Band saw resaw jig. Band saw resaw jig

Bandsaws Accessories

If you have ever tried to resaw long stock on your Band saw then you know how difficult it can be with smaller Band saw tables. With the Super Wide Miter Guide the length of your stock is no longer an issue. The extra wide aluminum guide track fits into the standard 3/4″ x 3/8″ miter slot on your bandsaw table. The 36″ Super Wide Miter Guide has a standard size miter track milled right down the middle for the ability to use an endless amount of jigs and fixtures. This means you can use the Super Wide Guide on not only your bandsaw, but your router table and table saw too. See more product details

Super Wide Miter Guide /h3>

Working With Long Stock Just Got Easier! If you have ever tried to resaw long stock on your Band saw then you know how difficult it can be with smaller Band saw tables. With the Super Wide Miter Guide the length of your stock is no longer an issue. The extra wide aluminum guide track fits into the standard 3/4″ x 3/8″ miter slot on your bandsaw table. The 36″ Super Wide Miter Guide has a standard size miter track milled right down the middle for the ability to use an endless amount of jigs and fixtures. This means you can use the Super Wide Guide on not only your bandsaw, but your router table and table saw too.

Features

  • Standard 3/4″ x 3/8″ Miter Slot
  • Included with the package are 2 hold down clamps
  • The legs simply connect on to the Super Wide Miter Guide with standard 1/4″ x 20tpi knobs
  • Easily adjustable Legs
  • Designed To Use Multiple Jigs

Package Includes

Note: Bandsaw Not Included

Standard 3/4″ x 3/8″ Miter Slot

The Super Wide Miter Guide has a miter milled on the bottom to allow it to fit into the miter on your Band saw table. It also has a standard miter on the top that allows for multiple jigs to be used with the Super Wide Miter Guide.

Included in the Hardware

Included with the package are 2 hold down clamps that secures the Super Wide Miter Guide to the Band saw table and locking it in place.

Leg Connections

The legs simply connect on to the Super Wide Miter Guide with standard 1/4″ x 20tpi knobs that slide into the t-slots on the front and back of the aluminum extrusion

Adjustable Legs

The legs are easily adjusted to the height of your Band saw table by loosening the knob and raise the leg up or down to level the Super Wide Miter Guide to the Band saw table. The foot is also adjustable for leveling the legs.

Designed To Use Multiple Jigs

Any jig that uses a standard 3/4″ miter slot will work with the Super Wide Miter Guide making this a perfect jig for Band saw tables, router tables and tablesaws. In the image above is Carters Products Log Mill be demonstrated.

Note: Carter Log Mill Not Included

  • Standard 3/4″ x 3/8″ Miter Slot
  • Included with the package are 2 hold down clamps
  • The legs simply connect on to the Super Wide Miter Guide with standard 1/4″ x 20tpi knobs
  • Easily adjustable Legs
  • Designed To Use Multiple Jigs

Note: Bandsaw Not Included

California Residents: WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm. www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

Super Wide Miter Guide ADD-ON Track

For Use with the Super Wide Miter Guide

Add even more length to your Super Wide Miter Guide for extra long stock. The 36″ ADD-ON Track easily attaches to the miter guide with two attachment brackets (included) that slide into your bottom track and is secured with multiple set screws. Now your ready to make cuts on the extra long workpieces without any concern of falling off the back end of your table. When the ADD-On Track is added to the Super Wide Miter Guide it gives you a combined length of 72″

  • For Use with the Super Wide Miter Guide
  • Easily attaches to the miter guide with two attachment brackets
  • Make cuts on the extra long workpieces without any concern of falling off the back end of your table

Note: Bandsaw Not Included

California Residents: WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm. www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

Precision Band Saw Fence

Bolster your Band saw’s accuracy with a precision Band saw Fence from Kreg. This fence is adjustable in two dimensions, and sets parallel to the blade with ease. A precision lens cursor reads off the included scale and enhances cutting accuracy and repeatability for high production work. The fence mounts to most 14-inch Band saws, including Jet, Delta, General, Grizzly and many others.

  • Precision lens cursor for pinpoint accuracy
  • Incredibly strong and rigid for optimal durability and tighter work pieces
  • Easy to attach and remove for less downtime and more productivity
  • Adjustable in two dimensions for setting parallel with the blade
  • Fits most 14-inch Band saws for versatility

California Residents: WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm. www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

4-1/2″ Resaw Guide Instructions

The Kreg Resaw Guide easily attaches to the Kreg Precision Band Saw Fence, allowing for a higher level of control and accuracy when adjusting for Band-saw blade drift. The curved face of the guide helps you steer the board into the cut and get the perfect results you’re looking for.

  • Durable anodized-aluminum
  • Actively compensates for blade drift
  • Attaches to Kreg Precision Band Saw Fence
  • Curved guide face helps steer board into cut
  • For small- and medium-sized work pieces
  • 4 1/2″ height for small and medium-size workpieces

California Residents: WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm. www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

Micro Adjuster Instructions

Dial-in precise adjustments to your Kreg Precision Router Table or Precision Band Saw Fence – down to.005″ – with the simple turn of a thumb wheel.

  • Provides precise adjustments, down to.005″
  • Easy to adjust with the simple turn of a thumb wheel
  • For use with Kreg Precision Router Table and Precision Band Saw Fence
  • Anodized aluminum and brass construction

California Residents: WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm. www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

Magfence II Universal Magnetic Fence

The MAGFENCE II Universal Magnetic Fence is the fastest, easiest way to add a moveable and adjustable fence to your bandsaw. Since the MAGFENCE II attaches to your saw with switchable magnets ( 155 lbs of break away force each), it is readily adjusted and infinitely positionable. See more product details

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Magfence II Universal Magnetic Fence

The MAGFENCE II Universal Magnetic Fence is the fastest, easiest way to add a moveable and adjustable fence to your bandsaw. Since the MAGFENCE II attaches to your saw with switchable magnets ( 155 lbs of break away force each), it is readily adjusted and infinitely positionable. You don’t even need any hardware or mounts when installing. Simply place in position and switch the magnets to the ON position and you are set. The fence has thin rubber strips on the bottom to make adjustments smooth and simple, they also keep the fence from scratching your table top surface. The unit also features multiple T-slots for attaching any number of accessories like a sub-fence, stops and is compatible with all of Carter’s original MAGFENCE accessories. The MAGFENCE II comes with two switchable magnets ( 155 lbs of break away force each) and measures 15″ in length by 3″ in height. Additional switchable magnets (sold separately) can be added to the fence for even more holding power

Features

  • Fastest, easiest way to add a moveable and adjustable fence to your bandsaw
  • Attaches to your saw with switchable magnets
  • Readily adjusted and infinitely positionable
  • No hardware or mounts needed when installing
  • Thin rubber strips on the bottom to make adjustments smooth and simple
  • Multiple T-slots for attaching any number of accessories
  • Compatible with all of Carter’s original MAGFENCE accessories
  • Fastest, easiest way to add a moveable and adjustable fence to your bandsaw
  • Attaches to your saw with switchable magnets
  • Readily adjusted and infinitely positionable
  • No hardware or mounts needed for installing
  • Thin rubber strips on the bottom to make adjustments smooth and simple
  • Multiple T-slots for attaching accessories
  • Compatible with all of Carter’s original MAGFENCE accessories

California Residents: WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm. www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

5″ Sacrificial Fence for Magfence II

The 5″ SWF allows you to get the blade much closer to the fence without the fear of damaging your blade or your fence. This extended design gives you a taller face for resaw and larger wood operations. The face attaches easily at both ends via the existing slots in the MAGFENCE II face. The SWF is constructed out of ridgid non-warping plastic that will keep it’s shape, but will not damage the blade in case of accidental contact. Ideal for sawing super thin veneers or any application where the fence might come in contact with the tooling or blade.

Note:The SWF is designed to fit the Carter MAGFENCE II product only ( Not Included).

Note: 5″ SWF Sacrificial Fence Only Carter MAGFENCE II Not Included

California Residents: WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm. www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

Bandsaws

The bandsaw for woodworkers who are conscious about quality and price.

Robust construction, fly wheel diameter 350 mm, cutting height 235 mm.

Bandsaws

High quality and extremely well priced, the versatile bandsaws from the Felder Group convince with an excellent price performance ratio, strong motors, precisely milled solid machine tables and impressive wear resistance and blade stability. The “X-Life” bandsaw blade ceramic guides guarantee excellent cutting results and long-lasting precision.

What is a bandsaw used for?

With a bandsaw you are able to cut solid wood, board materials and plastics of many different sizes. Depending on the material and dimensions, different saw blade widths ensure precision when performing rip cuts, straight cuts, mitre cuts or round cuts. Here is a very good example of how a bandsaw can be used.

What is a bandsaw?

A bandsaw is a saw blade that is welded or soldered into a closed blade Band rotating in a continuous motion. The saw blade is guided on two fly wheels, usually the lower fly wheel is driven by an electric motor. Adjustable Band saw blade guides above and below the machine table help guide the blade precisely during cutting operations. Workpieces are cut to the desired width using the adjustable fence on the machine table. The special guide groove on the machine table allows the use of a cross-cut fence for rip-, cross- or mitre cuts. Depending on the thickness of the workpiece, the height of the bandsaw blade guide above the machine table can be adjusted. Most bandsaws are stationary, but there are also portable bandsaws for special carpentry applications. Here you can see the structure and functions of a Band saw.

Which is the best bandsaw?

The choice of bandsaw type depends mainly on the intended use and application, but also on the space available and the room height of the installation site. A bandsaw should always be equipped with a solid, robust, and tiltable cast iron machine table, but also with bandsaw blade guides above and below the worktable. Depending on the size of the workpieces to be processed, these specifications quickly limit the range of products on the market. You can find a wide selection of high-quality bandsaws for many applications further up on this page.

How much tension do you have to apply to a bandsaw blade?

For clean and precise cuts when using a bandsaw, optimal tension of the blade is a key factor. High-quality bandsaws feature a user-friendly blade tension display, which guarantees perfect blade tension in relation to the saw blade width. Excessive tension on bandsaw blades increases the risk of breakage, insufficient tension increases skidding on the fly wheels, resulting in reduced cut quality and the risk of the blades jumping off the fly wheel.

When to use a bandsaw?

Bandsaws are suitable for many areas in woodworking and plastics processing, regardless of material dimensions. Compared to jigsaws, for example, bandsaws are capable of much more precise and complex cuts. Workpieces are supported extensively on the stationary machine table and can be positioned and guided with both hands. Many bandsaws feature tiltable machine tables, this enables a variety of additional uses, e.g. for working with galvanised materials. Here you can discover exciting projects with bandsaws from Felder.

Why do cut run off on a bandsaw?

There are several reasons why the cutting result is neither straight nor square. In many cases the bandsaw blade tension is too low and therefore slippage too high, therefore tension should be checked briefly before each start-up. Improperly adjusted bandsaw blade guides above and below the machine table also have a negative impact on cutting results. But also the solid wood grain growth or the use of unsuitable blade types or widths can result in the blade running out of true. The perfect interaction of all machine components such as the machine table, the bandsaw blade width and cutting quality, fences and blade guides, guarantees perfect results. Here you can take a look at the X-Life ceramic bandsaw blade guides for more precision from Felder.

Logs to Lumber on a Bandsaw

There are plenty of good reasons for mastering this process:

  • Get species you can’t commercially buy.
  • Control the dimensions of your stock. (Great for turners.)
  • Heirloom wood-trees from your own backyard

I find that, working by myself, I can cut logs up to 12” diameter and 36” long. Cut the logs while they’re wet, as soon as possible after the tree is cut down. If there’s a delay between cutting the log and machining it into lumber, paint the ends of the log to slow down drying.

If the bark stays on the log, leave it on. This will also slow down drying. We want the log as wet as possible when it’s being cut.

Build a sled

A log can roll, dangerously, during the cut, unless you stabilize it. This simple sled acts as an outrigger to keep the log stable. 3/4″ plywood works well. Make the base and the vertical 6” wide. Make it as long as the log you’re going to cut. Drill a few holes for lag screws.

What you need

  • A metal detector isn’t imperative, but if you’re not certain of the source of your log, it’s good insurance. Ruin a couple bandsaw blades, and the metal detector will look inexpensive.
  • A moisture meter will help you determine the moisture content of your material, and when it’s dry enough to use.
  • A snap line (chalk line) is the easiest way to get the first line on your log.
  • Lag screws, or other deep threaded fasteners, are required to hold the log to the sled. I use 5/16” x 2” lags.

Use an aggressive blade, 3 or 4 TPI, as wide as your bandsaw will handle. Carbide blades like the ResawKing are great for this work.

Secure the log

Logs are generally not perfectly round, and there’s no sense fighting gravity if you don’t have to. Look for the position the log naturally wants to roll to on your bench, and fasten it to the sled in that position.

The exception to this will be if you’re trying to highlight or eliminate something in the log like a knot, crotch, or defect.

Fasten the sled to the log. Two fasteners, in the approximate center of the log, will do it. Don’t worry about the screw holes in the log. There will always be slab wood from the log exterior that you won’t use.

Lay out the first cut

Using a knife, make a V in the log that aligns with the center of the “bullseye,” the pith of the log. We’ll take advantage of the V notch to snap our line.

Hook a chalk line in the end of the log you notched, and visually align the string with the pith on the other end log. Snap a line.

Cut the log

Cut the log into two halves, freehand following the snap line. Be sure to set up outfeed support. Logs are heavy! If there’s any question about being able to make the cut, get help.

Cut as straight as you can. The better the first cut is, the more lumber you’ll get out of your log.

Snap another line and make a second cut perpendicular to the first. This will make it much easier to keep the half round against the fence.

Get the drift

Using a board with a perfectly straight (jointed) edge, make a line parallel to the edge. Use a board that’s approximately 14” long.

Freehand follow the line, carefully adjusting your feed direction as needed in order to stay on the line. Once you feel you’re feeding at the correct angle to cut straight, freeze the board in place and shut off the saw.

Trace the edge of the board onto the bandsaw table. You have experientially found the drift of the blade, and are now transferring the drift angle to the saw.

Set your bandsaw fence to the line you traced on the table.

Make a test cut. If the board feeds perfectly, the fence is fine. If the outfeed end of the board trails away from the fence and a gap opens between the board and fence, the fence angle is too “open,” the outfeed end of the fence too far to the left.

If the board binds as you’re cutting it the fence is pinching, the outfeed end is too far to the right. Adjust the fence as needed. It’s not uncommon to have to do this test a couple times to tweak the fence into just the right position.

Make lumber

Add a tall fence as needed to fully support your log. Set the distance from the face of the fence to the bandsaw blade based on the thickness of the lumber you want to produce.

Remember the lumber will shrink as it dries, and eventually you’ll be planing off bandsaw marks, so allow enough thickness to compensate.

Stack ‘em, sticker ‘em and be patient

Seal the ends of the boards (latex paint works fine) and stack the boards with stickers between each layer for uniform air flow. Be sure the stickers are aligned with each other vertically. In order to prevent stains from the stickers, it’s a good idea to cut them from the same material you’re drying.

A general rule of thumb is to allow one year per inch of thickness for drying. 4/4 stock will take about one year to air dry. 8/4 will take about two years. Use a moisture meter to monitor the progress.

Leave the boards where air can flow over them but they’re not exposed to direct heat. Drying is a race that goes to the slow and steady.

Keep track of your boards and how they were cut, and when you’re ready to use them you’ll have amazing book matches….

…and butt matches. This article provides a lot of great info on air drying lumber, AND how to get different cuts of lumber from your logs.

Words and photos: Darren Oates

The jigs shown here were born out of necessity during a commission I took on for an extendable dining table. The client had already purchased one of my arched hall tables and wanted a dining table in the same style. The problem was he lived in a tiny apartment in inner Sydney and couldn’t have a full time dining table due to lack of space.

The piece was to be used as an oversized side table most of its life and only occasionally as a dining table, where the unbraced leaves would be folded out and rested on a retractable support. As the leaves fold back there could be no bracing so I chose not to use solid timber, but instead used a sheet of 18mm hardwood plywood which had 3mm sawn veneers bonded to it with two part epoxy.

This table is shown above and measured 2000 x 1100mm wide which meant I had to saw 8 x 2000mm long veneers at 275mm wide. Sawing two metre long veneers by trying to keep the timber hard up against the fence while pushing through the blade did not seem to be an easy task.

I made two bandsaw jigs to make this easier. One is an extension of the original rip fence supplied with the saw, and the other is a springloaded jig with ball bearing rollers that keeps the timber hard up against the fence without making it hard to push the timber through.

With this setup the only thing I had to worry about was keeping a consistent feed rate and this ended up netting great results for the sawn veneers. I was using three consecutively cut, one inch boards of Mackay cedar and needed to get three veneers from each board. To achieve the 3mm veneers the timber was initially sawn to a thickness of 4.5mm. This gave enough thickness to allow cleaning up on my drum sander to the required thickness, ensuring no saw marks were left. It also gave me one spare board, just in case.

The fence extension can be constructed with whatever you have lying around the workshop—I used 18mm MDF for the base, face and 90° bracing. The fence is the same length as the table for ease of clamping while sawing. The bracing can be made anyway you like, but the fence must be 90° to the base.

Above: Use rollers at the start and finish of the cut so you don’t you have to support the weight of the timber and can fully concentrate on the feed rate. When the timber reaches a point where I can’t push it, I go to the other side and pull the remainder through the blade.

My fence is 300mm high. I very rarely resaw wider boards than this, but it is high enough to support any boards that are higher. The extended fence also makes it a lot easier to adjust your saw table so that it is 90° to your sawblade, as you can measure the distance from the extended fence face to the back of the sawblade and adjust the saw table until an equal distance is measured along the length of the blade. I leave the supplied manufacturers fence on the table as I have set this up to account for blade drift. I then butt the extended fence up against the original fence so that I don’t have to realign for drift, and then clamp it to the table.

To make it easier to mount the jigs to the table I epoxied 32mm MDF to the bottom of the saw table where the various clamps are fitted.

The springloaded jig can also be made out of materials to hand—I used some 32mm MDF. The ball bearing rollers were sourced from Carbatec. This jig has been made the same length as the table so that clamps can be mounted on every side of the jig. The base has a hardwood runner that sits in the mitre track on the saw table.

In the diagram above you can see the top of the base has two runners which are fitted perpendicular to the tablesaw track. The top half of the jig then has two slots machined into the bottom face so they will slide along the runners. In this way the springloaded face adjusts to the width of the timber being sawn. Two coach bolts are fixed to the base and pass though the top of the jig through a slot which can be loosened and tightened when the correct thickness is achieved. The two hooks are just for hanging the jig on the wall for when it is not being used.

The extra dust extraction hose that I mounted next to the lower blade guides, which helps reduce the dust produced while resawing.

On top of this is a brace which must be mounted 90° to the base for which the springloaded face is fitted to. The springs were sourced from a cylinder head reconditioning shop. They are used motor cycle engine valve springs and have just the right tension for the job. They are also the right price as cylinder head shops have hundreds of used valve springs which are just discarded so I got mine for free. New springs would be too hard and would not have the required give for this task.

Coach bolts hold the ball bearing face to the top of the jig and are fixed so that the face of the jig can move when the springs are compressed when the timber is passing through for sawing. Six ball bearing rollers are then fitted to the face in two rows with the first row of rollers sitting about 20mm from the teeth of the sawblade.

I locate the jig and lock it in place with the coach bolts and then clamp the whole jig to the saw table.Using this jig and fence and with correct tension on the blade, I have been able to resaw 360mm wide boards of elm and have a constant thickness along the width and length of the board. The bandsaw I use is a Hafco BP630 from Hare Forbes and, while not in the class of European bandsaws, it is still a reasonably well made machine.

Tensioning the blade

I don’t have a tension gauge on my saw so I tension the blade in the steps described below. This is done only once when a new blade is fitted. I use the two smaller jigs shown opposite when resawing smaller sized boards. Together, these jigs give the accurate resawing results I need for the furniture I make.

Remove the upper and lower blade guides as nothing should touch the blade for this setup.2. Put tension on the blade and start the machine.3. Slowly detension the blade till the blade starts to flutter. Now tighten the tension adjuster until there is no flutter on the blade and it runs smoothly.4. Tighten the tension adjuster another full turn.5. Mark on your tension adjusting wheel where this is in relation to a set position on the bandsaw. The photo above shows the mark I have on my tension adjusting wheel when proper blade tension is achieved. This makes it easy for when the wheel is loosened two turns for blade de-tension.6. Refit your guides to manufacturer specifications.7. De-tension the blade immediately after sawing is finished. I loosen the adjuster off by two turns and then put up a sign to let me know that I have done this so that I don’t turn up two days later and try and wind up the tension adjuster two turns when it is already tensioned.

Raising the lower guides

The 50mm plate is now sitting beneath the guides.

I found that the lower guides on my bandsaw were a long way below the table. The thrust bearing was about 70mm below the timber being sawn which made the guides about 100mm below the timber. I made a 50mm plate to sit the lower guides on which again improved my resawing, as the thrust bearing now sits about 20mm below the timber with the guides being about 50mm from the timber. I used two 25mm pieces of MDF and purchased longer bolts to mount the whole assembly to the bandsaw. This was a very cheap improvement as the only cost involved was the bolts. If you do this modification ensure you isolate the machine from the mains power.

Small resawing jig

I use the jig shown above for cutting thin timbers for bent laminations. Again the idea is that I can get the upper blade guides as close to the timber as possible. This is a scaled down version of the medium jig (see below) using one wheel and a coach bolt for the axle. The small and medium jigs don’t have a guide to sit in the bandsaw mitre track, but are simply clamped in place to the desired cutting thickness. I brace the bandsaw rip fence in place with a clamp and block of wood to prevent any sideways movement of the fence.

Medium resawing jig

This jig is for resawing boards up to 160mm wide. The advantage of using this jig over the large jig for smaller boards is that the upper guides can be set lower and closer to the timber. You can make it from whatever you have lying around the workshop. I used three rubber tyred wheels (available from Bunnings) with a coach bolt for the axle. This is a very cheap jig to make but a very effective one. The rubber tyres have a couple of millimetres of give in them, so the jig can be clamped a bit closer to the fence than the thickness of the timber being sawn. This ensures the timber is held firm up against the rip fence.

Darren Oates is a regular contributor to Australian Wood Review magazine. This story was first published in issue 64.Read an interview with Darren here. Contact him via his website.

What is Resawing? How to Resaw on Table Saw vs. Bandsaw

When I started woodworking as a hobby, out of the many terminologies, one that confused me the most was resaw. Why would someone saw the same wood again and again? Now that I know all about resawing let me explain what resawing is and why you would want to do it.

Resaw Definition

Resawing is the process of slicing the timber along the grain direction to reduce it to thinner sections or to make veneers. In simple terms, you are splitting the thickness of the wood to get two thinner slabs.

Resawing is a type of rip cut. However, not all rip cuts are resawing. You can find a detailed explanation of this under the rip vs resaw section.

Here is a picture of a woodworker performing resawing on a Band saw.

Later in this article, I will explain the machine tools you can use for resawing and why a Band saw is the best choice to do resaw. But first, let us see the advantages of resawing why do you want to do this.

Why Resaw Wood?

Resawing is done to mill logs into lumber in order to reduce the thickness of lumber and to produce veneers.

Logs into Lumber:

Sawmills use large wide blades to cut logs into boards and planks by resawing. If you are cutting a log into lumber on your Band saw, start by making a flat face on the side that is going to ride on the table. This is to avoid rolling off of the log.

Save Money:

Exotic woods are expensive. When you don’t want to use the full thickness of the standard-sized lumber, you can resaw the wood on a bandsaw or a table saw to slice the wood into two pieces.

Grain:

The two different logs of wood will have different grain patterns. Resawing produces two slabs with almost identical grain that can be book-matched. over, the inside of the sliced surface may reveal more interesting grain patterns and colors.

Veneers:

A wood veneer is a thin layer of wood cut from timber. They are usually 0.5mm to 2.5mm or less than 1/8-inch in thickness. Wood veneers are cut by resawing. Veneers are widely used in making furniture and interior decoration.

Furniture made out of MDF is often covered by veneers that are glued on both sides of the main panel to seal and stabilize. Veneer sheets, veneer beading, and veneer wallpaper are all used for interior designs.

band, resaw

Rip Vs Resaw

What is the difference between ripping and resawing?

Both ripping and resawing are cutting the wood along the grain direction. However, in ripping you are cutting across the width whereas resawing refers to cutting across the thickness.

Take a look at the images below that illustrates the difference between resaw and rip-cut. Note that in both cuts the length of the lumber is not reduced.

In short, rip-cut splits the wider board into two smaller width boards. On the contrary, resawing slices the lumber into two thinner boards.

How to Resaw?

Resawing can be done manually with a hacksaw or by using a machine tool such as a table saw, Band saw or sawmill. Since we are mainly talking about power tools, let’s FOCUS on the two types of powers saws that woodworkers often use.

Can you resaw with a table saw? You can resaw on a table saw by cutting from both sides. However, a Band saw is the best tool for the job. Let me explain why.

Resawing Band Saw vs Table Saw

The basic process of resawing is similar on both machines. You have to set the blade straight. Set the fence parallel to the blade at the desired position according to the thickness of the slab you want to cut. Then you push the lumber against the fence and feed it against the blade to make the cut.

For resawing, a Band saw is preferred over a table saw mainly because of two reasons.

Resawing on Table Saw

Every woodworker has a table saw. It is one of the most versatile tools that can perform a variety of cuts. Resaw is no exception. However, there is a limit to which the table saw blade can be raised above the table surface. Due to this limitation, you cannot resaw wider boards or planks on a table saw. However, there is a solution. On a table saw, you can use two-pass to cut wider boards. The procedure is simple. After you made the first cut, flip the wood edge on edge to butt the same side against the fence and make a second cut. However, this only works when you resaw boards with a width less than twice the amount of maximum blade rise.

This is because boards that are wider will leave a bridge between the two cuts. You will have to take this to a Band saw and cut it again.

Resawing on Band Saw

The biggest advantage of using a Band saw to resaw is that it can resaw wider lumber. On a Band saw, you can raise the blade guide to accommodate much wider boards that can’t be cut on a table saw. Furthermore, by using the thin kerf Band saw blade you will save wood and thus money. Since the cut is finished in a single pass, the resulting edges are usually cleaner and straight. And finally, bandsaws are less dangerous than table saws.

For the best results, you should use a dedicated resawing blade and tune the bandsaw properly to get clean-sawn edges.

Wood slicer blades for Resawing on Band saw

Use a thin kerf blade with 2-5 TPI (tooth per inch) for resawing. Many bandsaw blade manufacturers are producing dedicated wood slicer blades with minimal set. Get a blade with a variable pitch since they are known for reducing vibration and producing less noise pollution.

If you use a fine blade with more TPI, there will be less clearance for the sawdust. This will result in biting and deflection of the saw blade.

A wider blade would be more stable and will produce accurate cuts. A ½ inch blade should be sufficient for most resawing jobs for DIY projects. You could go for ¾ inch or 1-inch blade for better results. If your bandsaw can’t accept such wider blades, use the widest possible blade you can use on your bandsaw for resawing.

Summary: Resawing is the process of cutting the wood across the thickness and along the length to produce two thinner slabs of wood. You can resaw manually or with the help of a machine. The bandsaw is the most widely used machine for resawing.

band, resaw