Wood thickness question

[Gene Howe]

I have an abundance of 3/4+ walnut, cherry, maple, mesquite, and red oak scraps that I'm preparing to resaw, plane and sand, for Scroll saw use. My original thought was to cut at 1/8", 1/4", and 1/2"...maybe some 3/8". But, I'm wondering if it's wise to cut at 1/8" due to fragility of the solid wood finished project. What say ya'all? Thanks for your thoughts.

[Scrappile]

In my opinion, I would skip the 1/8". For the very reason you state.  In fact I would do all 3/8, save you time and waste.  By the time you plane it, it will be a little less than 3/8.  

[Gene Howe]

Thanks Scrappy. It WILL save time. Too bad 5/8" resawing bandsaw blades don't come in a "planer blade" configuration.

[preprius]

I use 1/8" wood for my cowboy hat brims.  I glue them as a butt joint to make them 18" wide.

 

[Dan]

I've made many ornaments from resawn hardwoods. The bigger the piece the more noticeable wood movement. 

[Bill WIlson]

Some woods will take planing down to 1/8" better than others.  Red oak is notoriously brittle, across the grain.  Cherry & maple, maybe a little less so.  That said, the pattern to be cut and the grain structure of the specific piece of wood contribute to the fragility of the finished piece.

I would probably go ahead and mill down a mix of thicknesses, depending on the types of projects I intend to make.  I would likely not pre-mill a lot of wood down to 1/8".  Rather I would wait until I had a need, then choose a specific piece of wood for the project and plane it down as needed.  

[TAIrving]

I regularly resaw/plane/sand hardwoods for scrollsawing, including maple, walnut, mesquite and cherry.  I have tried red oak but not so much any more.  

I plan/expect to lose 1/8" of thickness in the planing/sanding process and plan my resawing accordingly.  For example, if I want a 1/4" panel, then I resaw to 3/8", then plane and sand.  

[Gene Howe]

37 minutes ago, TAIrving said:

I regularly resaw/plane/sand hardwoods for scrollsawing, including maple, walnut, mesquite and cherry.  I have tried red oak but not so much any more.  

I plan/expect to lose 1/8" of thickness in the planing/sanding process and plan my resawing accordingly.  For example, if I want a 1/4" panel, then I resaw to 3/8", then plane and sand.  

I was just about to ask if anyone used mesquite. Any pointers, cautions, suggestions? My mesquite often requires resin infills. That shouldn't pose any problems, right? 

[Bill WIlson]

I don't know anything about Mesquite, so I looked it up.

From the Wood Database;

Grain/Texture: Honey Mesquite has a medium to coarse texture and open pores, with a slight natural luster. Clear portions of the trunk tend to have straight or wavy grain: though knots, defects, and other irregularities are common.

You mentioned that your mesquite often requires resin infills.  That, and the above lead me to believe that planing mesquite down very thin could be problematic.  Without having any experience with it, I would hesitate to plane it down to anything less than maybe 3/8" thick.

 

 

 

[TAIrving]

19 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

I was just about to ask if anyone used mesquite. Any pointers, cautions, suggestions? My mesquite often requires resin infills. That shouldn't pose any problems, right? 

Yes, mesquite does often have flaws that require infill.  Epoxy is my choice for infills, at least for the smaller to medium size flaws.  Another choice is to use wood glue mixed with mesquite sawdust.  

When using epoxy or resin, you might want to mix in some colorant.  Some use black as it sort of blends in with the natural colors of the mesquite, especially after you apply the finish.  I have infrequently used a contrasting color for effect; gold makes an interesting effect while turquoise really stands out.  Depends on your artistic taste of the moment and on your audience.  Experiment and have fun.  

As far as problems, no, none.  The mesquite is strong enough and stable enough that any patch you apply should hold.  

[Gene Howe]

Hi Thurman,

Mesquite has been one of my favorite woods for 50 years. Used mostly for boxes of varied description. but, I've been known to throw together a table,now and again. Here is one with glass for the river.  And, here's a rifle case in mesquite and ebonized walnut.

[TAIrving]

Beautiful work on the table and rifle case. The mesquite and blue river complement each other nicely. 
 

I have been working with mesquite for about 3 years and really like it. 

[Dave Monk]

I do a lot of different types of scroll saw projects so I only mill up what I need for the project I am working on.  I leave my band saw set up for resawing all them time.  

[rafairchild2]

I was using 1/4 for backer boards but found they warp way too easily.  I moved to 3/8 for my backers now, and have less warpage.  Pretty much I am doing most of my work in 1/2 inch, with the exception of my toys which are 3/4 and sometimes 1 inch.  

[Blaughn]

I routinely resaw four-quarter lumber (roughly 7/8th of an inch thick) and 8/4 lumber.  There will frequently be some movement of the wood (cupping and twisting) after resawing - (particularly with the 8/4 stock).  This is frustrating to say the least but all a part of woodworking.  When this happens, I cut the wider warped boards into roughly 3 to 4 inch widths - flip the wood to alternate the grain and edge glue to get the needed panel width.  

[Gene Howe]

Well, I now have several smallish stacks of mesquite, maple, red oak and walnut. All resawn scraps from larger projects. resawed and planed to 1/8", 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". Plus, a bunch of 1/2", 1/4" and 1/8" BB. I think It's enough to keep the De Walt fed for a looong time. Plus, enough to make some interesting glue ups for bandsaw boxes.

[JimMarco]

I've never worked with mesquite. It's now on the list.

[Jim Finn]

On 5/15/2023 at 12:11 PM, Dave Monk said:

I do a lot of different types of scroll saw projects so I only mill up what I need for the project I am working on.  I leave my band saw set up for resawing all them time.  

I do what Dave says but I resaw all my woods to 3/8". My re-saw band saw is set up for 3/8".

[Joe W.]

19 hours ago, Jim Finn said:

I do what Dave says but I resaw all my woods to 3/8". My re-saw band saw is set up for 3/8".

Thanks for that thought - I'm getting a bandsaw this coming week and looking forward to resawing reclaimed wood pieces I've been collecting over the past year.  

[Dave Monk]

3 hours ago, Joe W. said:

Thanks for that thought - I'm getting a bandsaw this coming week and looking forward to resawing reclaimed wood pieces I've been collecting over the past year.  

What did you end up buying Joe?

[Joe W.]

10 hours ago, Dave Monk said:

What did you end up buying Joe?

I choose the JWBS14-SFX 14 in.
Some because of the warranty, some the reviews I found online, and some because of the price - I ordered it thru Home Depot with free shipping and military discount.  
Also bought a 1/2" Highland "Wood Slicer" and a mobile stand for it.
 

[BadBob]

14 hours ago, Joe W. said:

Thanks for that thought - I'm getting a bandsaw this coming week and looking forward to resawing reclaimed wood pieces I've been collecting over the past year.  

Get a handheld metal detector and scan your reclaimed wood before resawing. A stray bit of metal can ruin a saw blade.

[Joe W.]

1 hour ago, BadBob said:

Get a handheld metal detector and scan your reclaimed wood before resawing. A stray bit of metal can ruin a saw blade.

A ten penny nail is many dollars spent!
Thanks for the tip.  I'll add that to my list of more things to get.

[Dave Monk]

13 hours ago, Joe W. said:

I choose the JWBS14-SFX 14 in.
Some because of the warranty, some the reviews I found online, and some because of the price - I ordered it thru Home Depot with free shipping and military discount.  
Also bought a 1/2" Highland "Wood Slicer" and a mobile stand for it.
 

I'm sure you will love it. I've tried a lot of blades and that is the best I have found. Congrats.

[Scrappile]

On 6/11/2023 at 6:04 PM, Dave Monk said:

I'm sure you will love it. I've tried a lot of blades and that is the best I have found. Congrats.

Which would you or anyone recommend. a 1/2" or a 3/4"?