Sliding table for bandsaw

[Jim Hipp]

I have a new Rikon 10-346 band saw and need to build a sliding table to use exclusively for making blanks for turning. I want to be able to turn the half-log round and also somehow hold it to flatten the face of the blank.
I looked at many images on Google but found nothing like this.

Anybody have something like this?

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I had the idea of having an adjustable swinging arm with a rotating table like a face plate to rotate the wood against the band saw blade. The arm would only get as close as an adjustable stop would allow. But it could swing out further away to start the cut. The stop would be adjusted for the desired diameter of the blank. It would seem a simple enough thing to add except the weight of the half log would put a lot of stess on the arm.

Another idea, for smaller blanks would be to mount the rotating plate to a slide and incorporate the stop into the slot. sort of a lazy susan mounted to the slide

But then for the money this might work

http://www.carterproducts.com/band-saw-products/accuright

[Brice Rogers]

For using the bandsaw to cut a "round", I typically just attach a circle template to the chunk of wood. I have made a whole set of them ranging from around 6" to about 14".

I also built a small sliding table with a set of measured holes to insert a screw. That allows me to set the desired diameter and rotate the chunk of wood and make a perfect round. I usually drill a shallow hole in the chunk of wood where I want the center and then place it over the screw. Works okay but the sliding table takes up 3/4 inch and I sometimes don't want to lose 3/4" of height.

[Roger Chandler]

I have the Carter Accu-rite jig, and it really works well. Due to space constraints I have to take it off, and install it because I cannot leave it attached to either of my bandsaws, so when just cutting a couple of blanks, I just usually use an appropriately sized circular template.

[Reed Gray]

Are you looking to rip logs down the center? And/or cut rounds/circles? I did see a set up, and I think it was Carter who made it, for ripping logs. Generally they are difficult to do on a bandsaw because the sides are not flat and the piece wants to rock and roll, and break your blades. This is a much bigger problem with bigger pieces. For ripping, I do it all with my chainsaw chopsaw (video on You Tube), which does a good job of cutting blanks that are pretty much dead flat and sides are close to parallel. Cutting circles for me is using a scribe tool or dividers to mark the circle. Many use cardboard or plastic cut out circle templates to mark circles. If I did a bunch of pieces all of a particular size, then the circle cutting jig would come in handy. Most of mine are what ever size I can get out of the piece of wood I am using.

robo hippy

[Bob Bouis]

For ripping logs you can make a sled that has a pipe clamp to hold the logs on the ends. There are lots of pictures of them floating around out there. For large logs they don't work well without a serious investment in infeed and outfeed support. But for cutting small turning blanks on shorter logs it's easy to do.

For pieces with at least one flat side, a bandsaw rip sled can just be a flat piece of wood and a runner. Maybe glue some sandpaper sheets to it to help hold the workpiece (just do it over the whole surface so you don't throw off your 90 degree cut.

Sleds on the bandsaw can be dangerous because the cutoffs can fall down. It's also possible to put your finger under the workpiece and push it into the blade if you're trying to hold the unsupported side.

ETA: Oh, for cutting bowl blanks round on the bandsaw. I think that's overrated. Just knock the corners off and turn it round. If I need it tighter I'll make more cuts, but they're always straight. Cutting curves wears on the blade and the saw more than straight cuts and can't always be done with larger blades or larger blanks.

[Prashun Patel]

Google Carter Acurite Log Mill.

This is used for ripping D's out of O's and slabs from D's.

I also prefer making D's out of O's with the chainsaw.

[Jeramie Johnson]

Chainsaw for D's from O's. Flat board, 2" of steel rod and a clamp stop. Holes in the board every inch perpendicular to the blade(11 holes for me, 22" swing). Just used it to make 20 more Walnut blanks this evening.

[Michael Mills]

Circle Jig
Here is my take on acircle jig for bowls. Just install on the pin and slide thejig(entire table) to the blade. You never need to draw a circle,just drill a hole where you want it.
If you don’t wantto start at the edge of the blank you can knock out a small block forthe blade to slide into. This is good if you want to waste away somesap wood to begin with.


Tee nuts wereinstalled from the bottom for pins. These were ¼” which is prettylarge. You can screw in any length pin you wish. If you use a pinchuck you can make a bushing for the pin and drill your hole in thewood prior to rounding.
Inner pin is 3”from throat cutout so 6” is the smallest diameter I can cut. Idid put another about 8” out but is is mainly to help balance alarger blank to start with.
The light steelrunners underneath are to keep the table from tilting up with areally large piece. I left about 1/16 play sideways and between therunner and table to let it slide easily.


I drew converginglines to the hole in order to see it easily when installing. The pinI use was only exposed about 3/8” but was easy to locate with thelines and a flash light. You may not need to do this; oneexperienced turner told me he could drop it over the pin every timeand never miss the 1/8” pin with a 1/8” hole. Thats dang goodIMHO.


The jig does nothelp with flatening the side but if it is fairly flat (teeters alittle) just put light pressure at some point to keep that place incontact with the table top. You will have to swap hands half waythrough the cut but you only need one hand to rotate it anyway.


Works great but allthat said.... I normally use a chain saw and knock off the corners,then to the lathe. Just takes tool long for BS cleanup after cuttingwet wood.

[John K Jordan]

Jim, I also have the 18" Rikon, for maybe 8-10 years now (can't remember) and have processed hundreds of round log sections into thousands of spindle blanks and a bunch of bowl blanks for myself and others. On occasion a friend without a bandsaw has brought a bunch of logs for processing. I've seen designs for various sleds and jigs over the years but never felt the need to make one. One I remember had a high fence/support on a sled that slid in the table groove, the fence adjustable relative to the blade, and the wood held by several pointed lag screws that gripped the top and bottom of the log or 1/2 log.

As long as the diameter will fit on the saw (12") I do this or by hand: (or some variation since every log is different)

If practical, remove bark top and bottom where the initial cut will be made. Skimming with an hatchet or chainsaw is good for that. This makes blades last longer and can make a narrow flat spot down at least one side to rest on the saw table.

Make an initial cut down the middle freehand. I usually cut through the pith - draw a line up from the pith on both ends with a square then draw a line down one side on the bark. If the side I want on the table is not stable enough I keep a sharp hatchet at the bandsaw or skim it with an electric chain saw. Then I saw freehand down the length. Occasionally I'll skip the marks and freehand saw by eye using a method I read about many years ago, visually lining up the cut so far with the blade. Works pretty well but not as well as drawing a line.

Once cut in half, I make two cuts using the fence to give a bit of flat spot on either side. This is usually bark that won't be turned anyway on either a bowl or spindle blank. I put the straightest side towards the fence and make a flat on the other side, they switch. If the best side is not straight enough, freehand cuts with the bandsaw or trimming with the hatchet will fix it.

If making spindle blanks I evaluate and make successive cuts.

If making bowl blanks, I usually flatten the rounded side some. This is perfectly safe if care is given to support the wood during the cut. Since one edge on each side is already flat, I turn the blank up so it rests on one edge then add support under the otherwise unsupported rounded part of the 1/2 log. This support is usually several wedges, sometimes cut just to fit that log section. Often I use the corners cut from a previous bowl blank. On tricky sections I have inserted a screw into the log section at a place where it will not be cut into. On occasion I'll trim the log section to 12" long and stand it up on end for a flattening cut. This makes for some stringy strands on some species but it is certainly a well-supported cut.

Finally, I draw a circle, often with a cardboard template positioned on the wood, sometimes a big compass, occasionally by eyeball. I made several templates from clear plastic which are better to judge the figure, especially on slabs (another story).

I have been processing blanks like this for myself and others for for a long time. Works great if the wood is not too large in diameter. (For bowl and platter blanks from really big logs I use just the sawmill or if necessary, the chainsaw.) As I'm sure you are aware, never, ever, even once, attempt a cut on the bandsaw that is not properly supported. Or cut something with with obvious lines of bark inclusion, rot, or other structural integrity issues - the only time I've had a problem was when the blank broke while sawing and went from supported to unsupported in an instant. Ruined the blade and could have caused an injury if I had been holding the wood differently. My mantra when cutting with the band saw (or any saw) - imagine where your fingers would be if the wood suddenly disappeared.

If you find yourself near Knoxville one day, stop and visit the shop and we can have wood processing afternoon!

BTW, I've tried a bunch of blades and for the longest time used 3/4" or larger blades. These days I stick to inexpensive 1/2" 3-tpi blades I have made locally from Lennox stock.

JKJ

[Jim Hipp]

I need to clarify what I want to do.

It is fairly easy to make a sliding table with or without an extension and use a screw as a pivot or rotating point to make a half-log piece almost perfectly round. When making it round, if the flat side -facing the table- is not truly flat and the piece rocks a bit the band saw will often grab and kink the blade. Been there done that. To avoid that I want to hold the half-log on the edge and run the face of the log thru the saw so it will be almost perfectly flat, and then turn it round. Something like this toggle clamp might work. http://www.woodcraft.com/product/143938/woodriver-low-silhouette-toggle-clamp-6-x-134-200-lb-capacity.aspx

Thanks for the ideas.

[John K Jordan]

I need to clarify what I want to do....When making it round, if the flat side -facing the table- is not truly flat and the piece rocks a bit the band saw will often grab and kink the blade.

Just in case it was lost in my wordiness, what I end up with the freehand method is a bowl blank that is flat on both top and bottom and will sit nicely and safely on the bandsaw for cutting it round and seat nicely in a screw chuck for forming a tenon or recess in the base. I learned the basics of this long ago from a book and refined it over the years.

JKJ

[Prashun Patel]

http://www.finewoodworking.com/2009/03/01/a-jig-for-bandsawing-small-logs

[Jim Hipp]

That method holding a log is simple enough. Thanks.

[Jim Hipp]

I read your comment too fast and missed some points. Having read it slowly I see a number of things I can try. If I get up your way I will call ahead and maybe we can get together.

Thanks.

[John K Jordan]

I read your comment too fast and missed some points. Having read it slowly I see a number of things I can try. If I get up your way I will call ahead and maybe we can get together.

Excellent! I have plenty of wood to cut up, and I keep several lathes at ready in case a woodturner accidentally drops by. :)

Oh, are you with the N AL Woodturners? Dave Stricker and I drove down for a weekend when Jimmy Clewes was there.

JKJ

[Jim Hipp]

I am indeed with the North Alabama Woodturners. Shame you weren't here last weekend, we had Trent Bosch in for the weekend. On Friday he did a class and we turned a bowl and a small platter. Everybody enjoyed it and it gave me an opportunity to turn something for the first time since I moved in June of 2015. Only 8 of us in the class and there were 3 additional very good turners to offer advice. Really a great time. On Saturday Trent did a whole day of demos and it got good reviews. I was not able to attend. And I was there on Saturday for Jimmy Clewes. For a small club we get some really good turners to visit.
I am off to Hiawassee GA for a few days next week, shame it isn't closer to Knoxville.
Be well.

[John K Jordan]

...As long as the diameter will fit on the saw (12") I do this or by hand: (or some variation since every log is different)


I took some pictures while processing a sassafras chunk into turning blanks. In this case the diameter of the log was larger then the bandsaw capacity, but the LENGTH of the log section was short enough to fit on the bandsaw standing on the end. This is the 18" Rikon bandsaw.

Here I simply drew a line across one end and cut down the line. I then trimmed one side of each half to make a flat to put against the fence then cut it up into blanks. I got some nice 5"x5" and smaller turning squares from this chunk which I'll air dry. I have at least 30' more of that log to cut up! Most will probably end up as firewood...

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I'll try to take some more pictures when I make a few bowl blanks.

JKJ

[Jay Mullins]

Any chance of seeing pictures of your set-up?

[Bob Bouis]

Not sure whose setup you wanted to see, but here's the one I did for my new bandsaw after I got it. It's rudimentary, but it saves fingers on small logs. To adjust for larger ones, you have to unscrew the pipe supports. Eight screws (or is it just four?), no biggie. Those pipe saddles are no longer made so you might have to use some other fastening method. It handles up to 36" logs.

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