Rip a thick piece of wood

[Dave]

I need to rip a piece of 12/4 hard maple. Unfortunately, I do not have a band saw with enough power. I recently ran some 8/4 of same with my Delta contractor's table saw. It struggled a bit and I had to put wedges in the outfeed. Not sure if it can handle anything thicker.

Do you think I could run it through the table saw with about a 2.5" cut, flip it and cut the rest? If so, what type of blade would you use?

I can always clean rough edges with joiner/planer.

thanks

[Frank Nakashima]

Cut 3/4" or so and raise the blade a bit and cut it again. Keep doing that until you're all the way through.

[Rob Stokes]

12/4 is 2 x 6/4 if you flip it over. If it's still too much, do four 3/4" cuts (two from each face)

good luck Rob

[Andy Dingley]

You have the power, you just need the right blade.

1/2" wide, 3 tpi hook tooth, or hook-skip tooth. Don't force it.

If you really are short on power (what is your bandsaw anyway ?), go for a 6tpi hook-skip tooth.

[Morgans]

Are you using a REAL Rip blade - 20 teeth or less? It DOES make a BIG difference.

-- Jim in NC

[Bay Area Dave]

Using your TS, it's better (safer) to cut from both sides, BUT leave a bit in the middle. cut out that part on the BS. that way a squirrely board won't get the best of you.

dave

Dave wrote: