You can tell from the attached pictures that my first attempt to resaw some good wood ended in a less-than-pleasing result.
The cherry was 1 inch thick. I started out by using my table saw to extend a kerf top and bottom. I thought the bandsaw blade would follow the kerf and slice the wood down the middle.
Instead, the blade seems to have bowed and blew out through the the side. So much for that piece being used for bookmatching.
What happened? The only thing I can figure is that the blade stretched from the intense heat.
Dave
I am a great woodworker! I still have 10 fingers–oops! nine.
Replies
All i can think of is a lack of tension on the blade. The first time I used my dad's new grizzly 14" bandsaw, i forgot to turn the tension lever and the blade veered all over the place. Ive resawn boards w/ the same process w/ no problem.
I can think of three possible sources for the problem.
o Not enough tension on the blade
o The back bearings not adjusted close enough allowing the blade to "barrel'.
o The blade may be getting dull.
Edited 6/11/2006 9:41 pm ET by HowardAcheson
The blade was brand new, but it was a metal cutting blade. Blades are hard to find for my saw and that was the sharpest, best one I had. DaveI am a great woodworker! I have still have 10 fingers.
OK, that's at least part of the cause. The teeth on metal blades are way too fine, which will want tons of power and do a terrible job. It may sound counterintuitive that a coarser blade can give a cleaner cut, but it's true. Pete
"Blades are hard to find for my saw...." Bandsaw blades are made-to-order by the good companies. Just call Suffolk Machinery (Timberwolf blades) and tell them what saw you have, how long the blade needs to be, and what kind of work you'll be doing, they'll help you out. Might be good to practice on a piece of poplar or something before tackling the next piece of cherry.<g>
Phone: (800) 234-7297Local: (631) 289-7153 forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
dbcagle,
Wow, that cut looks familiar...feathered edges are hard to achieve...lol.
If you could watch an expert resaw, in about 10 minutes you'd have it down cold. Many of the tricks that I learned from watching have been mentioned:
-perpendicular base to blade
-parrallel tall fense to blade
-tensioned blade
I use a 1/2" skip tooth that cuts through wood like butter...its all about dust removal. Also, I keep pressure on the stock against the fense with push pads(like jointer pads), that helps a lot. I also keep a constant even pressure pushing the stock forward and let the saw dictate how fast it wants to cut.
Very good point that I forgot to mention. I'll second the need for push sticks and push pads or equivalent. It would be very easy to stick your thumb into the blade as you come to the end of a resaw.Pete
I can't keep pressure even with pads, so mount 1 or two feather boards to hold it against the fence. These are mounted in a stack on blocks so that the first is about 1" above the table and the other near the top. Anything up to 6" can be done with one board. The point of pressure is just before the cut line so that there is NO pressure closing the cut. I have also seen fences that finish just behind the blade so that any tendency of the timber to move after being cut will not push the work off the fence.
Probably lots wrong with my technique, but it seems easier to set up mechanical holders and the just watch it work.
Dave
Patto,
You reminded me that 6 months ago I decided to construct vertical featherboards for the bandsaw...any day now!! Clearly, that is a much better method. I've been looking for a scrap piece of formica or something similar...something that would flex across the face of the board. It sounds like you make a sandwich of wood blocks and traditional featherboards?....and just clamp the whole thing to the table?
BG,
Attached is a pic of my feather board set up or this. I haven't done wide boards, but this works pretty well up to 150mm say 6mm thick. 3TPI * 1/2" blade so nothing fancy.
Try cutting your feather board at an angle rather than a curve it puts more fingers in contact with the work just a thought that's what I do with mine.
Regards John BoltonYou can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
John,
I was fidgeting about one day and wondered if the number of fingers in contact made much difference to the liklyhood that a board would be propeled backwards (At this point I should mention that I do not have a table saw so I'm not talking about that kid of force. If I ever buy such a fearsome beast I wll certainly adopt your suggestion.
The curved edge semed to suply plenty of backwards resistance.
I had been fiddling (this is all just me fidgeting - no empirical evidence or formal training involved) about trying to optimise setup for resawing thin stock consistently, that is taking several cuts of consistent thickness from the same block. One critical variable seemed to be the actual point of pressure - 'just' before the leading edge of the blade. If the pressure was too far back any curve in the stock results in the stacok changing its position, usually coming off the fence. I have not set up a short fence to see if that helps.
The curved end of the feather board lets me adjust the point of contact over several cuts by just slcking the clamp and rotating the board to take up the space after each successive slice. On a band saw at least, it seems to provide sufficient pressure to support against the fence and to avoid mishaps.
The other advantage is tha I often an faced with an irregular surface against the feather board (I tend to slice up firewood that has been split or has a natural side). The curved feather board (with longer fingers that the diagram indicates) works pretty well in that aplication also.
applogies for the ramble
Dave
Dave
I dont mind the ramble if that works for you as you describe what you are cutting is fine. Idont use the finger boards as anti kick back just to hold the work against the fence.
Regards John Bolton
You can make it fool proof but not idiot proof
Edited 6/19/2006 12:48 am ET by Bolts
Patto,
That looks pretty good to me. I probably would not have noticed the 'curve' if Bolts had not discussed the concept with you.
I can see a couple of the feather boards with perhaps some filler stock inbetween to establish pressure both high and low on stock that is being resawn.
In my case it's particularly useful because I tend to resaw a lot of 1/2"ish and 3/4"ish by 4,5,6 stock for panels....so the featherboards stay relatively fixed. Thanks for the picture
Resawing last weekend. 15 consecutive slices 9mm*100mm*2.8m
One of the pics shows equip milling larger log of black locust
Dave
Patto,
Wow !! that is some bandsaw...I can see now your difficulty in selecting a cabinet saw suitable in size to complement your bandsaw...lol. Most of us in the 'right side up' world use equipment just a tad smaller...lol.
Metal cutting blades tend not to be inherently straight cutting. They also have way too many teeth for cutting wood, even curves. For resawing, you should be using at least a 1/2" skip tooth blade.
As others have said, contact Suffolk Machinery and they can easily custom make up a couple of blades. Howie.........
Cool!! Let's take it one step at a time:
1. You need a good quality sharp blade with a low TPI (3, 4 would be ok). A 1/2"X3PC Timberwolf would be a good choice.
2. The band needs to be appropriately tensioned.
Based on the pictures, I'm pretty certain that you were missing at least one of the two.
3. You need a good tall fence perpendicular to the table. I make my own out of two pieces of MDF with right angle blocks glued and screwed. It takes time to build it accurately, but once you have it it last for a long time. You can buy them too.
4. I wouldn't expect a bandsaw to follow the kerf. You need the fence set so the blade goes where you want it.
With all the right pieces in place, you should be able to split a board without using the TS at all.
Pete
I resawed 8" wide pieces in my 14" delta bandsaw all the time. I cut as far as i could from either side first with the table saw. Your TS kerfs could be deeper.
Just how much heat was there? That you commented on it indicates that it was smoking the wood. True? .......... There should be no discernable heat when resawing.
Go to http://www.suffolkmachinery.com and order a Timberwolf bandsaw blade for your saw. The will make them any length. If you are not sure which blade to order, give them a call. They are most helpful. Get two while your at it then you'll have a sharp spare on hand. Get me a couple also..... 150". Thanks.
I hope I don't offend you, but the best thing you can do at this point is go to the book store or Amazon.com and buy "The Bandsaw Book" by Bird. It sounds like you made a lot mistakes. Blade selection is a huge issue, kerfing with the TS is unessary. If you are relying on a built in gauge for tension, dont do that any more. If you live a metro area there will be a saw company that makes blades. Band saws are like hand planes, with more moving parts. It takes a bit of fiddling woth them to learn haw to set it up. There are 4 major adjustments (off the top of my head) that have to be reset every time the blade is changed, and checked before every sesion.
Mike
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
"Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it."
Mudman
Thanks for the inspiration, the statement says a lot. I'm planning an 8' wall unit that has me asking, "should I do this?" I haven't built that many pieces and this will be my largest to date but, I'm going to go for it. Thanks.
Ron
If you switched out the g in your name to an e and rearranged the letters you could spell
debacle.
Hmmmm.
I'm laughing with you not at you. Had the same thing happen to me once. Although I did have a wood cutting blade in the saw. Ha Ha.
J.P.
Debacle is right. I had this funny feeling when I started that I was rushing things. Little did I know how much I was fouling up. I am a great woodworker! I have still have 10 fingers.
Pick up a woodslicer blade here: http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=295
The best blades for resawing in my opinion. Good luck!
It is these types of lessons that are least forgotten. I hope you cussed it real good too, the wood and the machine. As you now know they were conspiring against you the whole time. I also hope you can make something else of that piece so that it is not a total loss.J.P.
Oh, yeah. I ran the thicker piece through the surface planer. Now I have a really nice piece of cherry about 3/8 thick. Maybe I will resaw it into two pieces 1/16 and bookmatch them.I am a great woodworker! I still have 10 fingers. Oops! Nine.
I prefer a 1/2" X 3TPI Hook for hard woods, The 1/2 X 3 Skip for soft lumber. The Hook requires much less feed pressure and doesn't deflect the blade as much. I use them on a 14" jet. You may want to consider Ceramic guide blocks if you are resawing pitchy or resinous lumber, they help keep from getting too much pitch build up which causes heat and premature blade failure.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I think all the comments thus far are spot on... BTW -- the pics look very similar to some of my initial resaw attempts.
1. Ensure the table is at 90 degrees to the blade
2. Adjust for proper tension (and ensure the rear thrust bearings are about a dollar bill's width away from the blade.
3. Get a bandsaw blade tuning stone (Rockler part number 99748 ) and round over the back sharp endge of the blade...
4. Get a good resaw fence ... and make it at least 6" high...
5. Good sharp blade... The timberwolfs are good, but I've had equal success with the woodcraft brand and Olson blades
6. Smooth consistant feed rate. Don't force the wood, let the teeth cut and advance. This will minimize burning.
Dave,
Here are some great steps to help you properly tension your bandsaw blade.
http://www.woodworkershaven.com/timber_rules.html
Peter
ps. they make good bandsaw blades too.
Thanks to everyone for some great thoughts. I finally got the right blade, 1/2" 3 TPI, squared the table to the blade, used a proper fence. First piece I ran through was just about perfect. I wish I had asked the question before I screwed up that lovely piece of cherry. Oh, well. DaveI am a great woodworker! I still have 10 fingers. Oops! Nine.
If you learn one good lesson for every ruined piece of stock, that'll be one inexpensive education. Glad your resaw skills have taken a jump. :)My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
I agree with most everyone else - using incorrect blade,....
Have you checked for drift?
I also suggest checking out a couple of good bandsaw books from the library and after you put on a correct blade, then go thru a complete tuneup process and then try resawing with some poplar to test. make sure you have a tall auxillary fence or a resaw fence to use.
I have a 18" Rickon and a Delta 'Tiny thing' Both do Better than Ok if I feed the wood straight!
Not knockin' anybody.. A bandSaw is a strange creature.. Sort of like a Human in mant ways.. NEVER do what you would expect!
I'm not sure I should comment on this one BUT.. I cut up ALOT of old scrap wood 'Practicing!'
Really, find some old wood at the local dumpster and GO FER IT...
Your hand is better than the EYE WITH Practice!
Your blade drifted, your blade fluttered, your blade burned.
1) Set your fence so that it compensates for the drift.
2) Tension your blade according the the manufacturer's specs.
3) Get a good, sharp blade, preferably a Timberwolf. They send you instructions on how to tension your blade.
4) Watch your feed rate. Cherry will burn if the feed rate is too slow.
5) Don't get discouraged by your results. Just get a better blade and check your set up and your technique.
I have resawed an ancient piece of 2" think Cherry on my Laguna 14 bandsaw using their resaw blade. It worked out great.
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