Now is it time for a band saw?

[Steven Mikes]

Is there a better way to do this by hand? Because making panels this way kind of sucks.

[ken hatch]

Is there a better way to do this by hand? Because making panels this way kind of sucks.

LOL. BTW, a good job so far.

Save the hand work for the things that matter. Re-sawing isn't one of them. If I could have only one machine in my shop it would be a good bandsaw.

ken

[Mark Rainey]

Been there, done that. The thrill is gone...got a band saw. I did try a frame saw with Japanese turbo blade - blade wandered and still slow & tedious.

[John K Jordan]

Is there a better way to do this by hand? Because making panels this way kind of sucks.

Sneak the boards out and bring them here. I'll resaw them on the bandsaw and no one will be the wiser. You can wait outside and disavow all knowledge of what happened!

[john zulu]

The price of a frame saw is not cheap. I went with a bandsaw and it paid for itself.

[Brandon Speaks]

If I could only keep one of my machines it would be the bandsaw (although lathe is my favorite bandsaw sees way more use). Drill press and lathe would be number 2 and 3. I would miss the TS a bit, miter saw only for doing something like cutting framing lumber, and I could give the router table away right now and not care one bit.

Also good job on that cut, if I did that it would not look nearly so nice.

[Jim Koepke]

Get a bandsaw and don't get a cheap one.

For a few years my bandsaw was an underpowered 10" model, mostly plastic, that could only re-saw 6" and it didn't do that too well.

Currently my bandsaw is a 14" JET with a 12" re-saw ability and a bit more power. It can use up to a 3/4" blade. There are likely other bandsaws just as good and better, but this one has impressed me.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

Jim,
I have the same saw. I've never been disappointed with it. I put the riser in mine also.
I would not be without it.


http://www.performancetoolcenter.com...xoCfwMQAvD_BwE

[Pat Barry]

Are you using a rip saw? -- I cant tell from the photo. Is the saw sharp? What species of wood is that? It looks like a softwood from the picture but I can't be sure. If it is softwood, with a sharp rip saw, this should be pretty easy cutting. Keeping it on track should be biggest issue.

[Mark AJ Allen]

Yes I believe there is a way to do resawing by hand better. The following is just how I do it, no claims it's absolutely the best way:

1. Get a proper saw for the task. There are options; a frame saw (You've probably seen kits for them), a Japanese pull saw (harder to get) or there is a 'hack' option as well and I use it. I will outline later; it's cheap, it works
2. Develop your technique. IMO, sawing in one direction from one position directly perpendicular to the length of the board is not ideal.

SAW: The frame saws work well, but I experienced some things I find unfavourable: they are relatively heavy, unbalanced and cumbersome to maneuver. I started looking at Japanese pull saws because they don't have these issues; traditionally, they had these big whaleback things, but you can't buy those anymore and are for much larger timbers. I am of the opinion that IF you can find one, a kataba (NOT the ryoba) with a rip tooth pattern no less than 300 mm is the best saw you can get for resawing.

The hack I used is this: http://granitemountainwoodcraft.com/...taba-nokogiri/

I didn't make the exact same, but the style is similar. Note that the saw doesn't need to be any longer than you can 'throw' with your body in your stroke. I also recommend you file the teeth with a more aggressive negative rake on the end stroke section of the saw.

TECHNIQUE: At a minimum, I establish a marked line where you want to split the board; the best thing I do is establish a kerf THE SAME width of my saw plate for resawing on this line, about 1/2" deep. This guides my saw. I found that the best resawing is done if the wood pinches my sawplate JUST a little bit equally on each side of the plate. People have developed kerfing saws for this task; look into making one if you do lots of resawing by hand. I have one ... I use it for resawing 'badly behaved' wood.

When sawing, I make cuts so the saw is in the kerf as much as possible. This leads to attacking the corners of the board and flipping the board around to attack all 4 corners. Eventually I work my way to the center of the board with this technique. I get nice, clean cuts, little stray from the desired line.

[Steven Mikes]

Pat, yes it's a 5.5 TPI Disston rip saw. I'm not an expert on saws but I think it's pretty sharp, certainly cuts nicely. The wood is Eastern Red Cedar, it's pretty soft and the saw eats through it quickly, but it's still slow going overall. sawing across the whole width of the board.

[Derek Cohen]

Steven, I use a bandsaw. However, were I to resaw the way you are, I would use a kerf plane - essentially a plough with a saw blade - all the way around to aid in guiding the saw blade. This will aid accuracy and effort by enabling you to saw two kerfs together.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Brian Holcombe]

There is a value in doing it by hand, often, and the value is that you really begin to have a better understanding of how a saw cuts.

I use a bandsaw now, but certainly do not regret struggling initially and ultimately succeeding in resawing work, then doing quite a bit of it.

[Van Huskey]

It is always the right time for a bandsaw. Unless you are a full-on handtool purist a bandsaw is a must have, and really compliments handtools better than basically any other machine.

[lowell holmes]

You could make the cut with a bow saw. It might be a good excuse to buy one. I had this saw at one time. It seems to have disappeared.
Hurricane Harvey might have gotten it.
https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/..._12%22_Bow_Saw