Resawing on table saw?

[Paul Atkins]

Talk about dedication! How do you get a tablesaw and a bandsaw into a studio apt. bathroom anyway? It's a good thing you don't have to rip a 16 footer. I've resawn loads of wood on the tablesaw. You can raise the saw 1/4" at a time and run the stuff through multiple times that will help take out any pinch tendencies. Dry walnut is pretty stable in general. Another way is to rip each side up an inch depth or so and then take it to the bandsaw to cut the center . This will take a bit more cleanup, but is a bit safer. (Send a picture of the 'shop')

[Matt P]

Thank you everyone. One question, with a 3.5" wide x 1" thick x 2' long board, do I have to leave an "H" and finish the cut by hand, or can I cut all the way through on the second cut?
p.s. I've attached pics of my "workshop." In the second pic, underneath the sawdust is my shower razor. lol.

[John Sanford]

I'm with David K on this. You can do it on the tablesaw. I have, but only because I didn't have any other option at the time, and didn't know better. Since you have a bandsaw, you should use it, especially since you're working in a small non-workshoppy type of space. Somehow, I don't think you really want the excitement of a kickback ricocheting around your bathroom!

The bandsaw should be able to handle this cut as well as the tablesaw, since I doubt you have a cabinet saw in there. Today, even though I no longer have a bandsaw, I'll forgo resawing rather than do it on the tablesaw.

[David Keller NC]

Wow - Are you ever a candidate for a hand-tool shop! I can't imagine the domestic disturbance that would occur if I filled the tub up with router chips!

In answer to your question, you're better off not cutting out the central stem of the "H" on the table saw, because there's a chance that the piece between the raised blade and the fence will be kicked back when the cut is mostly completed (the featherboard will no longer be pushing that piece against the fence.

Don't do this if you're not comfrotable with it. Again, it's incorrect to estimate safety by how many people chime in on a forum with "I did it with no problems" - the sample size is too small, and those that have had accidents and are now nick-named "stumpy" tend not to post to safety threads... There's probably good reason why Marc Adams doesn't allow this type of cut on a table saw at his woodworking school, period.

[BOB OLINGER]

I appreciate the numerous posts concerning the safety of using the TS vs using the band saw. I have a 12" Craftsman floor model band saw. I tried resawing using a 3/8" blade (red oak) as I thought a wider blade would provide more stiffness. However, it appeared a struggle and I turned to the TS. I'd be willing to try the band saw again - can anyone provide better advice, such as a different blade?

[Chris Padilla]

In my experience, a good blade is important but its width isn't nearly as critical. I have a BS that can take a 1 1/4" wide blade but I've done resawing with a 1/2" wide bimetal blade and have gotten great results. It was a Lenox Diemaster2, 6 tpi, bimetal, hook style, 1/2" wide. I don't know if they make this blade in 3/8" width but a quick check at their website will tell you.

I think 50% of the cut is the BS set up (perpendicular blade to table top, guides guiding well, drift set, solid fence or point fence, coplanar wheels, proper tension) and the other half is the blade, its sharpness, and tooth design. The other 50% ( ) is experience resawing and understanding how your BS works doing it.

[Russ Sears]

Matt, I think you get the "Making do in 2008" award
I have to ask: did you make the toilet seat?

[Matt P]

Thanks everyone - For safety reasons and comfort-level, I decided to resaw using my benchtop 10" bandsaw. I bought a Woodslicer resaw blade, and my gosh, it worked really, really well. The stock Craftsman blades took forever to resaw, and burned. I never knew how much difference a blade could make! (Now if I only had a drum sander or planer to even out the widths, instead of using a belt sander...)

p.s. Russ - I didn't make the toilet seat! lol

[Curt Harms]

Thanks everyone - For safety reasons and comfort-level, I decided to resaw using my benchtop 10" bandsaw. I bought a Woodslicer resaw blade, and my gosh, it worked really, really well. The stock Craftsman blades took forever to resaw, and burned. I never knew how much difference a blade could make! (Now if I only had a drum sander or planer to even out the widths, instead of using a belt sander...)

p.s. Russ - I didn't make the toilet seat! lol

Isn't it amazing the difference a good blade can make? I had the same revelation when I first tried a Timberwolf. "Where have you been all my life?". There are several good bandsaw band manufacturers around but their products are not often found in home centers or typical suburban retail stores e.g. Sears.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

why not?
Slabbing Elm for Saw handles.jpg

[Peter Quinn]

Hey, I lived in a Manhattan studio apartment for 10 years and I got a 20" Agazzini BS in my studio apartment bathroom, along with a 12' SCMI slider and a shaper, so stop making excuses and get some tools man......

Ok, I was kidding about everything except the Manhattan studio apartment part. Yes you can resaw on a TS, use caution, possibly three or four passes (1/4 of the height, flip, 1/4, flip, etc) , use a good push block (piece of 3/4" plywood works well).

You may also want to try a hybrid method of TS and BS. Rip a 1" deep kerf on an edge, flip, rip another 1" deep kerf on the opposing edge. Resaw the remainder on the BS. Clean up with a planer. The TS kerfs give the BS a slot to follow and removes enough material to make the going easier.

Good luck, and how do you run a TS without calls from the neighbors?

[David Keller NC]

I appreciate the numerous posts concerning the safety of using the TS vs using the band saw. I have a 12" Craftsman floor model band saw. I tried resawing using a 3/8" blade (red oak) as I thought a wider blade would provide more stiffness. However, it appeared a struggle and I turned to the TS. I'd be willing to try the band saw again - can anyone provide better advice, such as a different blade?

Bob - Blade width is important. For a big, heavy bandsaw, one usually turns to as wide a blade as the saw will accomodate, as they will typically wander less than a narrower blade. However, on a small bandsaw, you want to do the opposite. The smaller bandsaw's issue is lack of power, and the amount of power it takes to drive the blade is affected by its width, how many teeth per inch it has, and the tooth configuration.

Even on my 2 HP Delta, I found that the motor bogged with a 1/2" hook-tooth 8 tpi blade. I then read an article a few years ago in FWW about making a "point fence" and using a much thinner, fewer teeth per inch, skip-tooth blade. Worked like a champ.

In the case of your craftsman, I'd go with either a 1/8" or 3/16" width blade, 4 tpi, skip tooth configuration. You then need to make a point fence - this can be as simple as cutting the edge of a board to a wedge shape, then mounting it to your existing fence so that the "point" of the wedge is just slightly forward of the teeth (by about 1/8"). You then need to either use one hand to force the bottom of the board against this fence, or rig a featherboard to do it for you. Naturally, the distance between the point of the fence and the blade is your width of cut.

In use, you carefully mark your board with a marking gauge, and use your other hand (your left for those of us that are right handed - the right hand is used to push the bottom of the workpiece against the point of the fence) to steer the board as it travels through the blade. Doing this effectively takes some practice, so don't try this on a nice piece of mahogany - ues a piece of scrap until you get the hang of it.

[glenn bradley]

In a recent Woodsmith, resawing on the table saw is the demonstrated method to produce the veneer for a leg. It is done in the two pass, flip the material manner of which you speak. I tried it on my contractor saw back-when and scared to doody out of myself. I have done it on my current, larger saw without incident but I also have gained some experience so that probably helps.