decade :(

Not sure how often or for what else you use the table saw for you may want to consider selling it off and buying a good used band saw. I bought my Delta 14" (from the mid 70's, 1½hp, with riser block, fence, mobile base, and other goodies) last year for a very good price of $300. It needed tyres eventually, but that was pretty small price. And have decided that my table saw isn't used enough... really hardy at all... so its currently on CL. If you're patient I'm sure you can find a good deal.

If space is a concern, the foot print of a band saw is much smaller compared to a table saw. Also if you've got a dremel, or similar, you can sharpen your own saw bands.

[Brian Holcombe]

A big toothed very agressive saw would help. I did a project recently in 12/4 stock, with a lot of dimensioning and resawing by hand. Wears you down pretty quickly, but I wanted a lot of book matching.

[paul cottingham]

I resaw the way David describes. I cut a groove along each long edge with the table saw, at least an inch or two deep. I then rip it in two with my (really course) ripsaw. I am 52 and pretty, uh, corpulent (although I swim a lot) so seriously, anyone should be able to do it.
I admit, when I feel lazy, and the board is narrow enough, I will use my 12" bandsaw. Even with the bandsaw, I will usually notch the board with my table saw.

[Sean Hughto]

Big downside of the tablesaw is the 1/8th inch kerf, i.e, 4x to 5x the bandsaws' kerf. It's not at all practical for something like shop made veneer - just far too much waste.

[Jim Matthews]

Search bowsaw on Highland woodworking.
Search Anthony Guidice on bowsaw blades to see how I retuned mine (for less set).

In all, effective but cumbersome.

[Jim Matthews]

You resawing comfortably? You might chat up Sean Pixley to compare notes...

[Daniel Rode]

Absolutely. Even though I run thin kerf blades, the blade still removes much more material than a bandsaw.

I used to make 1/16" and thinner veneer using a bandsaw and a drum sander. Talk about dust...

I'm really not sure how I'd cleanup and flatten anything thinner than 1/8" without a drum sander. I've never even thought about it until now.


Big downside of the tablesaw is the 1/8th inch kerf, i.e, 4x to 5x the bandsaws' kerf. It's not at all practical for something like shop made veneer - just far too much waste.

[lowell holmes]

Wait until you are 78:)

[Dimitrije Stamenkovic]

I have my own timber milled so usually I get the sizes i want, but often I reuse cheap spruce planks that were used to pack glass sheets. It's like pallet wood, but bigger: 1" to 1 1/2 " by 6" to 8", and long up to 12 feet.
I don't have power tools because for the amount of work I do I can't justify the expense (also because I like hand tools, A LOT), so when sometimes I need thin stock I have to resaw and plane by hand. I just mark a line in the middle, clamp the plank horizontally on a saw bench and work the saw vertically.

I use a vintage Spear & Jackson 26" saw with 6 TPI which works great. If you want a frame saw, you can't do it with a narrow blade because you'll just make a mess, I did try that. You'd need a device of this kind:

http://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/wp-content/uploads/resaw_3boards_saw.jpg

Anyway, it's nothing impossible. With some practice and a sharp saw you can manage to do it, just like a lot of people have in the last centuries.

[Sean Hughto]

I'm really not sure how I'd cleanup and flatten anything thinner than 1/8" without a drum sander. I've never even thought about it until now.

You can do it with a lunchbox planer. It's also quite doable with handplanes using various workholding approaches - think micro stops and double sided tape or wood glue along a waste edge, etc.

[paul cottingham]

Big downside of the tablesaw is the 1/8th inch kerf, i.e, 4x to 5x the bandsaws' kerf. It's not at all practical for something like shop made veneer - just far too much waste.
True enough. But I've never made shop made veneer. I doubt my bandsaw is even remotely capable of sawing a veneer.

[Sean Hughto]

True enough. But I've never made shop made veneer. I doubt my bandsaw is even remotely capable of sawing a veneer.

Even ignoring veneer, and just considering resawing a plank into something like 1/2" drawer stock, a table saw wastes a lot of wood. The good think about shop made veneer, is that it has some meat, unlike that 1/42" stuff sold by veneer merchants these days. Most any well tuned bandsaw with a sharp blade and point fence can do a passable job of making less than 1/8th inch sheets.

[Judson Green]

Yup!

I've often cut 6 pieces of shop veneer out of 4/4 and that was already trued 4/4.

290949 290950

Dont think ya could do that with a table saw, and its way safer.

[Sean D Evans]

I'm going to buy the parts and build one of the saws like the one Dimitrije posted. I've been on the fence with it awhile and have decided to just do it. I mill a lot of lumber with a chainsaw mill and I often get crotch pieces or short thick chunks of fruit trees that are difficult to mill with a chain saw. Not too mention the chainsaw wastes quite a bit. Even with a big bandsaw, which I have, these odd shaped pieces are hard to deal with. That frame saw seems to be the solution.

[Michael Kellough]

I was thinking of making a frame saw too and just today found this blog post of Adam Cherubini's on frame saws and re-sawing.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/arts-mysteries-blogs/the-emperors-new-frame-saw

[Max Withers]

I have no dog in this fight, but there was considerable backlash on Cherubini's framesaw post: http://swingley.org/archive/get.php?message_id=245769&submit_thread=1

[Steve Voigt]

I have no dog in this fight, but there was considerable backlash on Cherubini's framesaw post: http://swingley.org/archive/get.php?message_id=245769&submit_thread=1

Thanks for that link; I quite enjoyed reading that smackdown. There are a couple recent videos floating around that pretty conclusively prove this as well.

[Jim Matthews]

I don't own a framesaw, as shown.

I do have a hefty 5 TPI blade, filed rip and reset for best speed
that fits my bowsaw. I've done what the OP is considering (see my avatar)
and found the blade is VERY difficult to keep in the kerf,
particularly on the backside which can't be seen.

It was tedious, and gave rise to real waste as so much planing was required
to get a board that was flat, and of even thickness.

I had much better results with a 23" Disston rip saw of the same tooth size.

It's my belief that a Bowsaw works best as shown by Michael Dunbar roughing
out chair seats; when the blade can be driven straight down in line with gravity.

That allows the sawyer to engage bigger muscles, and easily verify the cut remains straight.

When sawing parallel to the floor, lots of alignment errors were induced,
more so as I tired.

I would say that if you have no options, follow these steps:

Get the source board flat on a reference face, and use that face
for all successive marking.

Gauge the thickness of the board you want to resaw off that face.
Use a plow plane, with the thinnest blade availabe to mark a starter kerf.

Deepen the kerf with a sharp backsaw, filed rip.
This should be done from each corner, in toward the center of the board.

When you have established a kerf down to a third of the backsaw plate depth,
use a sharp panel saw, also filed rip, that fits in the existing kerf.

Lubricate the saw plate, as necessary.

While you're at it, I'll knock out five on my bandsaw and get on with it.

[Warren Mickley]

I have used a frame saw (veneer saw) since 1981. Before that I used a rip saw. There is considerable skill involved in using a veneer saw. There is skill involved in starting the cut (heading in the right direction), and also skill in making subtle mid course evaluations and corrections.

Some talk as if you just start the saw right and it self guides the rest of the way. It just is not possible to aim the saw so well that it ends up on the line two or three feet later at the end of the cut. Just to stay within 1/16 of an inch one would have to aim within a tenth of a degree or so. It would be like walking toward a tree a quarter mile away; you can't just close your eyes and expect to walk straight to the tree without small corrections. Even if a saw is in fine shape there can be slight drifting to one side because of the saw, the grain, or the workman.

The hard thing is being patient when you notice you are getting off the line and to think of correcting the direction over the next four, five or six inches rather than trying to get back right away.

[Mike Allen1010]

[QUOTE=Jim Matthews;2276538]

I had much better results with a 23" Disston rip saw of the same tooth size.

It's my belief that a Bowsaw works best as shown by Michael Dunbar roughing
out chair seats; when the blade can be driven straight down in line with gravity.

That allows the sawyer to engage bigger muscles, and easily verify the cut remains straight.

When sawing parallel to the floor, lots of alignment errors were induced,
more so as I tired.

I'd like to think I'm fairly handy with hand saws, but I have the same expereince as Jim; at the saw bench, pretty solid with cutting to the layout line, but ripping vetically with bow saw I always drift all over the place! Honesly, I don't understand why and it's kind of a frustration.

I have several bow saws, both shop built and purchased, I've tuned them (set, tooth geometry, sharp, etc), about as good as it gets and nadah, bupkis.. still wandering like a drunken sailor (not a pergerative, I'm am a drunken sailor).

One of the WW skills where I give; can't do it. I welcome anycoaching/suggestions.

Cheers, Mike

BTW should I download the spell checker program? Good Lord knows I need it - is that good call f/ "IT" perspective? I have 0 clue.

[Kees Heiden]

I have good experience with cutting as deep as possible with the tablesaw from both sides, then cutting out the rest with a handsaw. Of course it wastes a lot of wood and the resultantant surface needs a lot of clean up, but it gets the job done.

[bill tindall]

A used band saw is vastly less costly than you are allowing.

[Daniel Rode]

I did not consider a used bandsaw for 2 reasons. First, there are few 14" bandsaws in my area for sale, so availability is an issue. Secondly and more importantly, I don't want to invest the time or money in rehabbing an old bandwsaw. It's potentially a lot of work and I want to work wood, not repair old machines. I simply don't have the time or interest. A last reason is availability of add-ons. For any of the brands I'm considering, I know I can get a riser block, fence, standard size blades, guides, etc.

This way, I could buy a cheaper saw to start and upgrade it over time knowing parts are widely available.


A used band saw is vastly less costly than you are allowing.

[Aaron Rappaport]

Well, I've also tried to resaw using an Ulmia bow saw, with mediocre results at best, at least so far. Here's a thought: How about recruiting someone to hold the other end of the bow saw? I suspect that's how resawing was done before machines. See the famous print in Roubo showing two guys cutting veneer with what we now call a Roubo-type frame saw.

[Michael Kellough]

291110291111

Has anyone been able to compare the two techniques?

291112

Probably not since these things are pretty scarce...and/or expensive. (http://japantool-iida.com/saw/2008/05/maebiki-saw-by-isaburo.html)

291113
You can see this nice vintage saw bigger here (http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10321372).

[steven c newman]

At one time, I had a bunch of old Barn rafters, mainly Oak. Was a might too thick to use as is. Set up a tablesaw, height was et at just a hair past the halfway point. NEW Rip blade on the 10" table saw. Run one edge through, flip over, and finish the rip. Rarely needed anything beyond a swipe of the plane to remove a few saw marks. Some of them wanted to close up as the cut went. Stopped the saw, backed off a bit, inserted a drywall screw into the kerf, turn the saw on, and finish the cut. Oh, and pick up the screw from the floor. Couldn't use a splitter, since this wasn't a through cut. Barn wood was free for the taking, too...

[Joshua Stevens]

I sure hope Im not the only person to have seen this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtmswWZ4Lvo

Its about the best idea Ive seen regarding resawing by hand, similar to the afore mentioned plow plane around the stock, but in my experience works much better, plus gives you the opportunity to make a new tool, or two. Bad Axe sells blades to make both the kerfing plane and the frame saw, Blackburn tools also sells several sizes and I think are better for your money, I simply recycled some old bandsaw blade for the bow saw, and old saw plate for the kerfing plane.

[Warren Mickley]

I watched the video. He seems a little clumsy with the veneer saw, but I think it is a lot less work just to use the saw and forget the plough.

[Joshua Stevens]

Warren,
He does have a rocky motion, but appears to get good results. I went ahead and tried it out to see, before I always just used a framesaw diagonally from one corner, basically angleing the saw, flipping, and flipping, so i only cut down what i could see on my side, but after using the "kerfing plane" or "plow saw" might be a better name, i found i had no need to flip and worry about the back side of the work wandering, the frame followed the kerf straight down, without much in the way of steering, o in that regard it saved me time and heartache. Just my experience though