Resaw question

[David]

I keep the wider portion against the fence. it's awkward for me to do it the opposite way and if that method is common, I can't see why!

dave

[Dave]

I have a question for resawing. Which side of the blade do you have your resaw piece? If you have a 4/4 board and you resaw 1/8" piece, would this piece be located between the blade and the fence or would it be on the outside of the blade opposite the fence? I have seen videos where people have done it both ways. Is one way better/safer than the other or is it just personal preference?

Dave

[Brooks Moses]

A couple of advantages of having the thin portion against the fence: if you're doing multiple pieces at the same thickness, you don't have to readjust the fence, and also you don't have to worry about whether or not the sides of the board are parallel -- all the taper ends up on the away-from-the-fence piece.

- Brooks

[Ba r r y]

I typically joint the board first, set the fence for slightly wider than my finished thickness, and thickness plane the face that was against the bandsaw blade smooth.

When doing multiple parts, I'll joint both sides of thick board (who cares if the faces are parallel!), and cut both parts with the jointed faces against the fence. The thick board can then be re-jointed for another pass.

Running the jointed faces against the fence has more to do with preserving a reference face for planing than it does for ensuring a perfect resaw.

Barry

[Bruce Barnett]

On the other hand, errors propagate. If you don't make errors, then you have no problem. :-) YMMV

[Swingman]

I get the best results in both resawing, and in sanding/planing/jointing the resultant resawn surfaces, by always putting a jointed surface against the fence.

[Leon]

Treat it like you would a piece of wood on your TS.

[Enoch Root]

From the responses, it appears to be entirely dependent upon whether you are Catholic, Protestant, or (in re Swingman's) agnostic.

er

[George]

I'm right-handed, so I prefer to direct the board with my right hand, using my clumsy left to hold it to the pivot block on the right of the blade. I rather suspect that the owner/user of a premade fence prefers it on the other side, where it's stored out of the way.