Someone showed me a method by which they resaw their boards which they claim mitigates the effects of warping. They’ll make a tablesaw kerf in the board on the top and bottom (as if resawing on the tablesaw), leaving a strip in the middle about a half inch. Then after letting it sit for a couple days, they’ll complete the job using the bandsaw.
I’ve given it some thought and, other than helping the bandsaw do it’s job more efficiently, I’d don’t see why this would mitigate the effects of warping. If moisture or tension escapes regardless, the board is going to do what it wants to do, no?
Any thoughts?
Replies
That won't do anything to stop a board from warping. Some boards have a lot more internal stresses than others, and will warp.
But usually the issue is case hardening from rapid kiln drying. If you thickness plane an equivalent amount from each side of the board, it will be ok. If you resaw in half, you end up with one face case hardened, and the other face, which was previously on the inside of the board, is not case hardened. That board will cup.
Resawing with the method you outlined won't help.
I once owned a crappy bandsaw that struggled to resaw. The blade always cupped in the middle of the cut. It benefited from starter cuts on the table saw. My current bandsaw does great without an assist.
The effect of warping during the resaw operation is to either squeeze the blade or divert the cut by pushing on the guide or both. By doing a kerf, the two sides of the board remain attached and keeps them from going their own way making the operation safer. Then the bandsaw separates them and warping occurs.
Interesting idea. Seems to me it is opening up the middle of the board, which is where the issues are when resawing.
I would probably put some spacers in the kerfs.
The original question about "warping" during resawing I took to mean cupping. If a board is cupping within a few days of resawing, both halves will cup, and it's due to case hardening.
Does the OP mean something different by "warping?"
I ften used a thin 7 1/4 makita blade to cut a slot prior to resawing. It allowed the band saw a path to follow
Making the table saw cuts isn't going to stop cupping. It can help if your bandsaw is having trouble tracking. It's better to get your bandsaw setup properly. If it's not tracking after adjusting the guides and adjusting the fence for drift, probably the blade is dull. The benefit to resawing on the bandsaw is the thin kerf of the blade. If you make cuts on the tablesaw, you lose this benefit.
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