Resawing in an 14" band saw

[drallred]

I am working on a few projects and I have some walnut that is 8/4 and I need it to be 1/4" thick, I do not have any resaw blades, nor setup for the band saw. It is a powermatic and I have the 6" extension if needed. What is the best way to do this and I am planning on many more of these projects in the future.

Thanks

[mr.graham]

I'm interested in hearing the ideas around this question as well. I'm about to do my first bit of re-sawing and I'm trying to educate myself on best practices. I've got a Delta 14 inch bandsaw but without a re-saw blade as of yet.

Thanks!!

Todd

[PaulMarcel]

You mentioned that you have the riser block "if needed". Thing is, you'll likely want to put that block in and leave it there otherwise you'll be buying blades for both lengths needed (with and without the riser block).

I can only speak of the Laguna Resaw King blade since that's what I always have on the saw, but it's a pricey blade. Marc did a video on it. I bought it after watching him use it on his live feed before that video and I think he's still loving it.

So if you haven't done a lot of resawing yet, you'll have to keep moisture in mind. For example, if you plane that board today then a couple days from now resaw a 5/16" slice off one side, it'll cup. Reason being that you removed material when you planed it, it gained/released moisture then you sliced deeper into the stock where it is drier/moister than the surface. The imbalance causes the cup.

One way to lessen the problem is to plane the board and immediately do the resawing . In that way, the wood under the surface you uncovered while planing is much closer to the moisture level 5/16" in from that. Better balance, less/no cup. I sticker and clamp down boards after resawing overnight for this reason and the boards fair far better.

For 1/4", I'd cut 3/8" thick slices so you can drum sand the result down nicely.

Make sure your saw is tuned up; on a wide board, the blade can wander inside the stock (hence cutting thicker for a wider board). You'll want the drift angle compensated for and blade tension on for very little deflection. Practice on a similarly wide board. And because of the blade wandering possibility, keep your hands away from the area of the blade even if you think it is buried in the wood. My tension was down one day and the blade snuck out of the side. I practiced every cuss word five times.

[drallred]

You mentioned that you have the riser block "if needed". Thing is, you'll likely want to put that block in and leave it there otherwise you'll be buying blades for both lengths needed (with and without the riser block).

I can only speak of the Laguna Resaw King blade since that's what I always have on the saw, but it's a pricey blade. Marc did a video on it. I bought it after watching him use it on his live feed before that video and I think he's still loving it.

So if you haven't done a lot of resawing yet, you'll have to keep moisture in mind. For example, if you plane that board today then a couple days from now resaw a 5/16" slice off one side, it'll cup. Reason being that you removed material when you planed it, it gained/released moisture then you sliced deeper into the stock where it is drier/moister than the surface. The imbalance causes the cup.

One way to lessen the problem is to plane the board and immediately do the resawing . In that way, the wood under the surface you uncovered while planing is much closer to the moisture level 5/16" in from that. Better balance, less/no cup. I sticker and clamp down boards after resawing overnight for this reason and the boards fair far better.

For 1/4", I'd cut 3/8" thick slices so you can drum sand the result down nicely.

Make sure your saw is tuned up; on a wide board, the blade can wander inside the stock (hence cutting thicker for a wider board). You'll want the drift angle compensated for and blade tension on for very little deflection. Practice on a similarly wide board. And because of the blade wandering possibility, keep your hands away from the area of the blade even if you think it is buried in the wood. My tension was down one day and the blade snuck out of the side. I practiced every cuss word five times.

Thanks for the information, I guess I will research it more while at work tonight. I am planning on buying wider stock and resawing it down to size and multiple slabs, the items I am making are small about 2"x8"x1/4" and this would be the most cost effective. I will keep the moisture in mind as I live in the Phoenix area and it is drier here than most other places in the US. I will look up the video from Marc site and watch it tonight.

thanks again.

[PaulMarcel]

Thanks for the information, I guess I will research it more while at work tonight. I am planning on buying wider stock and resawing it down to size and multiple slabs, the items I am making are small about 2"x8"x1/4" and this would be the most cost effective. I will keep the moisture in mind as I live in the Phoenix area and it is drier here than most other places in the US. I will look up the video from Marc site and watch it tonight.

thanks again.

Oh, I should have noticed that you're from Mesa. I'm in Chandler.

Right now, because it is humid, resawing wood is pretty nice. Some cupping, but there'll always be some. Now, January to April, it is so freaking dry that you see the slices curl away on the bandsaw as you cut. No joke. Once those are cut, I take a sponge of hot water and wipe all sides. Clamp 2 together with the cups facing each other and leave it for the night. Fixes a lot of evil as the water trapped in the cup is absorbed and expands the cells. It'll dry further out of the clamps, but it seems like the hot water gets to permeate the thin stock pretty well to equalize things. Has worked well for me, YMMV.

[jlloydparks]

I have a 14" Jet bandsaw that has the 12" resaw height builtin. It powers through most anything I throw at it, though I don't think I have resawed anything larger than 8". I bought the woodslicer blade from Highland Hardware. I have been extremely happy with the blade and it is quite a bit less than the Laguna model. You might want to check it out.

I will also agree with the others that the wood does move somewhat. I usually cut it a bit oversized and then use handplanes to joint it back flat and square.

[Rutabagared]

I'll second the recommendation for the Woodslicer from Highland Hardware. I've been using it for about 5 years and can't recommend it highly enough, especially considering the price. One pass over the jointer set at 1/32" is more than enough to remove the saw marks.

There's a great aricle about bandsaw tune-up in the Dec'04 issue of Fine Woodworking by Michael Fortune. Here's a brief discussion about the article on the FWW site. You can also read the article here if you're a member (or you can sign up for a free 14-day trial membership and view it). I set my 14" Laguna using this article and have never experienced drift - unless my feed rate is too fast. Good luck!

Joe

[Jim Rimmer]

I am working on a few projects and I have some walnut that is 8/4 and I need it to be 1/4" thick, I do not have any resaw blades, nor setup for the band saw. It is a powermatic and I have the 6" extension if needed. What is the best way to do this and I am planning on many more of these projects in the future.

Thanks

Timberwolf blades by Suffolk Machinery are well liked by many WWers. You can only order by phone (not on-line) so their cs can walk you through exactly what you need. Also, check out Mark Duginski's book on bandsaws.

[mattvan]

I'm also a Highland Woodworking Woodslicer fan too. I think the most important things about choosing any resawimg blade is the number of teeth per inch. For resawing I really like a 3-4 tooth blade. Something with big gullets to remove material quickly.

I've noticed with the tension, I have to slightly over tension for best results. This isn't quite so true for narrow stock, anything under 4 inches, but for really wide stock it's very true!

[BuilderBill]

For setup, check out the Laguna videos: Bandsaw setup videos You'll want to start with #5, the first four deal with unpacking and assembling the Laguna saw. You'll have to sub your owners manual instructions for the Powermatic but the principles are the same.

Another good resource is the David Marks Bandsawn Veneers DVD, if you absolutely need to spend some money. He demonstrates on an old Delta machine with the Carter guides but, again, the principles are the same and probably closer to the adjustments you have on your saw.

If you don't want to shell out for the Resaw King blade, the Highland Wood-Slicer is a less-expensive alternative. (side note- Joe, I'm glad I'm not the only one who still refers to the store as Highland Hardware, that was the name when I first crossed their threshold in the early '80s and "Highland Woodworking" just doesn't ring quite true... And I still call Cobb Parkway the Four-Lane if that means anything to you.)

Can't say from experience, but from what I've read you might have trouble getting enough tension on a 1" blade with the Powermatic 14/riser block combo, you might be better off trying the 1/2" Wood-Slicer. Just what I've heard, have no personal experience with the PM so can't say for sure, YMMV, and all that. I have worked with a Rockwell 14 with no riser and I can say for sure it won't properly tension anything wider than 3/4".

BTW, Highland has a good writeup on resawing here.

HTH,

Bill

[don reilly]

I know most of us have I want to do it my self, just because....But if I didnt have the tool or the right equiptment for the project like you are going to do, why couldnt you do this, "IT's just feedback now"...we have a lumber yard that has the capabilities of doing just what you want to do, it might be cheaper to let them do the cutting keeping it in order so you can book end them if needed, it's just a thought. and good luck on your decision and project.

[NYHump]

I am working on a few projects and I have some walnut that is 8/4 and I need it to be 1/4" thick, I do not have any resaw blades, nor setup for the band saw. It is a powermatic and I have the 6" extension if needed. What is the best way to do this and I am planning on many more of these projects in the future.

Thanks

David,

I don't know why you want to go through all this work just to use the 8/4 stock on hand. Unless you are book matching something I would just but some 1/4 stock. I have resawed thick material for book matchung and my biggest problem is warping after the cut. There is a woman on Ebay that sells 1/4 stock various woods and it might be better to buy then try!

Good luck,

NYHump