Looking for Tips for Resawing on Table Saw

[Gary Warren]

I have some 4" to 5" wide Mesquite boards 1 1/2" thick that I want to try and get some resawn planks close to 1/4" thick. None will be longer than 2' so I should be able to use my rip fence. Does anyone have any helpful suggestions for doing this on a table saw? I do not have a band saw at this time and really do not want to plane down a single board just to get my final thickness. Any suggestions would be appreciated in order to do this safely.

[Gary Keedwell]

What I do is raise the blade to about 1/16th under the center of the board and send it thru. Turn board end for end and send it thru from the other side (face) of board. Now you should have about 1/8th inch holding the whole thing together. Just take a regular hand rip saw and go to it. It will saw thru that in a few seconds. That is the SAFEST way to do it. I have done it that way many times. I then send both boards thru the planer.
Hope I explained it right.:rolleyes:

Gary K.

[Gary Warren]

What I do is raise the blade to about 1/16th under the center of the board and send it thru. Turn board end for end and send it thru from the other side (face) of board. Now you should have about 1/8th inch holding the whole thing together. Just take a regular hand rip saw and go to it. It will saw thru that in a few seconds. That is the SAFEST way to do it. I have done it that way many times. I then send both boards thru the planer.
Hope I explained it right.:rolleyes:

Gary K.

Very good idea! Thanks

[Gary Breckenridge]

:) A table saw is really the wrong tool for resawing planks. I know this because I don't have a monster bandsaw and have to use my table saw for resawing. Next week I plan to rip up a small log and I'll start with a chain saw and end up with my table saw. With that in mind put a rip blade in your tablesaw and go for it.;) Rip about 1" deep and flip the plank over and rip again. Then rip at 2" deep and flip again. The last cut (careful here) will give you an uneven board that will have to be planed down to that 1/4 inch that you desire. You may lose up to 1/4" per saw cut and that is a lot of sawdust.:cool:

[Rich Person]

I used Gary's method on some purpleheart recently. I didn't have my bandsaw yet, so that was the only option. It probably would have been better to do it in several cuts rasing the blade each time, but I went with the blade full height and it wasn't too bad. I guess it depends on your table saw and blade.

[Mike Cutler]

ZCI !, ZCI!, ZCI!.

I have a co-worker that doesn't have a working index finger due to resawing on a TS. The wood caught and dragged his index finger and thumb into and through the "normal" sized throat plate. His 9 year old daughter had to turn the saw off for him.

Do it the way Gary outlined, it's safe, and have a ZCI (Zero Clearance Insert) in place.
Oh yeah. Be sure and have a rip blade, and not a combo blade for the task.

[Ken Milhinch]

You want a tip on resawing on a table saw ? Don't do it. :eek: Using a machine as dangerous as a tablesaw to carry out a function for which it was not designed is just asking for trouble.

[Mike Cutler]

Ken.

It can be done safely, but, and a big one here, it must be done carefully.
The wood is essentially an "H" beam when you are finished with the tablesaw. The horizontal bar of the "H" is then cut away with an underpowered bandsaw, or a handsaw.
The wood has to be supported at all times, hence my warning about a ZCI.
Sometimes we have to outside of the comfort zone for various reasons. It's a big warning though to think things through and go very slowly.

[John Bailey]

I used to do this a lot. First, I'll not tell you not to do it (although, it's good advice) however, I will tell you not to try it unless you have a tablesaw set up properly - perfectly aligned. Second, if you decide you must, take Gary K's advice, it's the best way.

Hope this helps.

John

[David Weaver]

Maybe it's just me, but way gary describes is the only way I've seen, and it still gives me the willies. Be prepared for some nasty sounds and lots of smoke.

It's probably relatively safe if everything is OK, but I'd rather go to a shop that rents bandsaw time and do it on that.

[Rod Sheridan]

Lets see, re-sawing on a tablesaw, no splitter, no guard, no fingers.

Find somebody in your area who has a bandsaw..........Rod.

[Brian Kent]

I made some scary messes trying this on my $89 Ryobi Table saw and a dull blade. I also really did not understand what it meant to tune or align a table saw. The nature of this little saw also meant that even when the blade started at a clean 90° to the table, the blade (along with the motor, I assume) would be bent several degrees to the side. Dangerous, uncontrolled forces all over the place.

Resawing on a table saw works a lot better now. I am using a cabinet saw, very carefully aligned, with a Forrest Woodworker II blade, a zero clearance insert, a featherboard placed just before the blade, and a push stick. Now I get a smooth cut on each side. I cut the remaining fraction of an inch with a Ryoba-style saw and clean up the marks with a hand-plane.

I would not attempt this without any of the above. I should also get smart and add a pop-in splitter.

[Gary Keedwell]

I made some scary messes trying this on my $89 Ryobi Table saw and a dull blade. I also really did not understand what it meant to tune or align a table saw. The nature of this little saw also meant that even when the blade started at a clean 90° to the table, the blade (along with the motor, I assume) would be bent several degrees to the side. Dangerous, uncontrolled forces all over the place.

Resawing on a table saw works a lot better now. I am using a cabinet saw, very carefully aligned, with a Forrest Woodworker II blade, a zero clearance insert, a featherboard placed just before the blade, and a push stick. Now I get a smooth cut on each side. I cut the remaining fraction of an inch with a Ryoba-style saw and clean up the marks with a hand-plane.

I would not attempt this without any of the above. I should also get smart and add a pop-in splitter.

Brian... I should have mentioned in my post to use the standard safety precautions. Thank-you for posting them....
Gary K.
PS. I, also try to use all the safety equipment at my disposal.....recently installed Board Buddies and think they'll be a KEEPER.;)
Gary K.

[Ben Chattin]

I made some scary messes trying this on my $89 Ryobi Table saw and a dull blade. I also really did not understand what it meant to tune or align a table saw. The nature of this little saw also meant that even when the blade started at a clean 90° to the table, the blade (along with the motor, I assume) would be bent several degrees to the side. Dangerous, uncontrolled forces all over the place.

Resawing on a table saw works a lot better now. I am using a cabinet saw, very carefully aligned, with a Forrest Woodworker II blade, a zero clearance insert, a featherboard placed just before the blade, and a push stick. Now I get a smooth cut on each side. I cut the remaining fraction of an inch with a Ryoba-style saw and clean up the marks with a hand-plane.

I would not attempt this without any of the above. I should also get smart and add a pop-in splitter.

I have made some attempts at resawing on my beginner table saw (craftsman: about 150.00). Now it runs noisier than when i first got it especially when i power down it rattles as the blade comes to a stop. I had not heard of tuning a saw as you have mentioned. How do i find out how to do this? Can it be done on all saws or is it reserved for higher end models?
Thanks, Ben

[Eric Wong]

I agree with Ken and Rod.
Best advice for resawing on the table saw?

Don't.

find someone who has a bandsaw, or rent time somewhere, or take it to your local Woodcraft or Rockler and bribe someone to do it for you or look the other way while you do it.

[Gary Keedwell]

The method I described in my post was from Norm's show a long time ago. I have used it many times. You do not break through the board on the table saw. It is not much different making a dado. If you use a feather board and a push stick, your hands don't get near the blade at all. It is not my recommended way of doing this operation (resawing), but since the question of how to do it was asked, I gave the safest procedure that I know.
The best and safest method is by utilizing a band saw. Not everybody has a bandsaw. If someone really has to resaw on a table saw....don't you want that person to do it a safe way?:confused: (I know....you can tell a person a hundred times not to do it on a table-saw....but they'll probably do it anyways).
Gary K.

[Mark Singer]

I have used the tablesaw for resawing....there is a lot of blade exposed and you need to be vey sure of what you are doing. Kick back is also a probable result since there is a lot of fence and a lot of blade exerting forces.....If you are not very sure of the proceedure don't try it.....the cost of learning can be pricey....careful!