Resawing Advice (1st time)

[Aaron Beaver]

I have a 14" Powermatic band saw (thats with the riser). I know this type of machine is not the best at resawing but its what I have, so.....

I have never resawed before, so what is the best way to get started? Is it to use that rounded over piece that bolts to the fence, it came with it. Or is it just better to use the fence and keep the board pressed up against it?

The board I am doing isn't very long, probably about 20" or so and I have a Timberwolf 1/2" blade which I believe is the widest that most 14" saws can handle. What about doing it on a table saw, can that be done safely. I thought I saw an article in a wood mag once that showed/gave tips on how to resaw on a table saw but I will have to look for it.

Thanks for any suggestions

[Matt Bickford]

I was taught that the fance is used only when dealing with prepared faces and a square corner. The resaw guide (the rounded block) is used for all else.

Additionally, I believe that the powermatic can handle a 3/4" blade. I use one on mine.

[Mike Spanbauer]

Your saw will perform fine. The key is that you will have to go slower than someone with a 5hp beastie.

I won't use those point fences, some like them but not I. The key is ensuring that your machine is set up extremely well. You should have little to no drift if your machine is well tuned and the blade is in the right place on the wheels.

Most fences can adjust for some slight drift by loosening a bolt on the bottom of the fence. If yours does not possess this ability, then you indeed might have to use the point fence.

The key is slow and more importantly STEADY... any pauses will result in a larger ridge at that point in the board.

Your blade will handle the task just fine, I would recommend trying to resaw some 2x4's (without staples or knots) or another 3-5" wide wood first to practice before attempting to resaw your project wood.

The process is pretty straight forward, just takes a bit of practice :)

Shopsawn veneers will open a world of possibilities.

Mike

[Al Willits]

Timber wolf sent me a 3/4" resaw blade for my 14" Delta, may want to check with them.
I have the Kreg fence on mine and took off the rounded resaw attachment that you can get for it, and then made several 3/4" thick boards that can be bolted to the fence, one is about 4.5" high and 16" long, the other was about 7" high and 24" long, they made a much more stable fence than the Kreg attachments.

I just did some 7"+ wide 5/4 white oak and though it doesn't cut though it like a higher hp saw would, it does work, I'd think that's about all the saw will handle, as I did over heat the motor on a piece of 5/4 by about 7" wide and almost 6 foot long.

Al

[Hunter Wallace]

I made a simple (and taller) plywood fence for
my Delta 14" w/riser...I think it's 8" tall by the depth
of the BS table. I have only used the pin for resawing
along curved cuts...crest rails on chairs and stuff.
I too use the Timberwolf 1/2" for resawing anything not
green. I find the tall fence, and a well tuned/tensioned
machine will allow me resaw down to very thin,
and accurate veneer thicknesses....as well as thicker
dimensioned lumber as well;)

[Jake Helmboldt]

This month's FWW has an article on resawing by Lonnie Bird. He actually favors a narrower (3/8") blade for resawing, so your 1/2" is more than adequate. Wood also has a resawing article from last issue and Michael Fortune also talks about using a smaller BS (14"), but I don't recall his blade preference.

Resawing on the TS can be done, but if you have a BS then there is no point in doing so. I use just the fence, but as others mentioned, that works best when you already have a straight edge to reference on the fence. You can also use a sled for pieces that are not straight if you don't have a jointer or planer with which you can create that flat face.

The one area where there seems to be the most disagreement is tension. Bird likes high tension, while Timberwolf (I believe) advocates a lower tension.

JH

[Russ Massery]

Aaron, how wide is thw board your resawing?

[Joe Foggia]

You Might want to make a hybrid cut. That is using the narrowest kerf blade you have and make a cut on the tablesaw from both sides and finish with the BS. Especially works well for wider stock.

[Alfred Clem]

You will have few problems. My 14" Jet uses Timberwolf blades for resawing, 1/2" with 3 teeth per inch. With a little practice, you will be cutting like a pro. If your material is wide, say 6" or more, it's a good idea to beef up your fence by clamping on a vertical and wider board. That will provide a steady and strong platform for your material. I have found that putting a block of wood against your material about where the saw blade does it job provides just a little extra guidance and support.

Al

[Matt Day]

There's an article in FWW #177, page 94 in the Q&A section about resawing. I can scan it and send it to you if you'd like.

[Mike Cutler]

Aaron.
There are more than a few ways to resaw. It's a matter of finding the technique that works for you.

I would advise that you mark the edge of the resaw material so that you can maintain a visual reference of where the blade is while you are resawing no matter which method that you use.
I was not a big fan of the single point resaw method. I always found it difficult to maintain the material against the reference point, guide it and push it at the same time, but..... some folks use this method very effectively.
I was more a fan of the "Drift Method". In otherwords, adjusting the fence for the drift of the blade. The downside of this method is that different species of wood will have different drift characteristics and the fence will have to be readjusted. It works though.

The blade can be wide, or narrower. I use a 1", 2-3 varipitch blade on my 18" bandsaw, but I know that some people are using a 3/8" blade on bandsaws up[ to 36" effectively. You have to experiment a bit. I think the only constant, with regard to the blade is the number of teeth per inch(TPI), I think most everyone is using some configuration of 4TPI or less.

I resaw for bookmatching primarily, but I also resaw for thickness. It is very easy to use your table saw to initially cut the first few inches of thickness on each edge prior to going to the bandsaw. This gives you a visual reference, and relieves pressure and stress on the bandsaw. Use a thin kerf rip blade for this to minimize waste though. Just one more technique. Not always useful or desirable, but doable. On the smaller bandsaws it can be a useful solution. This technique won't give you the nicest bookmatching though. It will give you really nice reference edges for glueup though. The bandsaw blade also seems to wander less.

Try different techniques. You'll find the one that works for you.

[James Carmichael]

All good advice, though I would advise against sawing 2x4s. The pitch in the pine is not good for the blade, plus a resaw blade designed for kiln-dried hardwoods probably does not have enough set for pine, both of which equal extra friction.

[Aaron Beaver]

There's an article in FWW #177, page 94 in the Q&A section about resawing. I can scan it and send it to you if you'd like. That would be great, I will send you a PM with my email address.



Aaron, how wide is thw board your resawing? It could vary anywhere from 4-7" for the boards I have right now.


This month's FWW has an article on resawing by Lonnie Bird. He actually favors a narrower (3/8") blade for resawing, so your 1/2" is more than adequate. Wood also has a resawing article from last issue and Michael Fortune also talks about using a smaller BS (14"), but I don't recall his blade preference.
I don't subscribe to FWW but since it has something in it this month I might find useful with tips, I might go pick one up at the bookstore. I do subscribe to Wood Mag, so I will have to check my back issues and see if I can find it.


I was taught that the fance is used only when dealing with prepared faces and a square corner. I don't have a problem with that because I will run once face through my jointer a couple of times to flatten it out, same with one edge.



Timber wolf sent me a 3/4" resaw blade for my 14" Delta, may want to check with them. I may try that and see what they say, I have just heard its hard to get the correct tension on wider blades with a 14" bandsaw. If I don't that wide like the magazine articles state then I should be okay.


Thanks for all the help fellas, I will probably practice on a scrap piece I have laying around just to try it out and see how it goes.

[Al Willits]

"""""""""
Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Willits
Timber wolf sent me a 3/4" resaw blade for my 14" Delta, may want to check with them.

I may try that and see what they say, I have just heard its hard to get the correct tension on wider blades with a 14" bandsaw. If I don't that wide like the magazine articles state then I should be okay.
""""""""""

Timber wolf reccomends a lighter tension than normal, and for me it works, I have my saw set lighter than the 3/4" setting by a fair piece and it cuts nice.
Others may suggest more tension, but for my set up, its not needed.
Timber wolf had a 4 for 3 sale going, not sure if they still do, but the gal I talked to suggested what blades I should have for what I was doing and I've had good luck so far.

Don't shy a away because an "expert" tells you it won't work, he's not running your saw, you are, and your results may be different.

Al....who thinks dumb luck is better than no luck at all...:D

[Curt Harms]

Hi Aaron

I have a Grizzly G1148, it's a "15" inch saw, actually about 14 3/4" with just over 7" resaw capability. I did tune it up using information from this forum and other sources. Wheels parallel and in line. The tension spring is stock, I may get an upgrade later. The saw came with a 3/4 h.p. import motor. It would work for resawing, sorta, but was really underpowered. I added a 1 1/2 hp GE 1725 hp motor. Adding the larger motor made a HUGE difference in resawing ability, don't know how your powermatic is motored.

I'm running a 1/2" T'wolf blade. Follow the tensioning directions from T'wolf. I was over-tensioning my blade and got smoother cuts when set up according to the T'wolf directions. That runs counter to everything I'd heard about blade tension when resawing but I see what I sawed:D As far as drift, I don't have any [keeping fingers crossed]. I did develop drift at one point and couldn't figure out what in the world was going on, I just couldn't resaw worth crap. I finally replaced the blade and now it's great. I must have cut something I should't have at some time. I made a fence sort of like the Mule fence out of plywood with a removable 6" high fence, works great.

If the saws available today had been available when I bought this, around 1997 and knowing what I know now, I would likely have bought a better saw. The Rikon 10-325 or one of the 17-18" saws look sweet but this one works well enough now that I'd have a hard time justifying an upgrade, given my limited use. Your powermatic should be fine, you might check wheel tracking and alignment if your first resawing adventures don't work out as well as you'd like. Some claim that where the blade rides on the wheels affect blade drift. I try to keep the blade in the middle of both wheels.

Curt

[Alex Berkovsky]

The one area where there seems to be the most disagreement is tension. Bird likes high tension, while Timberwolf (I believe) advocates a lower tension.Jake,
I believe Timberwolf blades in general require lower tension than other brands.

Hope this helps --> ABC's of resawing (http://www.rd.com/americanwoodworker/articles/200008/main/page4.html)

[glenn bradley]

I made a quicky resaw fence that emulates your rounded piece. The concept is that while resawing you can follow the line to account for blade drift by pivoting a bit as (if) required. I was surprised how well this works.

[Andrew Shaber]

I looked at the powermatic saw. it is 1.5HP. Not sure about drift on the stock fence.

I called Suffolk machinery (Timberwolf) yesterday. They recommend their 3/4" 2/3 pitch resaw blade for 14" bandsaws. The type of steel they use allows the lower tension so when I order a band, that is the one.
Other 3/4" blades are rated for higher tension that wouldn't allow their use on a 14" saw.

[Bryan Lord]

Aaron.
I would advise that you mark the edge of the resaw material so that you can maintain a visual reference of where the blade is while you are resawing no matter which method that you use.

Good advice! That way you can see what is happening (at least use this method for the 1st cut). I do a lot of resawing BUT I almost always start with flat material and a square edge. Depending on your blade you can use the fence for excellent work. My experience w/ 4 different width Timberwolve blades is that they cut straight and true. The 3/4" blade that came on my saw (Jet) has a mind of its own and the only way to use that blade is with the single point method.

A tall fence is very beneficial when resawing tall material

Have fun

[Jake Helmboldt]

Aaron, as a follow-up, it was the October issue of Wood with the BS article by Michael Fortune. He prefers a plain carbon steel, 1/2" skip tooth 3TPi blade at a lower tension.

Again, I don't know why the tension issue is so variable, even among the experts. Bird claims it is beam strength that makes the biggest difference in resawing. I follow his advice w/ Lennox blades and get good results.

JH