I needed to re-saw an 8-1/2"x8' section of the 3/4" bamboo plywood I'm using for our bathroom(s) remodel to end up with a thinner piece to veneer the side of a cabinet.
I have an old Jet 14" bandsaw that, like most, can only cut 6" high. The more I read about bandsaws, the more read about how the guides aren't that necessary for a saw that is properly set-up and tensioned. That got me thinking.....
I decided to see how high I could cut without the guides in place. The saw's case only allowed about 7-1/2" inches to pass under it. I opened the front case and noticed the back case was a bit higher, but it still only allowed about 8-1/4" to pass under. So, I cut out another 1/2' from the saw case to allow my 8-1/2" plywood to pass under it. See the pic for where I cut the case and bent it back, near the bolt at the top....
7" scraps to determine where the blade was leading and marked it on the table. It was cutting straight and like buttah, so I decided to get the bamboo and go for it.
The short story: it worked and did a really good job. It cut straight and the blade didn't bow or wander throughout the height of the cut.
The long story.... the saw is way too underpowered for this, obviously. I popped the little 15amp breaker on the power strip in which the saw was plugged, so I plugged it directly into a dedicated outlet. The saw stalled out a couple times. Near the end of the total length, it was really bogging down. The blade was still plenty sharp and I think it was just taxing the motor too much.
BTW, I made the cut with the front case OPEN. I don't recommend notching out the case of your saw to get more height for a cut, nor do I recommend using a bandsaw with the case open. :-)
It's done, it worked, I'm pleased. I was asking way too much of a 30-ish year old bandsaw which was never designed to do what it did.
What this did prove, however, is that we rely too much on, worry too much about, and probably spend way too much on the saw guides on bandsaws. I think this experiment has convinced me to jump on board with those who preach that what's really important for getting great cuts from your bandsaw is high quality blades, properly set-up wheels, proper blade tension, and determining the correct lead angle of each blade before cutting.