Resawing on a Blue Jet 14'

[Dan]

I'll spare you the details of my trip to Woodcraft's woodworking show in their parking lot, but the end result is that I am now the happy owner of a used blue Jet 1-horse bandsaw, model JWB-14CS with a riser and link belt, and a Carter blade stabilizer thrown in for good measure. My first bandsaw. Two of the staff said it was two years old, another said it was more like

1. It's the classroom band saw and looks in pretty good shape. They're going to replace it with a white one so people quit asking about it.

The question is one that's been thrown around, but what I can find in Google on it has mostly been general for "most 14' bandsaws". I was planning on getting a 3/4' Timberwolf for it, but forgot to do it till close to the end of the show, and they were all gone. Have to wait till next week. So I bought Lonnie Bird's "The Bandsaw Book" where he specifically states that one should use a 1/2 resaw blade in a 14' saw because it can't properly tension a 3/4 blade.

So, I google the wreck and find three main schools of thought:

• Yes, you shouldn't use a 3/4. Tension a 1/2' blade properly and use that.

• No, the newer 3/4 blades that came out after Lonnie's book, like Timberwolf, can be tensioned properly so that they cut a nice straight smooth line when resawing if you don't cut too fast. Also the Highland Hardware Woodslicer and a swedish blade manufacturer whose name I've temporarily lost.

• You can use a 3/4 blade on a 14' saw IF you get the Iturra Bandsaw Spring. (So far I can only find one for Delta, so that may be irrelevant)

So, the question: I know there are users of this model and similar Jets out there. Anyone got any thoughts that might help me decide? I'm tempted to get the 3/4'inch Timberwold first and see how that works. If it doesn't, I'm out 35 bucks and some time. I've made worse mistakes.

I've got some time to decide. The first order of business is finish wiring the garage-workshop. Final hookup is about a week away. Then move tablesaw, planer and other tools from basement to shop, then tune the bandsaw, re- tune jointer, re-tune tablesaw, THEN see how the bandsaw does at resawing. So I'd like to further beat on a subject that's come up before and see if anyone has anything to add. Lonnie's book was written in 99, people say there's been significant tech advances since then. Before I begin my own experiment would anyone care to help me prepare a test plan?

Dan

[Bill Rittner]

According to Scott Phillips, and I agree with him, the reason not to use a

3/4" wide blade on a 14" saw is that the wheels are just barely wide enough for the blade. Given this, all it takes is a minimal tracking error and the teeth begin to ride on the metal edge of the wheel taking some of the set out of the blade and ruining it. A 1/2" wide blade will allow you to resaw very accurately. It is all you will need. Save your money.

-- Bill Rittner R & B ENTERPRISES

[e-mail]

"Don't take this life too seriously.......nobody gets out alive" (Unknown)

[Swingman]

That's never been a problem with any properly set up band saw I've owned. What is a problem is getting enough tension on a 3/4" blade on many of today's stock 14" bandsaws.

I do agree about the 1/2" blade. I have a new 1/2" , 3tpi TimberWolk that resaw's like a dream.

[Dan]

On Sun 28 Sep 2003 01:08:18p, "Bill Rittner" wrote in news:msFdb.2793$N94.2167@lakeread02:

That's one point I can't recall from the searches I made. Good enough to make a half-inch blade my first experiment.

Scott was there at the woodshow, by the way. I was there when he did a runthrough on the bandsaw before making a bandsaw box. He was entertaining and I learned a lot. He mentioned Sam Maloof and Norm. "Sam gets 43 thousand for a chair and he could make one a week before he retired, but he's missing part of one finger. I don't think that's worth the money he's getting." "Norm's 26 inch belt sander is GREAT but he browns out Boston every time he turns it on!". I had to leave to talk about the bandsaw I was buying before he was done so I don't know if he mentioned resawing.

I like the guy. Sure wish I could see his show around here.

Thanks, Bill

Dan

[Bob Heveri]

I have the same saw and use the Timberwolf 3/4 blade and the cuts are extremely straight. I don't get any drift at all. I also use a high fence. Before using this Timberwolf blade I had all kinds of drift and the cuts sometimes were bowed.

This blade does not require a lot of tension which is why you can use it on a 14" saw.

[Dan]

On Sun 28 Sep 2003 06:57:37p, "Bob Heveri" wrote in news:RzKdb.156771$ [e-mail]:

Thanks Bob. About how much tension do you put on it? Do you use the "about a quarter inch with normal finger pressure" method or the "Get a musical note when you twang it" method? Or maybe the "compress the spring till it's about all squashed" method.

That may sound like I'm being flip, but those are all methods I've heard either here or in a book, and I'm actually curious how you do it. It's probably something like "I've been tensioning bandsaw blades for thirty years and I just KNOW" sorta thing, but hey, no harm in asking.

Dan

[George]

I've a tin ear and a stock spring, so I use a result-oriented method.

Tension to something that feels taut short of the max, check it by overfeeding a chunk of scrap. If it bows, tighten it some more. Don't overfeed your work, and you've a double safe factor.

[Grant P. Beagles]

I have both a 1/2 and 3/4 Timbewolf resaw blade on my 1hp Jet 14" saw. I wouldn't get another 3/4". The quality of the cut is better with the 1/2" and both are straight.

Grant

George wrote:

[Nova]

Timberwolf blades are adjusted by "flutter".

For some very good general bandsaw information take a look at "Important "Did You Know?"" and "The Six Rules of Sawing" on Suffolk's web site:

Novak Buffalo, NY - USA