Thread: Resaw question

I'd go for up close & personal, ie A. That way, you don't have to keep moving the fence.

I tend to do it as Alex says, with the fence in one position only. However, there are times when I've jointed a board (face and one edge, at least), so always keep the jointed face of the board to the fence and the edge to the table. What I do then is to use multiples of 'shims', also planed smooth and with perpendicular face/edges, that are the thickness that I want.

I have a small collection of 3mm, 5mm, 6mm, 10mm, etc such shims.

For the first cut I place all the shims between the fence and the workpiece, and for each successive cut, I simply remove one shim. The trick here is keeping the whole nice and tight against the fence.

To do this I have a short board of some 42mm thickness that I have counter-bored with a Forstner bit, and loaded it with a compression spring (actually from the Triton router, where it is no longer needed as that beast is in the router table) and an end piece. This I clamp to the B/S table about 1cm in front of the blade and pushing against the workpiece (and thus the shims behind it).

Works for me

I must admit, however, that getting properly parallel cuts on a full height board (I'm limited to 150mm at present) that's more than a metre or so in length can still be challenging.

I am also unsure as to where the featherboard should sit:
infeed side
next to the blade
outfeed side
Attachment 22659
the one on top wont matter, it is the one clamped to the table that i am concerned about.

Gut feel says opposite the arbor.
Also should it be in tight so the feathers are flexed against the stock?

Such a powerfull tool.
So many questions.
I have a serious respect for this machine and very little practical experience using it. This operation needs the blade guard and anti kickback pawls removed hence the featherboards.

thanks for your input

Bugger the fence and finger boards. For me, they never work. Scribe your cut line and run the cut freehand.

As long as you have your face side against the table, and the table is square to the balde, it must work.

Using a fence (admittedly a shztty one) is just too hard. I can never get an accurate cut. However, do it freehand, and no worries.

Originally Posted by Bodgy

Bugger the fence and finger boards.
Using a fence (admittedly a shztty one) is just too hard. I can never get an accurate cut. However, do it freehand, and no worries.

I'm cutting 90x145x400 won't see the blade as the board is edge down.
My eye and hands definitely not steady enough to cut without a fence. The fence is on my table saw is accurate. It is full length of the table, locks both ends, 300mm high and square.

The side featherboard should be immediately on the infeed side of the blade, but must not overlap the blade, or it will force the piece into the blade. It should hold the piece firmly against the fence, with fingers slightly flexed. Can't say about the top one, as I've never used one, but instinct tells me it should be on the outfeed side.

I think the obvious point's been missed, resaw doesn't necessarily mean using the bandsaw, ray is resawing with his table saw.

After rereading your posts, I gather you want to resaw into 6" x 1/2" slabs, this will take two cuts (one top & one bottom), hence your comment about needing to remove the guard, pawls & presumably splitter.

I would very seriously reconsider trying to do this on the table saw, you will have a lot of blade in the stock at any one time, hence strong forces acting on the wood, and the piece only being 2 ft long means you will be up close to the blade. Potentially doable, but a serious degree of risk I suggest.

If you are absolutely determined to do this you should at least have some form of splitter behind the blade for the second cut, to prevent the cut closing up around the blade.You would be best (and safest) having the bulk of the stock against the fence, and therefore moving the fence across for each cut.

Your featherboards should with the fingers flexed slightly, so there is a degree of tension holding the stock against the fence. Locate them so you have one pushing the stock into the fence slightly before the blade enters the timber, possibly another one closer to you on the infeed side. I wouldn't put one on the outfeed side of the blade, you don't want the cut closing up on the blade and risking kickback. Don't have any next to the blade for the same reason.


Given your (stated) inexperience with the machine and the risks mentioned above, you would be far better hooking up with someone here with a bandsaw, or going to your local highschool & see if you can do a deal with the woodwork teacher to resaw on their bandy Most of the replies given have assumed you were referring to a bandsaw, where techniques & setup for resawing are markedly different. What you are wanting to do on your table saw is a pretty risky operation even for an experienced operator.


Good luck & be safe............cheers..........Sean

I hear you loud and clear Sean.
I have access to a 24" bandsaw at the local community wood work club and will toddle off down there with my board. I have been a little concerned about doing this job as I have heard some horror stories concerning table saws. Hence my post.

One guy in a post in another forum said if you don't feel 100% with any cut don't do it. I guess that is how I feel about this one. I saw various stories in the thread re mashed fingers, wood traveling towards heads at 60 miles an hour etc etc. All this on the day I bought the saw a few weeks ago. It was said the two most dangerous tools in the workshop were the spindle moulder and table saw. A good quality bandsaw is next on my list.

Once again, I'm an idiot. I just assumed you were using a bandsaw. Sorry.

I think you made a wise decision not to use the TS.

Good move ray, a 24" bandy :eek: Thats a big hua !


Hope the job turns out well..........Cheers..........Sean

Did it on a massive old bandsaw
had to rig up a fence but cut board into 4 slices [One too thin to use}

Now to keep em straight while they acclimatise.

Originally Posted by old_picker

Did it on a massive old bandsaw
had to rig up a fence but cut board into 4 slices [One too thin to use}

Now to keep em straight while they acclimatise.

Glad to hear you have done this safely.

Another point not mentioned for a TS is that method A can produce a marked/damaged piece if the fence is not accurately aligned such that it pushes the timber in towards the teeth at the back of your saw blade. Method B will give a cleaner cut because it does not have this force on it. Of course if you want to take multiple cuts off the same piece your other piece may be marked. If I'm doing this, which I do reasonably often, and I get a marked face you can always redress the face before running it through the next time.

Of course the best thing is to check your fence alignment.

Cheers

Makes me wonder about my idea of resawing 200x50 kd-hw with a 1hp 14" bandsaw i want to buy at carbatec.

The big ole 24" bandsaw went through ok but on a 14" saw dunno wether it would work.

Glad you got it done OK Ray.

Re the 1 hp 14" bandy's capabilities, might be better posting a new thread on the bandsaw forum. As I understand it, blade selection is pretty key with them, even more so I'd reckon for an 8" cut depth of cut on the KD you're considering.


Good luck mate...........cheers...............Sean