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Thread: Bandsaw Feed Assist

  1. #1
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    Bandsaw Feed Assist

    Needed to use the bandsaw feed assist - which I had described fabricating in other threads. That meant I had to actually finish it to make it usable. So I quickly assembled a mockup of the base out of plywood. The idea was that using the mockup would expose some of the limitations and provide insights into how to make it better before committing to welding up in steel.

    All worked as planned. First of all the feed assist works fantastically well and helps produce a very consistent veneer with minimal pressure on the wood being cut. As expected, the in-out adjustment turns out to be critical and also hard to adjust with the clamps. So one idea is that when fabbed up in steel, slots wwith kipp levers would allow quick adjustment to take up the slack created by cutting off a veneer. A more sophisticated option would be to replace the springs with pneumatics that would automatically adjust. I had considered that approach but felt it would overly complicate the project.

    I'm open to ideas from the membership on what the final bracket might look like.

    The wood is lacewood and I cut six veneers out of a single board. Shown pieces are 10-1/2" wide by 22" long and about 6/64" - 3/32" thick. Expectation is that when glued both sides to the 5/8" panel, the final thickness will be 3/4" following sanding. I cut using a 1" Lenox Woodmaster which leaves a reasonable finish, but I did run the board through the wide belt after each pass.
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    Last edited by Bill Adamsen; 06-27-2017 at 7:03 PM.
    "the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” Confucius

  2. #2
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    Incredible finish!

  3. #3
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    I thought the usual bs assist was simply a cable with a weight to pull the work through the blade. That is how many rock slab saws work. I am not sure how it hooks onto the work. Is yours motorized wheels?
    Bill D

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    I thought the usual bs assist was simply a cable with a weight to pull the work through the blade. That is how many rock slab saws work. I am not sure how it hooks onto the work. Is yours motorized wheels?
    Bill D
    I just push the wood through. There is very little pressure required so motorized wheels are not necessary, and with all my concentration on the rate of cut I can adjust that rate (hand pressure) to optimize. Obviously this is optimized for cutting veneers where the thickness is critical. Were you simply ripping dimensional stock and lots of length, then a power feeder would be the way to go.

    The assist I'm referring to is pushing or supporting the wood with even pressure against the fence so that the veneer comes out an even thickness. With this device that's accomplished by having four wheels lightly but evenly sprung against the wood. It works great. This was based on a proven design of a resaw guide developed by Clayton Sansbury over at Silver Paddleboards. I made mine with more arms. Perhaps one day I'll make the replacement fence with wheels. One challenge is that the wheel bores are metric so drilling and threading required, in many cases, metric tooling and parts. No big deal really.
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    Last edited by Bill Adamsen; 06-28-2017 at 8:32 AM.
    "the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” Confucius

  5. #5
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    I think the assist I am thinking of is for metal cutting bandsaws where the cut might take tens of minutes.
    Bill

  6. #6
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    Nice that it has multiple points of contact / pressure.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  7. #7
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    Before going thru all that work I would consider getting a wood slicer from Highland woodworking.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Willing View Post
    ... consider getting a wood slicer from Highland woodworking.
    This would work fantastically well with a Woodslicer. But it works equally well with my Lennox Woodmaster CT and really any blade.
    "the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” Confucius

  9. #9
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    That is not so much a "feed assist" as a wheeled feather board, if I am seeing what I think I am seeing.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Reischl View Post
    That is not so much a "feed assist" as a wheeled feather board, if I am seeing what I think I am seeing.
    Sure ... wheeled feather board. It leaves me free to push the board through so I think of it as an extra assisting set of hands.
    "the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” Confucius

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Adamsen View Post
    This was based on a proven design of a resaw guide developed by Clayton Sansbury over at Silver Paddleboards. I made mine with more arms. Perhaps one day I'll make the replacement fence with wheels. One challenge is that the wheel bores are metric so drilling and threading required, in many cases, metric tooling and parts. No big deal really.
    Gee thanks, I went the site and lost an hour, but gained a project... (wooden paddle board)

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jay Larson View Post
    Gee thanks, I went the site and lost an hour, but gained a project
    As my teenage daughter says, "I have absolutely zero willpower to resist such attractive diversions."
    "the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” Confucius

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