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Thread: Band saw useage question

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,811
    It has been 30 years since I last took a tour of a sawmill. Back then all the bandsaws were vertical. The only reason I can think of is that it would not be a good idea to have several tons of log fall down and pinch a horizontal blade. I suppose it also makes installing the blade easier since you can lift at only one point not both ends at once. Of course as soon as a slab is cut it is flipped flat and sent on it's way.
    It still surprises me to see a logging truck with more then one log. It just seems like what is the point to be hauling such small stuff. Of course intellectually I know all the old growth is gone.
    Bill D

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Itapevi, SP - Brazil
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    672
    Quote Originally Posted by Randall Houghton View Post
    How many of you resaw wood wider than 12" and how often does that occur? Just curious as maximum cutting heights greater than 12" seem to get alot of attention.

    Regards Randy
    I cannot saw anything beyond 6.5" with my band saw.

    OTOH I really would like to get up to 12" as it looks me the "magic number" for that application but I have to confess I have coped with my limitation without traumas!
    All the best.

    Osvaldo.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
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    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Randall Houghton View Post
    How many of you resaw wood wider than 12" and how often does that occur? Just curious as maximum cutting heights greater than 12" seem to get alot of attention.

    Regards Randy
    My Rikon 18" will saw 12.25 inches and I'm pushing that a lot, not necessarily resawing dry wood boards but instead sawing green wood. I often wish I had 14" height.

    (When I have something bigger I use a the woodmizer sawmill which will handle up to 28", although the cut is not smooth.)

    JKJ

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Woodstock, VA
    Posts
    1,004
    I think you can still buy a Northfield 36/36, 36" wheel with 36" resaw. Would not be inexpensive!

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,638
    Bill, it occurs to me that the really big saw I mentioned actually is a vertical saw. I've never seen a horizontal saw that had an issue with the band getting caught by the weight of the log, even for a "halfling" cut through the pith or something like that.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #21
    If you ask me, cut quality is what's important
    It's all about a machine that can honestly handle a 1" Woodmaster CT
    That means having a machine close to 300kg for the best results.
    Look at this thread from John above...
    https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....-Woodmaster-CT

    That ain't your bog standard Grizzly.
    VFD's and three phase saws are cheap if you can't afford single phase new,
    Probably a quarter of the price all in, and can be run from a domestic plug, compared to needing a 16 amp socket.
    Might not be quite as compact of a package, compared to a 24" Italian or something along those lines, but that just means having a
    bigger table which is nice.

    All the best
    Tom

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    SE Mass.
    Posts
    229
    Quote Originally Posted by Erik Loza View Post
    So, a lot of the crazy resaw heights we have now came out of the "Resaw Wars" (in which I was soldier, LOL) of the late 90's/early 2000's. This was a competition between two Italian brands trying to control market share here in the US. In Europe, they don't care about resaw height. Only here in the US. In particular, the bowl turning hobby market. Folks wanting to process big chunks and burls on their how bandsaw. It became a battle of specs, so to speak. Getting back to the OP's question, IMHO, 90% of anything most of us would do could be done with 16" of vertical cutting height. That being said, I would take as much cutting WIDTH as I could possibly get. There are times when you could use more. Some veneer situations or cutting large forms. Curiously, I have also sold a number of really big bandsaws for cutting foam forms for molds and models. To the OP, If I was going to suggest one machine for the home shop, somewhere between 12"-16" resaw height would be the sweet spot in terms of $$$ vs. performance and I would favor a wider table over taller height. Hope this helps,

    Erik
    Thank you Erik, you've answered a question that's been bugging me for a long time: 'why are things like Lagunas coming with these enormous resaw heights?' The world makes a little more sense now.

    As to bandsaw usage, I'm getting more of my wood from sawmills now, in slabs or wide planks, typically 8/4 to 10/4, and having a large bandsaw to handle the first dimensioning cuts is really helpful. I did get some 20+" wide pine, too, but, on this forum's advice, found someone with a sawmill to resaw it. (I did a set of traditional 6-plank seachests, and having wide planks was important to me.) As I learn to dry wood, I find I can resaw 12-16" wide, straight planks, and I like to showcase them in the work I do. Haven't learned to resaw veneer yet, but it's on the list for this winter.
    Last edited by Josko Catipovic; 07-24-2020 at 7:56 AM.

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