net dimension - rough lumber, resawing

[igor]

As I carefully consider - with substantial help from posts I have read here, TY - whether to buy finished lumber or "make" my own, I am thinking about what thickness I will end up with.

If I start with 1" rough, resaw once with a BS, run through jointer and planer, what thickness am I likely to net? I assume there are many variables here regarding skill/technique. And, for example, with the BS, is it harder to resaw down the middle if the stock is 2" wide versus 6"?

Also, while even a thin kerf TS blade takes more than a BS blade, might resawing with the TS still net more because the cut will stay parallel to the sides (and I have no experience resawing, or really much of any exp. w/ a BS)?

And, is the answer likely to vary depending on wood species - maybe because it is harder to resaw well with harder woods?

One other thing re rough lumber - which I have never bought - if I use the right way to finish it will I always end up with 3/4" thick wood? IOW, do I have to watch out for rough lumber that is soo rough that even the best finishing skills will leave me

[George]

It's even more complicated than that. 4/4 softwoods are 3/4 planed, hardwoods 13/16, yet both are an inch to an inch and an eighth thick from the saw. If they sand the boards like they do at the borg, may get less.

At my house, with a Delta 14" bandsaw, a 4/4 rough board will normally yield a 1/2 and a 1/4 board with a Timberwolf blade. To get two 1/2" boards, I have to go to a 5/4 board.

Now, depending on your planer, your hand, and your sawyer, you might do better, but I find that half inch for small projects and 1/4 for framed panels and bottoms/backs, is a pretty good way to cut.

[patriarch]

"George" wrote in news:410a618b [e-mail]:

[Gary]

[John Carlson]

If you resaw down the center, probably the two pieces will be about

3/8". Maybe a little more or a little less.

Yes, it also depends on just how thick the original piece was, how straight it was, and how rough it was

Yes, a wider board is somewhat harder to resaw than a narrow one, because the blade has more depth over which to wander off course. That doesn't mean you'll get poorer results, only that you have to be more careful in setting up the saw, using a good sharp blade, and guiding it carefully.

If the piece is narrow enough to resaw in one pass (probably about

3-1/2" for a 10" blade) then the TS will probably give you a cleaner cut. If the board is wide, so you have to flip it over and cut from both edges, it's very hard to get the two cuts to align perfectly and you'll have a pretty rough board that needs a few trips through the jointer and planer to clean up.

And then there's the question of whether the TS really has the power to do this. IME it pushes a typical contractor's saw pretty hard.

Having done it both ways, I much prefer the BS.