James Mittlefehldt
11-13-2006, 5:41 PM
I accomplished something yesterday, something I have been mulling over for some time, and finally after watching a thread last week on Neander Resawing, I decided to try one more time to resaw with, ...............wait for it.................................a panel saw, that's right a panel saw.
The salient facts are
a) I don't own or have easy access to a decent bandsaw,
b) this is likely to be the only time I will have to do this, ...maybe.
c) finding hard wood in thinner configurations is not easy, at least around here unless you want to use a 4/4 piece and plane it down and my Scottish ancestory rebells at that.
I tried this before and found that my saw seemed to go cross country instead of where I wanted it to. So after thinking about this for some time, over a year actually, I decided to try it again with a sacrificial piece of White Ash. It was roughly 15 inches long and 4 wide.
Having steeled my courage to the sticking point I used a wheeled marking gauge to mark the line aroud the outside edge, and then set it into my end vice, (veritas twin screw vice that traverses the end of my bench) at an angle. I notched out the corners with a back saw (12 inch R. H. Smith filed rip) and then tryed a couple of saws to see what, if any worked best.
Saw number one ( Shurley & Dietrich 26" 4 ppi) I discarded immediatly without even putting it to the wood, as it was course and has an agressive set.
Saw number two (Disston D-8 two handed handle 26") did not do bad but seemed inclined to wander.
Saw number three (Sandvik 7 ppi 24" seven or eight years old) was just the ticket.
I started in ernest now and decided that having the piece straight up and down was the better way for control, and also figured out part way down that if I switched sides every two inches or so I could control the cut better, not really sure why but it worked. When I finished while there was some deviation in terms of the line it was for the most part straight.
So encouraged was I by this that I got one of the pieces I wanted resawed and had at it. In this case it was a 27 iinch by roughly five inch wide hunk of air dried walnut, 7/8 ths thick.
Using what I had figured out on the sacrificial AshI went at it with a will. I neglected to time it though it was not too long. I used the back saw to outline the cut at the corners, sawing all the way across the top, and then with my trusty Sandvik in hand, began. I alternated roughly every 1.5 inches side to side, and managed to stay pretty much on the line. When I was about 2/3 of the way through I bunged a wedge into the cut end turned it around and again defined the line with a back saw, and went at it once more.
I eventually reached the point where the one board became two nicely book matched I might add, and voila one became two.
So kids you see it does work and it can be done. I won't kid you though I did perspire somewhat, and my workshop is 50 degrees F. It was hard work no doubt, but it was not as hard as I imagined, and as I say I have a limited number of applications for this sort of wood so it isn't as if I will be doing this regularily.
I only have ten or twelve more to cut then I have to plane them and then I can actually start on the project.
I would aslo add that it would work better if you have come to that point that the old guys always talked about, ie that you do not force your saw merely guide it, albiet firmly, and the sawing becomes easier.
The salient facts are
a) I don't own or have easy access to a decent bandsaw,
b) this is likely to be the only time I will have to do this, ...maybe.
c) finding hard wood in thinner configurations is not easy, at least around here unless you want to use a 4/4 piece and plane it down and my Scottish ancestory rebells at that.
I tried this before and found that my saw seemed to go cross country instead of where I wanted it to. So after thinking about this for some time, over a year actually, I decided to try it again with a sacrificial piece of White Ash. It was roughly 15 inches long and 4 wide.
Having steeled my courage to the sticking point I used a wheeled marking gauge to mark the line aroud the outside edge, and then set it into my end vice, (veritas twin screw vice that traverses the end of my bench) at an angle. I notched out the corners with a back saw (12 inch R. H. Smith filed rip) and then tryed a couple of saws to see what, if any worked best.
Saw number one ( Shurley & Dietrich 26" 4 ppi) I discarded immediatly without even putting it to the wood, as it was course and has an agressive set.
Saw number two (Disston D-8 two handed handle 26") did not do bad but seemed inclined to wander.
Saw number three (Sandvik 7 ppi 24" seven or eight years old) was just the ticket.
I started in ernest now and decided that having the piece straight up and down was the better way for control, and also figured out part way down that if I switched sides every two inches or so I could control the cut better, not really sure why but it worked. When I finished while there was some deviation in terms of the line it was for the most part straight.
So encouraged was I by this that I got one of the pieces I wanted resawed and had at it. In this case it was a 27 iinch by roughly five inch wide hunk of air dried walnut, 7/8 ths thick.
Using what I had figured out on the sacrificial AshI went at it with a will. I neglected to time it though it was not too long. I used the back saw to outline the cut at the corners, sawing all the way across the top, and then with my trusty Sandvik in hand, began. I alternated roughly every 1.5 inches side to side, and managed to stay pretty much on the line. When I was about 2/3 of the way through I bunged a wedge into the cut end turned it around and again defined the line with a back saw, and went at it once more.
I eventually reached the point where the one board became two nicely book matched I might add, and voila one became two.
So kids you see it does work and it can be done. I won't kid you though I did perspire somewhat, and my workshop is 50 degrees F. It was hard work no doubt, but it was not as hard as I imagined, and as I say I have a limited number of applications for this sort of wood so it isn't as if I will be doing this regularily.
I only have ten or twelve more to cut then I have to plane them and then I can actually start on the project.
I would aslo add that it would work better if you have come to that point that the old guys always talked about, ie that you do not force your saw merely guide it, albiet firmly, and the sawing becomes easier.