sawing lumber on my bandsaw, right...

I have cut some lumber out of black locust firewood. When just fine, cuts it like butter.

A friend had a black walnut tree taken down. I got the tree guy to leave me a 4' piece of the 4' diameter trunk. Well, actually he sold it to me, cut in half, for $30.

I split it up into manageable pieces and then tried cutting it. My band saw just won't do it. Even at a really slow feed rate it goes to a 30 degree drift (on the black locust it was dead straight) and then it just binds up. I am only trying to cut a 5" thick piece.

Obviously I am doing something really wrong, but what? Okay, it is not the right blade (1/2" 4tpi) but it worked fine on the black locust.

Any help would be appreciated, or it becomes expensive firewood.

Reply to
Toller
Loading thread data ...

Hard to say, from here. Are you using a sled? What have you tried?

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

Is this the same saw you bragged that had no problem right from the factory? Take it back and get a Jet.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

No, I have not tried a sled. The bottom and the side I have against the fence are pretty flat, so I didn't think I needed one; I have just been running it though the saw (well, trying to run it though the saw) against the fence. It worked for the black locust. I can make a sled up easily enough and see if it helps.

Reply to
Toller

If you bothered to read my post, I said I was doing something wrong. I am certainly not blaming it on the saw. But thanks for your moronic advice.

Reply to
Toller

Any possibility that you forgot to tension the blade properly?

H
Reply to
hylourgos

It's the blade guides - I used to have the exact same problems until I switched to roller guides and a 3/4" blade on my resaw and now have no problems at all with any wood, thickness or feed rate.

Woody

Reply to
Anonymous

That isn't the blade the saw came with, is it? You might also consider one with lower tpi for resawing big boards like that.

Everyone raves about the woodslicer blades, and I'm happy with the suffolk blades I have.

Or wax the wood and send it to me. :)

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

With a 1/2" blade it has to be jumping out of the guides to get a 30 degree drift, it's true.

Toller, your guides... they're snug up against the blade?

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

I'm thinking the walnut is still very green - the 4t/inch is filling with sawdust, friction is heating up things inside the cut and swelling the moisture-laden wood so that the blade just gets to a point where it can't move. When the teeth fill and we push harder and the wood starts to bind the blade, it'll wander toward the neighbor's place.

Try a 3/8" 3 tooth blade - preferably with a generous set to the teeth so that it cuts a wide kerf to help keep things open. Timberwolf sells such a blade just for cutting wet woods - I think Highland Hardware has one as well, but I'm not familiar with any wide set to the teeth on that one.

Reply to
Fly-by-Night CC

Yeh, it was cut down yesterday!

Would it help to let it dry out a few weeks? I am in no hurry; just want to get it done more or less right.

Reply to
Toller

Not real tight, I am a little scared of too much metal-metal contact. I have a set of cool block that I haven't installed. Would they be okay for this? I intended to use them with a thinner blade. Or should I just set the steel blocks tigher?

Reply to
Toller

What size saw do you have? Everything I have read says 3/4" won't work on a

14" saw, but that doesn't make it necessarily true.
Reply to
Toller

As someone else said, I think it's too wet for the TPI.

I've used a 3/4" 3 TPI to cut mesquite firewood into (short) boards and did the first cuts freehand without issue. But it was Arizona bone dry.

Reply to
Wes Stewart

They work on my 14" 3/4 horse ridgid and are "recommended" for resawing on the inner door panel, but I think they suck.. I do much better with a 3/8" 3 tpi blade..

I've found that the things that give me the most trouble on the band saw are things that can rock.. even a little bit... they constantly change the blades attack angle or whatever and make it bind..

I use a method now that I think I remember getting from Charlie B's site? which is simply setting the wood on a flat piece of scrap and running a few screws into it (away from where you're gonna cut) and running it through the saw "flat stock side down".. Mac

formatting link

Reply to
mac davis

I have roller bearings on mine, and set them so there is very little sideways play for the blade. A little more for the rear bearings (a bill folded twice.)

Cool blocks will also work, but you shouldn't require them for a 1/2" blade. You can bury the blade in the cool blocks I think (don't have them myself) and let the blade make its own clearance.

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

Edwin takes no prisoners.

Reply to
antoine

What you're running into is a common problem for turners as many of us get our wood from local sources and is usually very green. Some dripping wet fruiting cherry I recently cut into bowl blanks was a breeze - intermixed was some Big Leaf Maple which would bind and do what your Black Walnut is doing. I don't think waiting a couple weeks will make any difference because not enough moisture will be removed from the interior to help matters. You might try posting your question over on rec.crafts.woodturning to get their take on it.

Reply to
Fly-by-Night CC

Reply to
Anonymous

Hmm. I have one, and I've used it, and it works. But I have the riser block, as well.

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.