"Little Ripper" Thoughts?

[Derek Arita]

So I watched this guys video and it kinda makes sense, but then, I don't have very much experience resawing. What do you guys think?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-r5utmU2Q

[Edward Weber]

These devices DO NOT do anything for blade drift. All they do is simply accommodate for it. What ever angle your blade is at, this device (since it's not built into the saw) can be easily adjusted to that angle.
This is backward thinking IMO. Why address the actual issue, lets just deal with it by adding more unnecessary parts, ridiculous.
(This goes for the accu-slice as well)

Woodworking bandsaws have a blade tracking mechanism built into the saw. This positions the blade on the wheels AND refines the direction of the cut (blade drift). It's a simple matter of tracking the blade to cut parallel to the fence and miter slot.
If your saw is setup properly, there is no need for an "external" device to compensate for blade drift.

[Lee Schierer]

It might be okay, but good saw alignment will do the same thing with a fence. Also it limits you to resawing pieces that are 24" or shorter.

[Derek Arita]

ok...take a look at this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k-r5utmU2Q

[Tom Trees]

There's pretty much the same idea called the "Accu-slice"
And then there's the super industrial version, as seen in this Taylor guitar's video cut, (timestamped) to the use of such.
https://youtu.be/1DTY2bUoxwo?t=206

[Edward Weber]

Any bolt-on carriage type system will make a straight line cut, provided you align the carriage to the angle of the blade.

The main problem is, that with the blade aligned to some arbitrary angle, one not parallel to the fence and miter slot, you lose the ability to use either one.
Adjusting for blade drift is a simple matter of tracking the blade to cut parallel. When the blade is running true and parallel to the fence and miter slot, you can rip, use fence riding jigs & fixtures as well as use any sled that runs in the miter slot. There is no need for an external carriage system.
Some of these systems do have some advanced features that are often difficult to reproduce using a standard setup, like ultra fine adjustment, linear bearings to reduce friction and so on.
They do not however, cure blade drift, that is misleading.

[Rob Luter]

There are plenty of online resources that show how to set up a bandsaw to eliminate drift. Search for Alex Snodgrass on YouTube and set aside an hour or so. He’s got a lot of helpful info. His setup methodology helped me get my Ricon dialed in. I’m not cutting veneer yet but I’ve been able to uniformly resaw bookmatches down to 1/8” thick.

[Derek Arita]

I think, his point is that when using a fence, stresses in the wood work against the fence and deflect the blade, causing drift. With no fence...no deflection...no drift

[Lee Schierer]

I used the align my table to the blade method (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNdrkmx6ehI) after getting disappointing and inconsistent results with the Snodgrass method. It works with all my blades all the time.

One advantage of the ripper attachment is you could handle a section of a live edge log with uneven surfaces and still give you a flat cut without binding.

[Rob Luter]

I used the align my table to the blade method (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNdrkmx6ehI) after getting disappointing and inconsistent results with the Snodgrass method. It works with all my blades all the time.

Another good approach. More than one way to skin a cat.

[Derek Cohen]

I think, his point is that when using a fence, stresses in the wood work against the fence and deflect the blade, causing drift. With no fence...no deflection...no drift

Derek, exactly!

I came to this realisation several years ago, and this was reinforced after watching this video around that time. I could not afford a Little Ripper, and realised that there was a much, much cheaper way to reach the same goal. The answer (for me) has been a re-saw fence which accounts for the wood expanding. It does this at the end of the bandsaw blade. The wood is going to open up at the kerf no matter what you do (pushing the board into the fence does not prevent this), and if one wants to do repeat cuts against the fence, you need to be cutting in that position.

One variation is to use a single-point fence …

https://i.postimg.cc/RS0GNJsK/Single-point.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

What I did was to make a shortened fence …

This was my original re-saw fence …

https://i.postimg.cc/Bsxq6zz8/3-1a.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

It attaches to the main fence …

https://i.postimg.cc/vYDxKr0M/Resaw-fence1-zpsg9wxhapq.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The modification was to cut it short. Now it ends about 25mm after the blade. This offers support up to the blade, and then leaves the board free to move into the space after the re-saw fence without coming near the main fence.

https://i.postimg.cc/rcwgcX6c/IMG_2801.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brian Tymchak]

The modification was to cut it short. Now it ends about 25mm after the blade. This offers support up to the blade, and then leaves the board free to move into the space after the re-saw fence without coming near the main fence.


Derek, doesn't that short bit of fence after the blade leave a longer board somewhat unsupported while finishing the cut? Potentially leaving an inconsistent cut on the end?

[Derek Cohen]

Brian, I initially tried to have the fence end at the blade …

https://i.postimg.cc/Cwy9kXpJ/R6.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I found that this made it trickier to control the last bit of the cut as there was not enough support. That is why I now end the fence 25mm after the blade.

It is possible that the length of the stub section could be increased. Play around with this. The primary aim of the shortened fence is to allow the wood/kerf to do its own thing without coming near the main fence. That is basically what the Little Ripper does.

Regards from Perth

Derek

p.s. my bandsaw is a Hammer N4400

[Edward Weber]

I think, his point is that when using a fence, stresses in the wood work against the fence and deflect the blade, causing drift. With no fence...no deflection...no drift



I say Poppycock
Just because it's not pushed against a fence?
it is still being held securely from moving side to side via the little carriage. The "stresses in the wood" as you say, are still there. Now they're just pushing against the carriage.

[glenn bradley]

I think, his point is that when using a fence, stresses in the wood work against the fence and deflect the blade, causing drift. With no fence...no deflection...no drift

I guess I'll just keep sawing veneer between the blade and fence.

495296495297

Align your bandsaw and just cut. But seriously, whatever works for you is the right answer.

[Randy Heinemann]

I have used the Little Ripper off and on for several years. I don't own one, but a friend does and he lets me use it whenever I need it. I have used it for resawing and also for just cutting a flat surface on a small log to give me a reference side for cutting blanks or just cutting up a larger piece into pieces. The result is always the same - a flat, straight cut once you've established a flat surface on one side of the log or irregular piece of wood.

It works extremely well; "as advertised". Ethan's father developed the concept. He was an innovator whose background was sawmills. That is where the concept came from. Another poster (above) had it right. When resawing with the good slice between the fence and the uncut wood there are unpredictable stresses which are released. Putting the slice away from the secured piece of wood avoids many of the challenges of resawing. I repeatedly watched his demos at woodworking shows for years. The live demos clearly showed the Little Ripper works. I just never bought it because, until recently, I hardly did any resawing at all. The Stockroom Supply demos were done continuously over the entire weekend, generally using the same blade all weekend. He even demoed resawing without guides and the result was always the same; excellent. He also usually used a 3/8" blade to resaw and the result was better than I usually got with 1/2" blades.

To be sure, you don't need the Little Ripper, but it is one of those jigs/tools which really works. Other products that Stockroom Supply sells work also. The products I've seen demos on and/or used are the Round Ripper attachment and the Flatmaster Sander. Stockroom Supply used to be at all Woodworking Shows, but I don't see them listed for the restart season this year. Just so you all know, I don't have any interest in this company. I just think a good product is worth talking about.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have used the Little Ripper off and on for several years. I don't own one, but a friend does and he lets me use it whenever I need it. I have used it for resawing and also for just cutting a flat surface on a small log to give me a reference side for cutting blanks or just cutting up a larger piece into pieces. The result is always the same - a flat, straight cut once you've established a flat surface on one side of the log or irregular piece of wood.

It works extremely well; "as advertised". Ethan's father developed the concept. He was an innovator whose background was sawmills. That is where the concept came from. Another poster (above) had it right. When resawing with the good slice between the fence and the uncut wood there are unpredictable stresses which are released. Putting the slice away from the secured piece of wood avoids many of the challenges of resawing. I repeatedly watched his demos at woodworking shows for years. The live demos clearly showed the Little Ripper works. I just never bought it because, until recently, I hardly did any resawing at all. The Stockroom Supply demos were done continuously over the entire weekend, generally using the same blade all weekend. He even demoed resawing without guides and the result was always the same; excellent. He also usually used a 3/8" blade to resaw and the result was better than I usually got with 1/2" blades.

To be sure, you don't need the Little Ripper, but it is one of those jigs/tools which really works. Other products that Stockroom Supply sells work also. The products I've seen demos on and/or used are the Round Ripper attachment and the Flatmaster Sander. Stockroom Supply used to be at all Woodworking Shows, but I don't see them listed for the restart season this year. Just so you all know, I don't have any interest in this company. I just think a good product is worth talking about.

I remember it the way you describe it Randy. I saw it demo'd at an event 10 years ago it worked well. I've wanted one ever since - just don't have enough need to warrant the cost. But it seemed like a capable accessory.
Fred

[Tom M King]

I have a shop made sled system for making shingles on the 24" bandsaw. The fence slides along, and is adjustable for tapering the board section that's being cut to make two shingles. The track is six feet long to accommodate the 28" long shingles (7" exposure for four layer overlap) we needed for the last Cypress shingle roof. That first version was made with a 6' long T-track. I have some linear bearing rods and bearings to use if I ever need to make more shingles. The T-track needed to be cleaned out fairly frequently.

One helper would place a 28" board on the sled, I'd hold it in place with a stick, push it through, and the second helper would take the two shingles off the sled and stack them in the back of my pickup. We could go from a stack of boards on a trailer to a pickup load of shingles in less than an hour. I never counted them in squares, but that hours work was more than a few squares.

[Derek Arita]

Derek, exactly!

I came to this realisation several years ago, and this was reinforced after watching this video around that time. I could not afford a Little Ripper, and realised that there was a much, much cheaper way to reach the same goal. The answer (for me) has been a re-saw fence which accounts for the wood expanding. It does this at the end of the bandsaw blade. The wood is going to open up at the kerf no matter what you do (pushing the board into the fence does not prevent this), and if one wants to do repeat cuts against the fence, you need to be cutting in that position.

One variation is to use a single-point fence …

https://i.postimg.cc/RS0GNJsK/Single-point.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

What I did was to make a shortened fence …

This was my original re-saw fence …

https://i.postimg.cc/Bsxq6zz8/3-1a.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

It attaches to the main fence …

https://i.postimg.cc/vYDxKr0M/Resaw-fence1-zpsg9wxhapq.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

The modification was to cut it short. Now it ends about 25mm after the blade. This offers support up to the blade, and then leaves the board free to move into the space after the re-saw fence without coming near the main fence.

https://i.postimg.cc/rcwgcX6c/IMG_2801.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

Regards from Perth

Derek

Derek, great solution and an easy one. I see the logic in that. Youre guiding cut, while also allowing the wood to do what it wants to do. I wish I could always have stable wood that have no internal stresses, but I find that not to be the case.

[Brian Tymchak]

Derek, great solution and an easy one. I see the logic in that. Youre guiding cut, while also allowing the wood to do what it wants to do. I wish I could always have stable wood that have no internal stresses, but I find that not to be the case.

Derek's solution also allows consistent cut thickness from cut to cut (say where you might be cutting multiple slices from a thicker board) which, from what I can tell, the Little Ripper does not.

[Frederick Skelly]

Another good idea Derek. Thank you!

[al ladd]

Little Ripper seems to me to make sense only for cutting from logs.

Angle of feed varying from blade to blade is a real thing. Maybe most blades will run parallel to blades' width, (so Little Ripper can shine with the same blade on it at a woodworking show)but some are off by a lot, and if you don't adjust for that resawing is a disaster.

If you can't cant your fence, you need to adjust table on trunnions, as others have stated above. Obviously much easier to figure out an adjustable fence, or use a point fence. Allowing adjustment of fence rail supports is the usual approach. Derek's set up is perfect.

If you're doing a lot of resawing consider a power feeder for less than the cost of a Little Ripper. By pushing stock against the fence only in front of the blade it not only allows stress relief of the board as it's cut, it relieves the stress of resawing from your shoulders and hands, and prevents inconsistent thicknesses from variations and stutters in feed speed.... Double productivity with half the work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGyMs_9estA&t=37s (first 35 seconds) and https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ltjYHM-si_Q

[Edward Weber]

I guess I'll just keep sawing veneer between the blade and fence.

495296495297

Align your bandsaw and just cut. But seriously, whatever works for you is the right answer.

+1
Use what works for you.
If your saw is set up to cut straight and parallel to the fence and miter slot, there is less need to pursue many of the retail gadgets and accessories.