Re-sawing a board into thin, pliable pieces allows you to create curved shapes by bending and gluing the pieces around a form-a process called “Bent lamination.” Marking the board with the cabinetmaker’s triangle allows you to reassemble the thin pieces as they came from the board, so the lamination closely resembles a single piece of bent wood. Partially re-sawing a board on your table saw makes re-sawing with your band saw easier, because the blade has less to cut and the saw kerfs keep it from wandering. It’s a great method to use if your band saw bogs down during full-width re-sawing, and in many cases, it can save time by allowing you to re-saw without installing a re-saw blade.
I’ve had perfectly acceptable results resawing with bimetal blades and great results resawing with silicone-carbide, low-tension blades. The fence should be high enough to support the material you’re cutting and adjustable to compensate for blade drift. If you’ve tried cutting a straight line on your bandsaw, you probably noticed that your material has to be fed at an angle to the blade. Drift varies from blade to blade, so follow this simple setup procedure every time you change blades. Look for these symptoms when you make your test cut: If the board pulls away from the fence on the outfeed side, the outfeed end of the fence is angled too far away from the blade. If the board you’re cutting binds as you’re slicing it, the outfeed end of the fence is angled too close to the blade. Because bearings can be used in contact with the blade, they can help the blade run straighter, resulting in less drift.
The first step is giving your bandsaw a good tune-up to set the table perpendicular to the blade, get peak performance from the guides, and ensure the blade tracks true. “With your saw well-tuned, turn to the blade. Resawing wide boards requires a blade that cuts evenly throughout the stock’s thickness while evacuating large amounts of sawdust. The wider the blade, the straighter the cut, so use the widest blade your bandsaw can handle. Most saws accept at least a 1⁄2”-wide blade, and many even wider. Typically, a wide 3-tooth-per-inch blade provides the perfect blend of aggressive yet smooth cut and sawdust evacuation that resawing requires.
Almost all U.S. woodcutting bandsaw blades over 1/2″ wide are made of coil stock. Every bandsaw blade, unless there’s something seriously wrong, can cut straight lines, but each will do so in its own way. The way the blade bowed tells you how to fine tune your fence for very precise resawing.
how to resaw wood with a bandsaw Related Question:
What size bandsaw do you need for resawing?
To get started with resawing, I recommend a band saw of sufficient power and with a large depth of cut. Any motor smaller than 1hp and depth of cut less than 10″ will limit your effectiveness. (Some 14″ band saws have about a 6″ maximum cutso you’d be limited to a 12″ wide book-matched panel or less.)
What type of 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.
How much horsepower do you need to resaw?
A 3/4 or 1 HP bandsaw is pefectly adequate for re-sawing stock at home….
What should I look for in a resaw blade?
The article analyzed the most important features that help determine the performance of a resawing blade, namely blade thickness, blade width, number of teeth per inch, tooth form and durability.
How many teeth do you need to resaw a blade?
Typically, a wide 3-tooth-per-inch (tpi) blade provides the perfect blend of aggressive yet smooth cut and sawdust evacuation that resawing requires.
Can I put a wider blade on my bandsaw?
An 18-inch diameter wheel can use a 0.032-inch thick blade that is 3/4 inch wide. In general, thicker and wider blades will be the choice when sawing dense wood and woods with hard knots. Such wood needs the extra strength of a thicker, wide blade to avoid breaking. Thicker blades also deflect less when resawing.
What size bandsaw is best?
For a hobbyist, a 12″-14″ bandsaw is the ideal size. This size saw will provide plenty of power and a good deal of resawing capability. A professional will be better served with an 18″ bandsaw for a larger resawing capability. Choosing a 14″ band saw would provide plenty of power in a smaller footprint.
What is the throat on a bandsaw?
The throat is the distance from the blade to the vertical frame section of the body of the saw. This distance determines the width of cut that can be completed on the band saw. The throat on a free-standing cabinet band saw typically exceeds the 12 to 14-inch throat of smaller, bench-top models.