Cheap Bandsaw for Resawing

[James Jayko]

I'm sure this is common knowledge, but setup and a sharp resaw blade are essential. Especially when you're asking a lot out of a smaller saw.

I have the Laguna 14/12 and really like it. Its a 110V, 1 3/4hp saw that claims 13" resaw capacity. I would bet that with a great, very sharp blade you COULD do what you're asking, but it'll take a lot of patience. I've resawed plenty of ~6" stuff, but 13" would really be pushing it, even if they claim the capability. YMMV.

We have the Laguna 14BX (220V, 2 1/2hp) at a shared shop I go to and I like that one a lot...seems like a good balance of capability and value. I've resawn wider stuff on that, and it works fine as long as its setup well and you've got a new, appropriate resaw blade.

But resawing 12" stock is going to be frustrating with all but the biggest saws I think. I think the most realistic idea is the used 3hp with a VFD.

[John Kananis]

I have a 14bx with a 2.5hp motor and it's pretty awesome for what it is but I wouldn't want to have to resaw 12" stock (although I'd like to). The plan is to eventually get a much bigger saw and set it up in the back room for that sort of thing. Point is, you have to make some compromises. Consider what you'll "mostly" be doing with the saw, what your budget is, what level of personal time you're willing to invest for setup, new or old, etc. and make a purchase decision based on all that criteria. There's no 1 saw for everything.

[John C Bush]

Hi Jimmy,
I have a Griz 21" BS that I had primarily used for resawing and ended up adding a Griz 05132BF for non resawing things-mostly big bowl blank rounding-so I didn't have to remove and reset the bigger saw for resawing. The two hp with a basic 1/2" blade does a good job at the max 12" capacity cutting the rounds-oak, walnut, madrone, maple- has plenty of power and the electric brake is a great feature-I like it better than just a foot brake like on the 21"er. The old "buy it once--cry once" comes to mind with this decision. It can be a bad day if a resaw cut goes of course when you are trying to sqeeze as much usable wood that you just barely have enough of or you want to bookmatch, etc. I see they have a 14" with a 2hp motor than may work as well. No foot brake would be a deal braker(oops) for me--very comforting to see the blade stop moving ia a couple seconds when finishing a cut. Not sure of blade size limitation on the 14" but a wide CT type blade makes resawing much better. Good luck,

[Jimmy Harris]

I have a 14bx with a 2.5hp motor and it's pretty awesome for what it is but I wouldn't want to have to resaw 12" stock (although I'd like to). The plan is to eventually get a much bigger saw and set it up in the back room for that sort of thing. Point is, you have to make some compromises. Consider what you'll "mostly" be doing with the saw, what your budget is, what level of personal time you're willing to invest for setup, new or old, etc. and make a purchase decision based on all that criteria. There's no 1 saw for everything.

That's my thinking. I'm okay with the idea of taking an excruciatingly long time resawing a 12" board, as I won't do it much (if ever). Two hours of resawing one board at the bandsaw beats two hours of resawing by hand, any day. But I want the option to do a board that big if the need ever arises, even if it's a slog. And since space and mobility are more important than time, I don't want a big, industrial saw. A saw I can't store or move is infinitely worse than a saw that is frustrating to use.

Basically I've got a square, round and triangular hole to file, and I can only have one block to fill all three. I know one block is never going to perfectly fit any hole if it can squeeze into all three. I have realistic expectations, despite what some people seem to think. There will be massive gaps. There will be problems. I know that. But there is also a solution somewhere that provides the best compromise. And that's what I'm looking for.

[John Kananis]

I feel and understand your pain. I've never had enough space in any of the shops I've had, no matter the size. It's maddening lol... and partly why I settled on the laguna 14bx. Imho, best of all worlds with some compromises on larger things (both material and blades). Lots of power for 14" saw, lots.

That's my thinking. I'm okay with the idea of taking an excruciatingly long time resawing a 12" board, as I won't do it much (if ever). Two hours of resawing one board at the bandsaw beats two hours of resawing by hand, any day. But I want the option to do a board that big if the need ever arises, even if it's a slog. And since space and mobility are more important than time, I don't want a big, industrial saw. A saw I can't store or move is infinitely worse than a saw that is frustrating to use.

Basically I've got a square, round and triangular hole to file, and I can only have one block to fill all three. I know one block is never going to perfectly fit any hole if it can squeeze into all three. I have realistic expectations, despite what some people seem to think. There will be massive gaps. There will be problems. I know that. But there is also a solution somewhere that provides the best compromise. And that's what I'm looking for.

Edit: Rikon, grizzly, Harvey and others offer similar tools, I'm just speaking from my personal preference and experience. And if you're willing to go one further, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the 18bx but then you're looking at a totally different tool with other competing tools offering similar for less or similar for more, etc.

[John C Cox]

I'm okay with having to flatten the board after resawing. I do that now when I resaw by hand. Plus, any wood I buy has to be planned flat. I'm not part of a production shop and don't have schedules to worry about. In fact, the whole point of woodworking for me is to waste my time. It's a hobby. It keeps me from watching mindless television or yelling at my crazy uncles on social media.

Also, there are no woodworking guilds near me. There's no shop where you can go to rent or borrow equipment, outside of one on a military base that requires a military ID (which I don't have). And it would probably be really difficult to find a pro who would be willing to do something like that, as most woodworking near me are either cabinet shops that work primarily with plywood or general construction. And most don't like wasting time on small jobs.

We don't have furniture makers here, or like I said, a history of woodworking in this area. Oklahoma was Indian territory up until 1907, and by the time it became "settled", we had oil money and railroads, so stuff like that was always imported from the east. Plus our trees are really small and there aren't too many of them.

I don't think you understand what we're saying. Even fairly expensive commercial bandsaws WON'T reliably resaw 12" deep stock without very careful and expensive setup, fresh special purpose bands, custom blade cooling, custom dust collection, etc.

It's not going to be a little slow, and a little wavy and require some surface prep. It will end up wrecking blades while making wood completely unusable. I did some 10" deep Sapele on a big 24" saw at a woodworker's guild shop near where I lived, and it was so tapered and wavy that I had to scrap it.

I have since bought my own Rikon 10-325 14" saw, and mostly use it for resaw, but I found that it's really not good over 9" deep. It simply can't run a wide enough band to handle the chip removal. The next move up would be a much bigger Laguna Resaw King that's custom built for that... But that's a big cost jump.

[Edward Weber]

I don't think you understand what we're saying. Even fairly expensive commercial bandsaws WON'T reliably resaw 12" deep stock without very careful and expensive setup, fresh special purpose bands, custom blade cooling, custom dust collection, etc.

It's not going to be a little slow, and a little wavy and require some surface prep. It will end up wrecking blades while making wood completely unusable. I did some 10" deep Sapele on a big 24" saw at a woodworker's guild shop near where I lived, and it was so tapered and wavy that I had to scrap it.

I have since bought my own Rikon 10-325 14" saw, and mostly use it for resaw, but I found that it's really not good over 9" deep. It simply can't run a wide enough band to handle the chip removal. The next move up would be a much bigger Laguna Resaw King that's custom built for that... But that's a big cost jump.

With all due respect, That's your experience, mine and others are not quite the same.
I have resawn Sapele, 9 1/2" with my Grizzly GO513 and did not have any of the issues you mention. Yes it's a little slow going but proper setup and patience are all that's needed.
I understand that you're sounding the caution warning for the OP but not everyone has had such bad experiences.

After I cut mine, it took the usual trip through the drum sander and all is well. A capable machine is only half the battle, method of work has a lot to do with it, even more so if the machine is under powered and/or undersized for the task.
Sapele 1 (600 x 400).jpgSapele 2 (600 x 400).jpg

[Jimmy Harris]

I don't think you understand what we're saying. Even fairly expensive commercial bandsaws WON'T reliably resaw 12" deep stock without very careful and expensive setup, fresh special purpose bands, custom blade cooling, custom dust collection, etc.

It's not going to be a little slow, and a little wavy and require some surface prep. It will end up wrecking blades while making wood completely unusable. I did some 10" deep Sapele on a big 24" saw at a woodworker's guild shop near where I lived, and it was so tapered and wavy that I had to scrap it.

I have since bought my own Rikon 10-325 14" saw, and mostly use it for resaw, but I found that it's really not good over 9" deep. It simply can't run a wide enough band to handle the chip removal. The next move up would be a much bigger Laguna Resaw King that's custom built for that... But that's a big cost jump.

With all due respect, I think I understand a lot better what you're saying than you understand what I'm saying. And that's perfectly understandable. At this point, I written a lot and there's a lot to read. And I'll freely admit that I'm not a very concise communicator. So I'm not making it easy. And I apologize for that.

But again, I'm not looking for a good solution to resawing 12" wide boards. I just want that possibility. Besides, I wouldn't expect to glean much from the capabilities of a guild-maintained machine. That's a bit like judging the quality of car based on a model you rented from Hertz.

[Jimmy Harris]

With all due respect, That's your experience, mine and others are not quite the same.
I have resawn Sapele, 9 1/2" with my Grizzly GO513 and did not have any of the issues you mention. Yes it's a little slow going but proper setup and patience are all that's needed.
I understand that you're sounding the caution warning for the OP but not everyone has had such bad experiences.

After I cut mine, it took the usual trip through the drum sander and all is well. A capable machine is only half the battle, method of work has a lot to do with it, even more so if the machine is under powered and/or undersized for the task.
Sapele 1 (600 x 400).jpgSapele 2 (600 x 400).jpg

Thank you. This also helps out a lot.

I think I'm learning what I need to know. And I'm leaning towards a new G0513, depending on what I can find on the used market. I think it, or something like it, will be the best compromise.

[Edward Weber]

It's a good middle of the road saw, IMO
It's a step up from a cast iron 14" Asian import or Delta clone and not so expensive that it kills your budget.
IME, They claim to take a 1" blade but as someone earlier said, it won't tension it adequately. A 3/4" blade works well when needed, with proper tension.
Good luck in your search

[John TenEyck]

That's my thinking. I'm okay with the idea of taking an excruciatingly long time resawing a 12" board, as I won't do it much (if ever). Two hours of resawing one board at the bandsaw beats two hours of resawing by hand, any day. But I want the option to do a board that big if the need ever arises, even if it's a slog. And since space and mobility are more important than time, I don't want a big, industrial saw. A saw I can't store or move is infinitely worse than a saw that is frustrating to use.

Basically I've got a square, round and triangular hole to file, and I can only have one block to fill all three. I know one block is never going to perfectly fit any hole if it can squeeze into all three. I have realistic expectations, despite what some people seem to think. There will be massive gaps. There will be problems. I know that. But there is also a solution somewhere that provides the best compromise. And that's what I'm looking for.

2 hours to saw one board? You must have some big guns to use a handsaw for 2 hours. And you are indeed a patient man. But fortunately, you don't have to be that patient, because the good news is nearly any bandsaw that has 12" of resaw height can cut 12" maple faster than that. I think my 14" Delta can cut 10" maple, oak, etc. at around 0.25 ft/min with a 1/2" x 3 tpi blade. My big saw is 12 fpm, easily, for comparison. So, knowing your level of patience, just go buy the best used saw you can find that has 12" of resaw capacity. Anything from 1-1/2 hp on up will meet your stated needs. You won't need expensive carbide blades, either. A low cost 1/2" x 3 tpi will cut it just fine until it dulls.

John

[John TenEyck]

Same here. This is 7 or 8" white oak, but I cut 10" veneer with it, too. It takes careful setup, but it can be done, slowly.

[Jimmy Harris]

2 hours to saw one board? You must have some big guns to use a handsaw for 2 hours. And you are indeed a patient man. But fortunately, you don't have to be that patient, because the good news is nearly any bandsaw that has 12" of resaw height can cut 12" maple faster than that. I think my 14" Delta can cut 10" maple, oak, etc. at around 0.25 ft/min with a 1/2" x 3 tpi blade. My big saw is 12 fpm, easily, for comparison. So, knowing your level of patience, just go buy the best used saw you can find that has 12" of resaw capacity. Anything from 1-1/2 hp on up will meet your stated needs. You won't need expensive carbide blades, either. A low cost 1/2" x 3 tpi will cut it just fine until it dulls.

John

It's not as bad as it sounds. And no, I'm very skinny (except for my pot belly). You just take lots of little breaks to catch your breath and focus on keeping loose and taking big, easy strokes and use your whole body. It also helps with a D-8 with the thumb hole, so you can get two hands on it and split the load. You'll be sore when done, for sure. But I'd rather resaw for 2 hours than cut dovetails for two hours, with that short motion.

And I'm looking to start off with cheaper blades. I actually kind of like sharpening stuff, and I've seen some videos on bandsaw blade sharpening, and it looks easy enough. It's just a giant handsaw at its heart. So I'd like to try non-hardened teeth first and see how that goes. Then if that doesn't work, slowly progress through the more expensive blades until I find what I like and what works best. The way I see it, blades are consumables. So if I regret a bad purchase with one, it's not like I'm stuck with it for life. I was gonna buy a new blade one day anyway. So might as well find out what I'm upgrading from, instead of just what I'm upgrading to.

[Edward Weber]

And I'm looking to start off with cheaper blades. I actually kind of like sharpening stuff, and I've seen some videos on bandsaw blade sharpening, and it looks easy enough. It's just a giant handsaw at its heart. So I'd like to try non-hardened teeth first and see how that goes. Then if that doesn't work, slowly progress through the more expensive blades until I find what I like and what works best. The way I see it, blades are consumables. So if I regret a bad purchase with one, it's not like I'm stuck with it for life. I was gonna buy a new blade one day anyway. So might as well find out what I'm upgrading from, instead of just what I'm upgrading to.

When you know what saw/blade length you're getting, I would suggest starting with Supercut Blades. They are far less expensive than many of the names you hear people talk about on this and other forums.
IME their carbon steel blades as just as good as anyone else's for almost half the price.
https://supercutbandsaw.com/

Just a suggestion

[John Kananis]

As far as blades go, I've become quite partial to the Lennox bi-metal blades. They far outlast any carbon steel blade I've tried (I've tried most of them), are priced far below carbide and can be sharpened in the shop with a bench grinder.

Edit: as it's been said, a half inch 3tpi blade is your friend on smaller saws and a ton of quality work was done on smaller cast iron saws prior to steel frame gaining popularity.