Resawing question

[Stretch]

I was wondering what others do for resawing to thinner pieces. I have a 14" (it's a Craftex from Busy Bee tools) bandsaw it's old and in rough shape it makes resawing very difficult.

I would like to replace it and was wondering if I could go smaller than my existing 14" bandsaw (and be happy)  and what is working for others;

Do some of you glue up boards from small bandsaw cuts of say 5"  is that something I should want to avoid?

Money is an object  

 

 

 

Edited January 22 by Stretch

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Over the  years I have resawn lots of boardfeet of lumber both exotics and domestics. But my shop is set up with large tools like a 14" bandsaw and a 16/32 drum sander and planer. You ask can you resaw on a smaller bandsaw. The answer is yes and no. Yes if you are talking small boards about 5 to 6" in heght and not very long. Smaller bandsaw can only take blades about 1/2" they can not take blades that are designed specifically for resawing because a resaw blade has different metal makeup than standard blades to be a good quality blade. You are limited on height as I said and also on HP of the motor so sawing long boards will trip the breakers from heat. Also some woods just would not be able to be cut because of the smaller motors. They are too dense like bloodwoods and other oily woods. The bandsaw is one of those tools that needs to be tuned to perform well. Everything from blade tracking to type of blades and feed rates and more. There was a bandsaw question not long ago here and I suggested the Rikon brand  10" if looking at a benchtop. Good luck.

You asked about splicing baords. yes you can do it if the edges are true and you use good carpenters glue. But the thinner you make the boards the less glue surface so it can be fragile. 

[Bill WIlson]

If you have a table saw, you can resaw with that.  It takes longer and potentially wastes more wood, due to a much thicker kerf, but it is an option. As far as capacity, you probably wouldn't be losing much (if any) over a 10" bandsaw.

To do it safely, it's a good idea to make several passes, raising the blade a little at a time and cut from both edges, leaving a small bridge in the center of the board to hold it together.  Then you can use a handsaw to cut through the narrow bridge and plane the surfaces smooth.

Yes, I've successfully glued up panels with stock as thin as little over a 1/4" thick.  I like to leave it a little thicker than needed, then plane the whole glued up panel to final thickness, provided it fits in my planer.

[Dan]

I resaw on my 12" Jet and it does a good job. After tuning it up and readjusting the fence I get very consistent and repeatable cuts. I run the wood through the drum sander and have gotten down to 1/32” finished strips.of course, I was only working with 2" strips. 

I also built a thin-strip ripping jig for the table saw. Much faster and safe. Again, only making narrow strips right now.

[BadBob]

I generally don't resaw boards. I mostly make toys, fretwork shelves, and ornaments. If I have something to make where I do not have thin enough wood, I cut it from thick stock and resaw the part after it is cut. You don't need a lot of power to do this.

You can buy wood in just about any thickness you want. Ocooch Hardwoods is a good place to purchase thin wood. You may not need a bandsaw if all you do is scroll saw work. 

[TAIrving]

17 hours ago, Bill WIlson said:

If you have a table saw, you can resaw with that.  It takes longer and potentially wastes more wood, due to a much thicker kerf, but it is an option. As far as capacity, you probably wouldn't be losing much (if any) over a 10" bandsaw.

To do it safely, it's a good idea to make several passes, raising the blade a little at a time and cut from both edges, leaving a small bridge in the center of the board to hold it together.  Then you can use a handsaw to cut through the narrow bridge and plane the surfaces smooth.

Yes, I've successfully glued up panels with stock as thin as little over a 1/4" thick.  I like to leave it a little thicker than needed, then plane the whole glued up panel to final thickness, provided it fits in my planer.

I am one with Bill on this.  I do some resaw with my bandsaw, but my bandsaw is old and does not do it very well.  So I do much of my resawing on my tablesaw.  Either way, I resaw it a little thicker than the desired finished product and then plane it.

And I glue up thin panels for scrolling, down to 1/4".  You have to get the edges right so there are no gaps.  And you have to plane it after the glue-up.  But this is how I get most of my panels for scrolling.  

[Stretch]

Thanks for the advice everyone! 

I think I will keep my lousy saw for now and keep my eyes open for a good used one until fall, hopefully one comes along.

I find resawing on it the most frustrating thing in the world!

 

[Wichman]

My first question is, how big is the motor?

Second question is can you refurbish the saw on your own? New tires and new guides? Is there a service center nearby that could do that for a reasonable fee?

What other shop tools do you have? Table saw, sawsall, hand saws. If the band saw is underpowered on its own, can you use a table saw to remove enough material that the bandsaw could finish up the center of the board. You can get wider board by using a table saw to remove some of the wood, from both sides and then use a sawsall, with a long blade ( with the teeth that are not cutting ground down ) to remove the center. Lots of different ways to get the job done. It's what you have and not necessarily buying a bunch of new tools.

[Dan]

There are a lot of good videos on Youtube that can help with bandsaw tune-up. They helped me to get more familiar with my saw and improve the cuts.

Also, if you haven't already, get a new blade. It makes a world of difference. I usually use Olson or Timberwolf, but there are others. I just installed a resaw blade from Highland Woodworking and am amazed at how fast it cuts through the wood. It is also noticeably quieter than other blades. It is slightly thinner so puts less drag on the saw's motor and has a different tooth pattern to clear the kerf more efficiently, or so they claim. The price is comparable to the other blades I mentioned. So far, I'm happy with it. 

[Stretch]

22 hours ago, Wichman said:

My first question is, how big is the motor?

Second question is can you refurbish the saw on your own? New tires and new guides? Is there a service center nearby that could do that for a reasonable fee?

What other shop tools do you have? Table saw, sawsall, hand saws. If the band saw is underpowered on its own, can you use a table saw to remove enough material that the bandsaw could finish up the center of the board. You can get wider board by using a table saw to remove some of the wood, from both sides and then use a sawsall, with a long blade ( with the teeth that are not cutting ground down ) to remove the center. Lots of different ways to get the job done. It's what you have and not necessarily buying a bunch of new tools.

it is a 1hp motor, I am reluctant to spend the money to try and fix all the parts that could be improved it would cost a great deal with no guarantee I would be happy at the end of it all.

It always seems to have enough power just impossible to keep it from drifting. I am sick of wasting good wood. I have tuned it up the best I can after watching tons of youtube videos.

I do like the idea of just finishing it on the bandsaw ( I do have a table saw) never occured to me. I also have a sawzall so that would work as well. great suggestions.

I would like to scroll hardwoods more often and this is what has deterred me mostly.

I can buy thin boards locally but they are very pricy (but so is a new bandsaw  )

 

[Stretch]

17 hours ago, Dan said:

There are a lot of good videos on Youtube that can help with bandsaw tune-up. They helped me to get more familiar with my saw and improve the cuts.

Also, if you haven't already, get a new blade. It makes a world of difference. I usually use Olson or Timberwolf, but there are others. I just installed a resaw blade from Highland Woodworking and am amazed at how fast it cuts through the wood. It is also noticeably quieter than other blades. It is slightly thinner so puts less drag on the saw's motor and has a different tooth pattern to clear the kerf more efficiently, or so they claim. The price is comparable to the other blades I mentioned. So far, I'm happy with it. 

Thanks Dan,

I have watched a ton of those videos and they did help but not enough! they certainly reduced the noise level.

The saw has enough power I have successfull resawn some pretty thick wood ( 7 inches of maple) but I probably average a 50% success rate from holding to the line resulting in firewood. It makes me afraid to resaw.

I have a decent blade for resawing (bought it because of the youtube video's I watched). 

 

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

11 hours ago, Stretch said:

Thanks Dan,

I have watched a ton of those videos and they did help but not enough! they certainly reduced the noise level.

The saw has enough power I have successfull resawn some pretty thick wood ( 7 inches of maple) but I probably average a 50% success rate from holding to the line resulting in firewood. It makes me afraid to resaw.

I have a decent blade for resawing (bought it because of the youtube video's I watched). 

 

 

What saw do you have? Could you explain your method of trying to resaw? Are you doing this freehand or do you have a fence set up? if you have a fence how did you set the fence? When you say drift, all bandsaws have some sort of drift. It is alot like a scrollsaw blade. they too have drift and yet people do not realize it. The precision blades have less drift because they are not stamped. When you set a fence you must account for drift or else your saw will constantly be fighting this and cause wear of blade as well as burning of the wood. Blade tension is critical also. Every blade has certain tolerances to how much tension it needs to perform best. Each package should have this info on it or you can look them up. Now they are guidelines and you go from there. Most saws need a little more tightening especially the older they get. Setting the guides as well as riding on the tires of the wheels are all important but as said there are videos that show this stuff. Now if the bearings in the wheels are going bad then much of this stuff will not cure the problem. Keep the guide system as close to the top of your wood that you are resawing. The more the blade is held in place with tracking bushings the better. 1HP motor is fine for a bandsaw. Good blades help alot too. the wider the blade and less teeth help in this area also. Use a blade designed for resawing. 

[Stretch]

5 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

What saw do you have? Could you explain your method of trying to resaw? Are you doing this freehand or do you have a fence set up? if you have a fence how did you set the fence? When you say drift, all bandsaws have some sort of drift. It is alot like a scrollsaw blade. they too have drift and yet people do not realize it. The precision blades have less drift because they are not stamped. When you set a fence you must account for drift or else your saw will constantly be fighting this and cause wear of blade as well as burning of the wood. Blade tension is critical also. Every blade has certain tolerances to how much tension it needs to perform best. Each package should have this info on it or you can look them up. Now they are guidelines and you go from there. Most saws need a little more tightening especially the older they get. Setting the guides as well as riding on the tires of the wheels are all important but as said there are videos that show this stuff. Now if the bearings in the wheels are going bad then much of this stuff will not cure the problem. Keep the guide system as close to the top of your wood that you are resawing. The more the blade is held in place with tracking bushings the better. 1HP motor is fine for a bandsaw. Good blades help alot too. the wider the blade and less teeth help in this area also. Use a blade designed for resawing. 

I use a tall shop made fence, 4tpi 1/2" blade (the biggest the saw can take) it's a Craftex 14 inch saw. I am sure lots of the bearings are kaput  I don't really want to spend a ton of money fixing it up as tires, bearings etc will probably ad up to more than the saw is worth and chew up a bunch of time. The most it can resaw is 7 inches because of the lousy design. Every time I change the blade I have to take off the side that holds the fence in place. 

I was considering a new Rikon 10 inch which they claim will resaw 5 inches. 

LoL replying to you almost  made up my mind that I am better off with the Rikon 10" although I pine for the 14 inch. Realistically the Rikon 10" can do 90% of what I want, and others have suggested ways around the limitations of a smaller saw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

4 hours ago, Stretch said:

I use a tall shop made fence, 4tpi 1/2" blade (the biggest the saw can take) it's a Craftex 14 inch saw. I am sure lots of the bearings are kaput  I don't really want to spend a ton of money fixing it up as tires, bearings etc will probably ad up to more than the saw is worth and chew up a bunch of time. The most it can resaw is 7 inches because of the lousy design. Every time I change the blade I have to take off the side that holds the fence in place. 

I was considering a new Rikon 10 inch which they claim will resaw 5 inches. 

LoL replying to you almost  made up my mind that I am better off with the Rikon 10" although I pine for the 14 inch. Realistically the Rikon 10" can do 90% of what I want, and others have suggested ways around the limitations of a smaller saw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well it sounds like you have your mind made up. Then go for it. I can not tell you how to spend your money but good luck. 

[timelett]

Perhaps look for a woodworking club within a decent drive area,you could take your stock and possibly get lots of help on cutting, maby even someone will have a good used saw.

Typically they have machines most of us can't afford, like me.

[don in brooklin on]

Since you are in Ottawa, you could check out KJP Harwoods

They have milling services including resawing.  https://kjpselecthardwoods.com/pages/milling-services

Sometimes it may seem expensive but when compared to a new bandsaw it might be cheaper.

 

 

[Roberta Moreton]

I put a new blade on my bandsaw and it made a world of difference!

[Jim Finn]

I resaw most everything I use.  I use 3/8" wood.  Oak, poplar, cedar, and maple along with bois d'arc.  I use a grizzly         GO 555 with a riser that i can resaw 12  1/2" wood. I use a carbide blade 1/2" and it works well for me.

Edited March 5 by Jim Finn

[BadBob]

14 hours ago, Jim Finn said:

I use a carbide blade 1/2" and it works well for me.

I have been considering buying a carbide blade for my bandsaw. Where did you purchase yours?

 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

2 hours ago, BadBob said:

I have been considering buying a carbide blade for my bandsaw. Where did you purchase yours?

 

I have been buying carbide blades for many years. I like the Lennox brand and buy them from Lennox. Have not bought one in a few years so imagine they have jumped in price. 

[Jim Finn]

5 hours ago, BadBob said:

I have been considering buying a carbide blade for my bandsaw. Where did you purchase yours?

 

I have a lenox blade.  they now are over $200 each.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

2 hours ago, Jim Finn said:

I have a lenox blade.  they now are over $200 each.

Are they really???? Ouch. 

[rjweb]

Jim, do you still do the farmers market up there, RJ

[Jim Finn]

15 hours ago, rjweb said:

Jim, do you still do the farmers market up there, RJ

 

15 hours ago, rjweb said:

Jim, do you still do the farmers market up there, RJ

NO  I stopped this past summer.  I plan to only do one show in the fall at a different place.  All the lifting that was required loading and unloading twice in 90 degree weather became to much for this 82 year old man. I was  lifting 1320 pounds each Saturday (35 pounds the heaviest item  though)  I did this for 16 years.  I now mostly make toys for our club that we give to charities here.  I make about 2000 of them each year. I am well, just getting lazy, I guess.

[Jim Finn]

On 1/22/2025 at 12:59 PM, Stretch said:

I was wondering what others do for resawing to thinner pieces. I have a 14" (it's a Craftex from Busy Bee tools) bandsaw it's old and in rough shape it makes resawing very difficult.

I would like to replace it and was wondering if I could go smaller than my existing 14" bandsaw (and be happy)  and what is working for others;

Do some of you glue up boards from small bandsaw cuts of say 5"  is that something I should want to avoid?

Money is an object  

 

 

 

I once had a 10" grizzly bandsaw and would NEVER  try to resaw  using it.  In fact, I gave it away.  I resaw almost everything I use to make my boxes because I use 3/8" wood for all my boxes.   I use a 12 : grizzly  (GO 555 with a riser)  for  ALL  my resaw needs.