Resaw Question

[Scott Sallyards]

I have a question regarding re-sawing. I built a re-saw sled that fits over the fence that should give me more stability when I re-saw the 7” x 55” x 1 ½ “ piece of oak. I set the fence for 3/8” cut. When I cut I’m having a problem the blade wants to drift and I do not get a straight cut. Is there anything I should be doing to get a straight cut from end to end and top to bottom? I have tried adjusting the tension but still to have the cut drift. Any suggestions would be great. I wanted to add pictures but my lowest setting created file to large for upload on this site.

Scott

[Jim Becker]

You have to adjust your fence angle to match the drift angle...and be aware that it changes as the blade ages. Also, never use a blade for resawing that has been used to cut curves...even gentle ones. It will exacerbate the problem you are having.

[Mark Engel]

It will exacerbate the problem you are having.

Exacerbate?

Woah. Remember, we're just woodworkers here. We don't all have access to a Dr. Professor type. :D

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Scott,

Make sure you've got the blade centered on the wheels. Think about it. If the blade is too far to the front of the wheel the curve of the tire will make the blade angle towards the fence and will drift in that direction. If it's too far towards the back of the wheel the blade will angle so that it slants away from the fence. When I get my blade centered properly I can use a regular straight fence and cut perfectly straight with no drift.

Cliff

[Mike Cutler]

Exacerbate?

Woah. Remember, we're just woodworkers here. We don't all have access to a Dr. Professor type. :D

And the rest of the post will mitigate the drift.:D,:rolleyes:

Scott

You may want to explore a few options for fences.

Make a fence that can clamp to your table that accomodates the drift of the blade.

Use a taller single point resaw fence that clamps to the table.


For the camera stuff settings shoot in 600x480, jpeg normal, or basic.
If you try to do to much photoshop stuff, the file will get too big even at these settings.

[Roy Fleming]

I have an old 12" craftsam bandsaw with a 1/2 hp motor and can resaw 6 1/2" white oak. Everbody I talk to says this in impossible but it do it by forcing the wood against a high fence and going slowly thru the blade. I use a 1/2" timberwolf blade and it works. All the talk about blade drift etc. does not hold any credibility as far as I am concerned. Maybe I just have an exceptional saw but I doubt it.

[Mark Singer]

By moving the blade forward and backward o the tires you can adjust the drift...play with it.

[Scott Sallyards]

Cliff,

I agree I must make sure that the blade is centered. When I put a square on the table against the blade I have 1/16 gap at the bottom. I have a Luguna 14 SE and have ceramic blocks for guides. I will have to work on making proper adjustments and then try again.

Scott

[Kevin Godshall]

The one thing I love (??) about re-sawing.... is that it gives me 100% feedback about the set up of my saw. If my wheels are out, if my guides are mis-adjusted, if my fence or table is not square, if my blade is bad.......... no matter what it is, it shows up in re-sawing.

I end up being the happiest when I'm making perfect re-saw cuts, because I know for a fact my saw is perfectly tuned.

[Steven DeMars]

Exacerbate?

Woah. Remember, we're just woodworkers here. We don't all have access to a Dr. Professor type. :D

I concur !:p

[Fred Voorhees]

I concur !:p

Indubitably:D

[glenn bradley]

Despite my saw setup working consistently along for days, I will come across the piece that defies a constant reference surface like a fence or sled. This is just a piece of 1/4" hardboard sanded to a point and glued into a dado on a plywood fixture. The point should be lined up just a tad behind the front points of the teeth.

The surface of the board that rides the BS table should be flat and parallel with the top surface. I draw a line along the top surface of the board and basically freehand it. It is surprising how accurate you can be after a couple test runs. A good cure for boards that for whatever reason, defy the usual approach.

83737

P.s. The blade is not under tension in the pic but, the edge of the hardboard should be parallel to your blade path and perpendicular to the table.

[Pete Bradley]

The most common cause for this problem is a dull band.

When you change bands, be sure your guides aren't set too far forward (or the thrust bearing set too far back) as you can wear the sides of the teeth instantly if the set parts of the teeth get between the guides.

There are other possible causes, such as running too wide a band for the saw (wider is NOT necessarily better for resaw) or having misaligned top and bottom guides, but I'd start with a fresh band.

Pete