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  1. #1
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    Default How do I learn to resaw?

    Is resawing hardwood on a bandsaw just a matter of practice?

    I have a small 14inch bandsaw and I have learnt the hard way that it is very easy for the bottom to drift off while you think you are cutting straight because you are focused on the top that you can see. The trick seems to be to go extremely, extremely slowly, while using 5 hands to make sure to keep good pressure against the fence on top and bottom feeding in as well as guiding it beyond the blade. This doesn't always work due to the fact that I only have 2 hands. This 2 hand situation is a permanent disability of mine, since birth and so that can't be helped.

    I am fairly confident it is not the blade setup because when I'm super slow and careful it works out OK on the same species. But as soon as I get some fancy idea that I know what I am doing then I end up wasting perfectly good timber.
    Last time is was a small bit of Gympie messmate. First bit went fine. Second and better bit - total write off.

    I don't know how the bandsaw knows that the rarer timbers and better boards that I spent ages dressing myself are the ones most likely to be ruined. I bought this bandsaw second hand and so there is no manual to advise me how to disable that special feature.

    I have some nice bits of timber which I am too scared to use because they first need to be resawn.

    I guess I'l keep practicing on more disposable bits. Any suggests to reduce my stuff ups? Or is it just a question of practice?
    My YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2_KPRN6I9SE

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
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    Leopold, Victoria
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    Default

    I am no expert on this but I have a basic 14" Bandsaw and can resaw without much trouble at all.
    I use a 4 TPI blade which is either 12 or 16mm wide. I find that if the blade starts to get a bit blunt (which is hard to tell just by feeling the teeth) I give it a sharpen with a Dremel type tool. I have good tension on the blade, run the gullets on the centreline of the wheels and the cut is very straight.
    Dallas

  4. #3
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    Jul 2008
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    Upper Kedron 4055
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    I'm the same as Dallas but with 16mm bimetal blade with plenty of tension set up as per Alex Snodgrass's video and a high fence with magna lock double fingers
    cuts Gidgee like cheese.
    cheers
    John

  5. #4
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    May 2010
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by yachtie View Post
    I'm the same as Dallas but with 16mm bimetal blade with plenty of tension set up as per Alex Snodgrass's video and a high fence with magna lock double fingers
    cuts Gidgee like cheese.
    Alex Snodgrass video

    If you aren't using Alex's setup you are behind the game already in my opinion. AND you have to use ALL of his setup, you can't take a bit of his and a bit of someone else's and a little bit of your own.

    Use the widest blade you can put on your bandsaw with 3 tpi or so and apply as much tension to the blade as your saw frame can take on those little saws.

    Use a fence as high as the stock you are resawing and a featherboard to keep the stock against the fence. Geometry of resawing is such that as soon as you let the stock get any light between it and the fence you can NEVER get it back on that same cut. (With brute force you might occasionally overrule geometry, but at least part of the cut will already be ruined)

    Go slow and steady and listen to your saw. A lot of 14" saws are underpowered for resawing. You will learn to recognize the sound of a good cut and will know immediately if something starts to go wrong just by the sound.

    If you intend to resaw a lot you might want to go for a bigger bandsaw. I started out with a 14" saw and added a 21" saw to the inventory for resawing. With it's 2tpi 1" TCT blade it is one of the most-used tools in my shed. I use a lot of recycled hardwood and it breaks it down very accurately. On occasions I have literally just cut the paint off of recycled timber.

    Good luck with your project.
    I got sick of sitting around doing nothing - so I took up meditation.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    Hobart
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Doug3030
    ...Alex Snodgrass video

    If you aren't using Alex's setup you are behind the game already in my opinion.....




    Emphasise, really sharp blade and listen to the blade noise to get feed rate.

    Also the featherboard should be positioned just before the blade. Placed after the blade and it will cause the kerf to close and squeeze on blade.

  7. #6
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    May 2015
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    Brisbane
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    Default

    I have also ruined some good timbers and learned two valuable lessons,
    1. Sharp blade
    2. Check the blade guides very regularly

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Hobart, Tas
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    Default

    Dave, if it works sometimes and not others, one thing to be aware of that if you use the cast iron table as a handle whilst repositioning your band saw, you can move the table out of alignment with the blade. I guess this is especially an issue for those of up with, shall we say, less robust saws.

    I used to get great results one day, then poor another. It was the setup video by Michael Fortune where he spoke about this which was a bit of an ah-hah moment for me.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    Bundaberg
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    54
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    I look after 4 bandsaws; my own old generic cast iron 14” and three more at the Bundy woodworkers guild; one of them a decent Laguna. I end up having to replace blades and reset guides with monotonous regularity due to the.. um... variable skill sets and care factor. I always use the Snodgrass method and never have an issue; every time I set one up I prove that it’s set up correctly by resawing a 4 or 5 inch wide plank of whatever I can find laying around. If the blade is brank spanking new, I cut off a 1mm thick veneer off of the side of the plank not in contact with the fence. The method just works; you just need to follow the steps exactly.
    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.

  10. #9
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    May 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chief Tiff View Post
    ...and three more at the Bundy woodworkers guild; one of them a decent Laguna. I end up having to replace blades and reset guides with monotonous regularity due to the.. um... variable skill sets and care factor. ...
    Chief, don't remind me. Years ago when I was living in Bundy after I got out of the Army, I visited the BWG with my partner Jools, with a view to joining. Unless they have improved a lot, I don't envy you maintaining ANYTHING there.

    In our short visit I was horrified by the slack work practices and lack of competent supervision. The place looked like an accident waiting to happen.

    There was one bloke whose job seemed to be walking around telling people to do stupid things. He kept on walking up to Jools and saying "The women are all up there doing pyrography", apparently expecting her to go up and join them. She kept saying she wasn't interested in pyrography and wanted to learn to turn. Eventually he just told her to get out of his shed and join the women if she wanted to stay. That was when we got back in the car and left,never to return. Unfortunately Jools lost interest in wood turning at that point.

    I hope the Guild has improved since then.
    I got sick of sitting around doing nothing - so I took up meditation.

  11. #10
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    Jun 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by doug3030 View Post
    There was one bloke whose job seemed to be walking around telling people to do stupid things.
    From that description I bet I can name him...

    I would say things have improved; we encourage all members to widen their skill base regardless of gender or age; the only limits I recognise are physical in nature and we mitigate against those to the best of our ability. Even the ginger and left handed are accepted within our midst...

    Anyhoo, don’t want to hijack this thread but I hope Jools has either rekindled an interest in woodturning or found something else she enjoys and can share shed space with you.
    Nothing succeeds like a budgie without a beak.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
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    Canberra
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    One of the common problems I find with our band saws is thelegacy an overly enthusiastic member doing some re-sawing on the Laguna 14BX with a 1/2" 3TPI Woodmaster_B (which is a good setup) and really pressing that timber against the fence with all that enthusiasm can actually move the fence alignment counter clockwise a smidgin, which will cause the timber to migrate away from the fence, which will result in re-invigorated Brute Force, which will cause more deflection, which is the inherited by the next user, who then blames the blade for being blunt.

    Its always best to check the alignment of the blade before you start, and the alignment of the fence to the blade. Always clean the tannins off blade before you start. I use a wire wheel chucked in a cordless drill rotating in the same direction the teeth point to get the crud off the tips. If you need to, give it a vinegar bath for 24 hours... The tannins will simply drop off, then give it a hose, dry it and spray with WD40... but you really do want a clean blade. After it is clean check it for sharp. I sharpen with a "Dremel" knockoff and a cheap Chinese diamond cutoff wheel. Sharp really matters. Give the lower tire in particular a bit of a clean, so it hasn't got any bumps (of compressed dust) to deflect the blade.

    Lastly blow out the dust & reset all your guides, then run a test piece. The Snodgrass method works to set the blade cutting straight, but you have to remember to get the fence parallel to the blade as that is what you are using as a guide.

    Oh yes, and verify that your blade is square to the table, Snodgrass style... Very important if you want the cut to go down the middle of the timber.

  13. #12
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    Default

    Bandsaws are like chainsaws- never,ever lend them to anybody or let anyone else use them, ever.

  14. #13
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    Default

    Thanks for the helpful replies guys.
    My blade is a wide resaw blade with 3 or 4 tpi (4tpi I think - forget exactly). It has not been used much since I ordered it new. I set it up using the Snodgrass method as best as I can. Which in my case takes a fair bit of time to adjust all 6 bearings.

    I have had that other problem with the table in the past. Which is due it it being a convenient way to move the saw. My saw gets moved a fair bit due to space limitations. I should check the table but I don't think that is the main problem. For example I can resaw something and then pick up another part and completely botch the second one.

    The lack of power of the motor is a factor. Perhaps I just have to stick to feeding it in glacially.

    I'll try to increase the tension on the blade as you suggest but it's almost as far as it will reasonably go.

    My fence is crap. I know it. But I am not sure this is really the problem. The drift tends to occur at the bottom, where the fence is best. Then again the blade is running downwards so does that mean it could be the fence?

    I have not been using a feather board. That could make a world of difference. Why didn't I think of that?
    My YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2_KPRN6I9SE

  15. #14
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    "The drift tends to occur at the bottom, where the fence is best."

    If you are saying that the sides of the kerf are not perfectly straight top to bottom, but have a bit of a curve in them, you are in fact telling me your blade cannot handle that bit of timber. It may be there is a hard point in the timber, it may be that the blade teeth are heating up because the sawdust is not being cleared. You might be going too slow and causing heat build up, or the heat build up might be lengthening the blade a little & reducing the tension during the cut.

    Having a top to bottom curve in the kerf is a whole nother thing to wandering off course, or being wavy, front to back (start to finish)

    Probably best to show s some Photos, with circles and arrows and paragraphs explaining what you see that you dont like.

    Actually I just had a look at you youtube channel to look at your saw. It is not going to have much power, and I know that specific model (we have one for the high school students classes), and the guides are an absolute mongrel to get right for re-sawing imo.

    First get yourself a brand new 3-pack of blades. I use AYAO on the students machine cheap & they are OK, and they have them pre made in the correct size for that machine. You should be able to get them post FREE on ebay. You will need 1/2inch wide 3TPI. That us all your machine will handle, Set your machine up for re-sawing test it, then set it up again. Once you have set it up 10 or 15 times, you will be able to handle the process with the least amount of fuss, and get your technique refined to get the best out of your machine. It is not going to be easy re-sawing expensive hardwoods with a small machine, so you are just going to have to hone your technique,and the first thing in that process is setting up you equipment faultlessly every single time before you attempt anything serious.

    Best of luck
    Last edited by T91; 22nd May 2020 at 11:56 AM. Reason: afterthought

  16. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaveVman View Post
    I have not been using a feather board. That could make a world of difference.


    Featherboard pressing firmly but not too tightly just in front of the blade, and a pushstick to keep the top of the stock in contact with the fence as well.

    You said motor power definitely an issue - fewer TPI will mean less load on the motor and better clearance of sawdust, meaning an easier and better cut, but I said 3tpi before because with the width of blade that saw will take 3tpi is probably as coarse as you will get.
    I got sick of sitting around doing nothing - so I took up meditation.

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