latest FWW article on resawing

[patrick conroy]

I think it was FWW a few issues ago that expressed a preference for the Woodslicer blade. This months issue will probably send a lot of traffic to BC Saw

IIRC that same FWW article on the Woodslicer thought highly of the bcsaw blades as well. The price difference between the two brands is pretty large.

The author buys 1/2" 3TPI Starret blades welded/from BC Saw in bulk. His advice is to keep a sharp blade in there all of the time - the lower cost BC Saw blades make that more practical for shop owner. Says that that blade stays in his saw almost all of the time. Interesting that he undertensions his blade too.

As for drift - he attributes some (all/most?) of it to proper blade tracking on the wheel. When I change blades on my 14"'er - I spend a lot of time aligning the blade. And I haven't seen the drift issues that others report. So, my personal (in)experience could support his. I think he also downplays the whole "co-planar wheels" argument.

One other interesting tidbit is when he mentions that the bandsaws he used in European shops lacked the lower thrust bearing entirely.

My next project will involve more resawing than I've ever done in the past. Might be a good opportunity to try his approach and see what my personal results are.

[WoodMangler]

patrick conroy did say:

I enjoyed that article too. I've yet to really use my Grizzly bandsaw seriously, a little unsure of it I guess. I'm ordering some of the recommended style blades, and have ordered the taunton mastering your bandsaw video as well. Hopefully that will get me started.

I found it interesting that he does all of his ripping on the bandsaw. If it's fast and straight, that would waste less wood due to the smaller kerf.

[George]

As the reason behind co-planarity is to align the crowns, it sounds like he's endorsing it without knowing what makes his method possible.

[Slowhand]

I somewhat disagree with him that more horsepower is not necessary (maybe his wife told him to say that) . When I upgraded from my 14" to my minimax 16", there was a noticeable difference in rewsawing power. Also, it is very nice using an inch and a quarter blade for resawing. Not much flex. Infact, I pretty much keep the big blade on there for everything that doesn't require curves.

Also, I'm surprised he didn't bring up rounding over the back of the blade. It makes a big difference imho. I also like to use Pam to lube the blade. Very noticeable also. My 2 cents. SH

[Doug Miller]

It has always seemed to me that, since after ripping on the bandsaw you need to joint the edge to clean it up, the total amount of material removed doesn't differ noticeably between the bandsaw and the table saw.

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[patrick conroy]

I'll grant him it's likely safer but I wouldn't consider it easier, without building some surround table extensions (like I've seen on DJM's 14") or "straighter".

[ I think that whole Jointer/Table Saw glue line discussion would be different if it was the Band Saw instead of the Table Saw. ]

I've read/heard someplace that that's one of several differences between the Euro style of 'dorking and the Amurican style: Euro-folk tend to view the Band Saw as the heart of their shops; we focus on the table saw.

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 20:04:00 GMT, patrick conroy calmly ranted:

I've found that the more I get out into the shop and actually use the bandsaw, the less I use the table saw. The usage is about even right now and I don't have anything in the way of jigs for the bandsaw yet except a quickie crosscut sled. It's time for a micro-adjust fence with stops.

The bandsaw cuts a quick and clean tenon. And I just ripped a 4' tubathree down to 3/16 x 3/4" strips for my neighbor to mount plastic over her windows. Once I ripped the piece, it went quite quickly.

I like the Timberwolf blade but wish it had been welded straight. It has a 1/8" bow at the weld so I get an aggressive cut if I'm not watching it.

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[Gary DeWitt]

Enjoyed the article as well. I'm having a bit of trouble believing that low tension statement, though. I've always read that bowed cuts are the result of low tension. Anybody out there used this method with success? As far as the tracking issue, I am able to set my fence paralel to the miter slot on the table and cut straight lines with no problem, seems to work. Been using a 3 tpi 3/4" blade for resaw down to 3/32 with no problem at max tension on my Delta BS.

[bridger]

truism no. 437: the table saw is the heart of the cabinet shop. the band saw is the heart of the furniture shop.

[Robert Galloway]

Less kerf? Without a doubt. RE: a thread elsewhere, I get a surface on my rips that is gluable. (Is that a word?) I can't do that with the bandsaw. I'm not ready to go with my bandsaw as my rip saw quite yet.

ymmv

bob g.

WoodMangler wrote:

[Robert Galloway]

Re: Motor size. I've got a 14" Delta with riser block. It came with a

1/2 hp motor, used. I use Suffolk Timberwolf 1/2 x 3 tpi blades on it. I pitched the 1/2 hp and replaced it with a cheap 1 1/2 hp found on ebay. Worlds of difference. More power is better. Don't let anyone kid you. I'm not trying to see how fast I can cram wood into the blade but at a reasonable feed rate, the 1 1/2 keeps ahead of me and the 1/2, I had a hard time trying to not overload.

bob g.

Slowhand wrote:

[Robert Galloway]

I've tensioned my Delta to the settings marked on the adjuster. After reading the article, I'm going to experiment but have never used the "max" tension setting and my resaw cuts are pretty smooth.

bob g.

Gary DeWitt wrote:

[Robert Galloway]

"Heart of" may refer to the number of free curves involved. Does your reference have anything to do with the ultimate capabilities of the machines or just to what kind of shop makes the most use of those "ultimate capabilities?" I hope you get what I meant.

bob g.

[e-mail] wrote:

[Roy Smith]

I've got an old Sears 12" machine with a 1/3 HP motor. Using the same blade you've got, I have managed to resaw 6" red oak and walnut. It works, and gives good results, but it's really an exercise in patience. Feed rates had to be kept down to a few inches a minute to keep from stalling the motor.

It was fine as a proof of concept, but not something I'd like to do on a regular basis.

[patrick conroy]

I'd guess he'd saw, if the blade is similar (3TPI, 1/2" deep gullets) then you're feeding too fast. I tried the low-tension Timberwolfs and didn't get bowing. But I do like the WoodSlicer better (for me at least).

[bridger]

unless the style of furniture you're making is all straight lines (and even then, sometimes) the bandsaw will get more uptime than the table saw when the stock being cut is heavy dimensional solid wood. curves are a big factor, but also are depth of cut and the ability to stop a rip cut in the middle and jog over a bit then resume the rip. sometimes hitting the grain just right involves cuts that aren't straight and/or parallel with an edge. that sort of thing is easy with the bandsaw.

modern cabinetmaking involves lots of cutting rectangular sheets into smaller rectangles. hard to beat a table saw for that.

[George]

Relative term. Feed rate, thickness of stock, type/thickness of blade, even orientation of growth rings play a role.

Slower feed rates which allow the blade to clear dust versus pack it and start to bow against the resistance work with any blade. But I think some blades are just better'n others.