Crazy? 'Resawing' for flat face rather than using a jointer?

[Daniel McCurdy]

OK, wondering if this is a crazy idea.

I've seen people set up nice in feed and out feed tables with sleds on a large band saw for resawing. I know Laguna makes one, and a local guy I know makes and sells them as well. Would it be too crazy of an idea to use something like this to get a flat face (rather than paying big bucks on a wide jointer)?

I already have a nice 15" planer, and was considering a Grizzly combo jointer planer to replace my current jointer and the planer. But, I have access to a lot of logs (which are milled on site by a hired band saw mill) and thick stock, so a large bandsaw with a 12"+ resaw capacity is pretty appealing.

If I built an infeed and out feed table w/rollers and set up a sled, could I basically resaw or mill dried stock to obtain a flat enough edge that I could then send it through the planer?

If this could work, I'd be able to joint, resaw, and even mill smaller logs.

Might actually be worth it.

Keep in mind, this is done as a hobby. So if this would take more time than using a jointer, that's OK, because I'd be getting additional use out of the same machine for less $...ability to joint and resaw.

[Jamie Buxton]

Often the resawing operation releases built-in tensions in the wood, so the resulting plank is not flat or straight. That's when is it good to have a jointer which is as wide as the resaw capacity of your bandsaw.

[Peter Quadarella]

If the resaw produced a warped board, could it be run through the bandsaw again to just take off the high parts? This is an interesting idea and one I will likely try out, since I am not purchasing a jointer (trying all the other methods as well).

[Daniel McCurdy]

If the resaw produced a warped board, could it be run through the bandsaw again to just take off the high parts?

That's what I'm wondering too.

[Doug Shepard]

Unless you make a sled to screw the wood to as you're resawing, you'd still want to use the jointer before resawing to get a flat side. Otherwise you'd have a crooked wobbly piece of wood likely to roll on the BS table. Not very safe.

[John Bailey]

I have done this on a small scale with a 14" bandsaw. I made a 8' fence 4" tall. I could do 8' boards, mostly in the 4"s or less wide range. I've since cut the fence down because it was too hard to stabalize. But it did work. I also tried it with a 22 ft. cedar tree that I was shaping for a sail mast. It was a miserable failure.

John

[Randy Klein]

I imagine you could find a way to make it work, which is probably true for most anything. But will the time setting up the in/out feed tables, attaching your board to the resaw guide, tweaking this and that be time saved? IMO, it would be worth the time investment to learn how to use handplanes to flatten one face before sending through the planer.

[Daniel McCurdy]

Unless you make a sled to screw the wood to as you're resawing, you'd still want to use the jointer before resawing to get a flat side. Otherwise you'd have a crooked wobbly piece of wood likely to roll on the BS table. Not very safe.

That's why I posted that I'd build a sled and solid in feed and out feed tables.

[Daniel McCurdy]

http://firstcuts.tripod.com/

This is the guy I know locally that makes and sells them. I'm going to pick his brain on this as well.

It may be better off to first get the jointer/planer combo, and just take anything I need to resaw somewhere else. Which of course would be a pain...but so could jointing on a bandsaw for all I know.

I guess it'll just have to be considered which is the lesser evil untill both can be in the shop.

[aaron welton]

if bandsaw sawmill is setup right all you should need to do is dry and sand boards. I have a small bandsaw mill and have resawed 1" red cedar with it, then only needed to sand. Aaron

[Pete Bradley]

I did this quite a bit when I had a big band saw but no jointer. It's best for edge jointing, but it will work on reasonable faces too. For edge joints, I'd clean up with a #7. This can wind up being faster than multiple passes with a jointer. Whatever the piece is, you need a straight edge on the other side of the piece or a way of feeding it straight.

Pete

[Tim Thomas]

Daniel, since you already have a nice 15 inch planer, you can use that to joint your boards if you make a planer sled. I think it would be a lot less cumbersome and more precise to build a planer sled than a bandsaw sled.

Here is a thread I ran across recently here on the Creek that has links to a couple of different plans for planer sleds.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=77612

[Daniel McCurdy]

Daniel, since you already have a nice 15 inch planer, you can use that to joint your boards if you make a planer sled. I think it would be a lot less cumbersome and more precise to build a planer sled than a bandsaw sled.

Here is a thread I ran across recently here on the Creek that has links to a couple of different plans for planer sleds.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=77612


Thanks for posting that! Yes, I had considered this, and still am. Obviously this is by far the least costly option. I like some of the examples posted there. I think I may end up going that route for now. I'll still be on the look out though for a good deal on a large bandsaw since I still need the ability to resaw with more power than I have now.

[Daniel McCurdy]

BTW, if anyone is looking for a video of the planer sled...

Not listed on youtube, but China's version of youtube (56.com) instead. Not sure why that is, but works just the same.

http://www.56.com/u97/v_Mjg4NDk3NDI.html