Thread: Bandsaw For Veneer Cutting

Originally Posted by echnidna

....... so don't suggest expensive ones

this one will do it with out raising a sweat, comes with excellent readily available blades too.

Its got a light too!

Echinda,

My experience thus far with the 19" Carbatec bandsaw hasn't been a good one on redgum, even with 3TPI rip blades.

I just don't know whether you can replicate what the pros do with high-end equipment.

Even if you shave say 4-5mm, you still have to joint one side then thickness the other. Alternatively, thickness both side.

But the tolerances are very fine. Is it worth the effort?

All this from someone that hasn't done any veneering, so read with caution.

Jeff

I bought one of these (18'Jet 3 H/Power) a couple of weeks ago, and although I havent tried it on redgum, I would suggest it will glide through it with ease. I know you said not to mention expensive ones but to do what you want, I dont think a cheapie will do it. Cheers steven

i have a this 200mm gmc and it will hardly cut threw a 75mm peice of silky oak.



this ones maximum depth of cut is 80mm and it is the biggest gmc so they are out. and even if you could get one to do the right width DON'T.

Originally Posted by Stevenp

I bought one of these (18'Jet 3 H/Power) a couple of weeks ago, and although I havent tried it on redgum, I would suggest it will glide through it with ease. I know you said not to mention expensive ones but to do what you want, I dont think a cheapie will do it. Cheers steven

I used one of them yesterday and it sliced through jarrah 200mm thick making 5mm thick veneers. Beautiful machine to use!

Wood Butcher,

I guess my next question is what do you do with the 5mm veneers you have just cut?

I assume you will thickness one side by 1mm depth, then do the same with the other?

It could seem impossible to me (and probably impracticable) to joint one face, then thickness the other?

All I know is that ripping 6" redgum with a new blade on the bandsaw is slow, tedious work.

Or someone can show me how to do it better! Always willing to learn.

Jeff

They are for face veneers for some custom made cabinetry a friend is working on.

The board is surfaced before each cut so that one face is smooth and flat and then each one is put through a twin drum sander to clean up the cut side. The final thickness will be 4mm.

I can't give any details on the blade we used but it was ordered through Henry Bros in Sydney, for this job. I think is was a skip tooth but really didn't pay too much attention, just wanted to get the work done.

I have a Durden bandsaw but it only cuts 6" high but I want some 200mm veneer, that's why I started the thread.
But if necessary I'll think of a workaround

Jefferson, you can't joint thin timber.

Just whack it through the thicknesser a few times till its the right size.
Most thicknessers are limited to a minimum thickness of ovber 1/4".
I drop a dummy table in the bottom of mine and can successfully thickness to 1.2mm reliably and to .6mm with much wastage.

Industrial thicknessers have metal toothed feed rollers and would not make veneer at all.

Originally Posted by echnidna

Just whack it through the thicknesser a few times till its the right size.
Most thicknessers are limited to a minimum thickness of ovber 1/4".
I drop a dummy table in the bottom of mine and can successfully thickness to 1.2mm reliably and to .6mm with much wastage.

Industrial thicknessers have metal toothed feed rollers and would not make veneer at all.

What specie of timber have you successfully thicknessed to 0.6mm

macrocarpra
radiata pine
messmate/swamp gum.
gotta be clear straight grained stuff though,
curly grain will disinetgrate when its real thin

How much money do you have?

I reckon the H&F BP16A will do it for you, but you will need a blade from Henry brothers as the standard blade isn't up to much.

All you need is a machine capable of cutting redgum at the required ie. adequate throat height and a couple of horsepower to drive it, so a good 14" saw with a height extender might do it, the BP16A, and just about any brand 17"

woodbe.

Whatever you get, it will need a good blade (talk to Henry Bros.) and enough grunt to allow the wood to go through without you forcing it.

Why bother sanding the back of the veneer? with a good saw, the finish is quite good enough for gluing.

We have the JET 18" in the work shop and i am Always re-sawing upto 300 wide redgum, jarrah, blackwood, etc etc.

just make sure you:
Make a custom high fence.
Get the right blade for the job, we use 1 TPI - 1" wide blade from Henry Bros.
Set the fence to follow drift, not fight it.

No problems

Hi,
I use a carbatec bas 350 and do a lot of veneering. I cut to 6-7 mm using a 3 tpi blade and then thickness to 5 mm.
cheers,
conwood