What’s the Max board width for 12” bandsaw?

[Don Boyce]

I have a Delta 12” bandsaw (Model 28-190) and I want to split some thick lumber to make a butterfly grain pattern for a table top. What’s the maximum practical width board will this saw handle?

[lowell holmes]

I would try some test runs to determine this. I have 6" riser block on my 14" Jet band saw. You can buy blades to fit it.

Google "band ,saw riser kit".

[johnny means]

You're asking about resaw height? This will be determined by your maximum guide height.

[Mike Henderson]

What size motor do you have on the bandsaw. I had a 14" with a 3/4HP motor (and a riser block) and I had to go very slowly when resawing.

Mike

[Matt Day]

You're asking about resaw height? This will be determined by your maximum guide height.

As said, the distance from the table to the bottom of the guide is the resaw height. And the term you’re looking for is bookmatching, not butterfly.

That’s a pretty small saw for resawing. Im guessing the resaw height is about 5”? You might be better off using the table saw and cutting the raining material with a hand saw. Google “resaw table saw” and you’ll likely get some hits.

Good luck

[Randy Heinemann]

You can probably resaw with a 12" saw. I did for awhile, but it's not ideal and is a very slow process. Most likely the motor is a 1/2 HP. I would think the absolute max width blade is 1/2". This would be fine but the 1/2" blade is likely to place sap some of the power from the motor just from the extra weight of the blade; leaving less power for cutting. You can try resawing with a 3/8" blade. I have seen it done very successfully on a 14" bandsaw.

A lot of your success will depend on setup of the guides and the saw's ability to tension the blade adequately.

I have never been a fan of attempting to resaw on a table saw. It can be dangerous, especially if the wood has some twists and internal stresses.

If you're going to try resawing on the 12" bandsaw, I'd flatten the boards on one side if you have a jointer wide enough. Otherwise rip them to a width on the bandsaw that can be managed on the jointer for flattening and jointing. Once that is done rip them to the width you can resaw on the tablesaw with the flattened and jointed side and edge. Then resaw them and glue the narrower boards back together for the final width you need. Seems like a lot of steps, I know, but there are probably no short cuts and, with a 12" bandsaw, you need to resaw boards that will fit.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I bookmatched cherry for the top and back of my first two resonator guitars by cutting as far in as I could with a table saw and cutting the rest with a handsaw. I needed 7" wide halves, and the blade came up just over 3" so I had less than an inch to cut through by hand but it was not fun, nor very neat. I planed down the halves after cutting and they worked out fine, but that fall I bought an 18" bandsaw at an auction and it has made my life much easier. I would say that if you can use the width of material that fits under your guides you're better off to use the bandsaw, even if it's really slow compared to a bigger bandsaw. It will still be easier than using a table saw and handsaw.
Zach

[Don Boyce]

Thanks, guys. The max height between table and guide on my 12” Delta bandsaw is only about 4.5 inches! Yes, I was looking to resaw to make bookmatch boards for a table top, and the lumber I have is about 6” in width. Therefore, I’ll be ripping the stock to 3” width with my table saw and resawing it with the bandsaw for table apron stock. I don’t think my table saw has the power to safely try partially resawing the lumber.

[Frederick Skelly]

I can resaw on my JET 12" bandsaw. Its only 1/2 hp. IIRC, going slow and with the right blade I can do 4" thick material. To some extent, the type of wood also affects what I can do.

[John Lanciani]

What’s your location Don? There are more than a few of us here that are willing and able to open our shop doors to help you out.

[Ron Citerone]

Thanks, guys. The max height between table and guide on my 12” Delta bandsaw is only about 4.5 inches! Yes, I was looking to resaw to make bookmatch boards for a table top, and the lumber I have is about 6” in width. Therefore, I’ll be ripping the stock to 3” width with my table saw and resawing it with the bandsaw for table apron stock. I don’t think my table saw has the power to safely try partially resawing the lumber.

I have done this with low power table saws before. 10" can cut 3" high. Just do it in 3 1" steps keeping the jointed side against the fence each time. leave 1/2 to 3/4" uncut and finish it with a hand saw. The table saw kerf guides the hand saw. Easy Peasy!

[Mike King]

A big issue is your blade. The blade needs sufficient gullet space to clear the sawdust -- too many teeth per inch will be a problem. Make sure you have a ½ to ¾ inch blade with 3 teeth per inch. No need for carbide teeth, but things will go much better with a sharp blade and few teeth.

Mike

[Yonak Hawkins]

It shouldn't be a problem to resaw 3" wide boards. Gluing up so many boards won't be difficult. I would glue a few at a time. That would be time-consuming, but fairly easy. How will you surface it once it's glued up ?

[Randy Heinemann]

In my opinion, resawing on a tablesaw is never advisable because of safety issues. Have I done it? Yes, I have, and have not done it for many years because it always makes me uncomfortable. It certainly can be done and cutting halfway up from each edge on a 4" board would likely be OK. Beyond that, there is always the risk that there are internal stresses in the wood not evident to the eye that would force the sides of the cut to pinch blade and/or kickback.

The safer method is to cut boards to a manageable width on the bandsaw, joint/plane them, and then resaw the width you can handle on the bandsaw. In the end, it's just my opinion and we all do what we feel most comfortable and safe with.