With a little work at the tablesaw, you can resaw wide boards without a riser-block equipped bandsaw. A 6″-wide board is about the limit for resawing on a 14″ bandsaw without a riser block. Use a handsaw to cut through the web between the kerfs cut with the tablesaw.
In order to cut the board down the middle you need to find the middle of the board. Cut one side, then flip the board and over so you keep the same side of the board against the fence. I clamp the board in a woodvise so that it is tight – it is a good idea to clamp boards in front and behind the board to be cut to help stabilize it.
01-13-2009, 8:15 PM #1 Resawing walnut without a bandsaw Hey everyone, I am messing around and building a guitar now. 01-13-2009, 8:51 PM #5 If you stick your locale in your profile, youd probably get no shortage of locale bandsaw owners volunteering to resaw it for you. 01-13-2009, 10:32 PM #6 I would not personally resaw a 1/2″ X 5″ piece of walnut on the TS in two passes, or that is to say I would not saw completely through the piece using the TS. I would raise the blade to maybe 2″-2 1/4″, make a pass on each edge and saw the middle using a thin pull saw like one of those shark or Marples Japanese style saws.
Not just the kerf width; the blade will wander back and forth a lot, and you will lose a lot of thickness in jointing and planing. Using an online kerf bending calculator and entering some knowns, it says I need to cut just 12 kerfs spaced every 24″ at a depth of 9/16″. I’ll cut twice as many kerfs in some scrap and see what happens. The problem with cutting distant kerfs, especially deep kerfs, is that you end up with bumps/rises, on the material.
My home shop does not have the space for a large band saw not that I have the money to buy one anyway. My small 10″ Craftsman band saw is insufficient for resawing. Raise the table saw blade to the highest point and then cut into both edges of the wood that you will be resawing.
how to resaw without bandsaw Related Question:
Can you resaw with a hand saw?
Most handsaws can be tuned up for this task without a tremendous amount of effort. Sure, sawing by hand will usually take longer than feeding the board through a bandsaw, but unless you have a massive pile to cut, it’s not so bad.
Can any bandsaw resaw?
Just about any bandsaw will do acceptable resawing. For example, all the cuts made in this story were done on an inexpensive, 14-in. bandsaw with a 3/4-hp motor. All we did to the saw was add a riser block to increase its capacity.
Why do bandsaws wander?
If the wheels are worn and do not have a distinct top to the crown then the blade will not know where to go, and may wander around. This of course can cause poor cut quality and difficulty in setting the guides.
What bandsaw blade is best for resawing?
Resawing involves making rip cuts in the face of a wide board. So just like you would on the table saw, you’ll want to select a blade with fewer teeth per inch (TPI) than the blades you use for crosscutting or cutting curves. For most 14″ band saws, a 1 ⁄ 2 “-wide blade with 2-3 TPI is a good choice.