How to: Resaw without a bandsaw

You got a very nice result given the obstacles you faced.
There is certainly nothing wrong with using a good set up to resize lumber.
It’s not substitute for a decent bandsaw as the BS can slice em off like strips of bacon with little effort.
I can certainly applaude your efforts to move forward with a limited arsenal of tools and you got the right result which is all that counts.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

And I thought I had to spend big bucks to purchase a band saw…I’ll give it a try.
Mark

-- Mark, South Jersey

Nice result. I’ve seen this method and it always gave me a bit of pause. It looks like it did the trick!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Great job. I’ve never tried that way to get thin wood. I’ve always had a bandsaw even before I knew that I needed thin wood.

But I now use it all the time for resawing and cutting tenons on boards.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Nice post Zuki! I’ve done this before as well, and it works real good. Try adding a board, or piece of metal to “raise your fence height” which would stabilize the top as it passes thru the blade.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

Zuki,

This is pretty cool. Did you do this with “Sketchup?”

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Zuki, I have been thinking on how to do this for quite a while. I have had mixed emotions on using the table saw. But know that I see your efforts I I think I can, I think I can. Great Post!

Maybe I’m too safety concious (if there is such a thing), but this process seems very dangerous to me. To use the TS in this manner requires that you have a lot of control of the piece being sawn. A tall fence to be certain that the wood does not torque on you during the cut would help. If you tried to do this with a piece of wood that was a little thinner and/or narrower, you’d be in big trouble, I think. If the portion of the stock which is uncut (the part that must be sawn by hand later) is thin, this will allow the blade to bind and who knows where the stock would be thrown. Some kind of ingenious jig might help as long as everything is held secure both beside and above the blade.

-- Forget the health food, I need all the preservatives I can get !

Zuki -

Excellent blog entry!

-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com

Thanks all. I hope it helps other people with the same problem . . . lack of equipment. I consider I saved myself $500 from not having to buy a Band Saw (although one may be in my future).

Binding was a concern. Next time for an added measure of safety I will:
- add a taller fence
- may use taller featherboards
- use shims and clamps in the opening NOT being cut to ensure the board does not bind on the blade

I would not attempt resawing anything less than 1” as a 1” board – 1/8” blade = 2 boards @ 7/16. Planing would bring you down to 1/4” thickness.

I did indeed use Sketchup and then inported it into Paint for the text.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Thats using the ole noggin Zuki. Good for you. I’ve done it before too. But not as safe as you. Good job. mike

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

I’ve done this and would recommend having a tall fence and tall feather boards (Zuki’s looks fairly tall already) I would also recommend NOT using the outfeed feather board. At best nothing will happen, but you’re likely to burn the wood if the outfeed feather board pinches the wood and at worst case it will pinch and throw the wood back at you. Another trick (for longer boards) is to have an assistant pull the board from behind the saw once its clear of the back of the table. It’s the safest place to be and you don’t have to worry about when the blade is going to poke out the back of the board. A good feather board will keep the board against the fence.

A feather board similar to the Grip-Tite would work well.

-- Che.

Nice points che. the first time i did a resaw on the TS I burned a nice piece of cherry.

-- bryano

Looks like it worked very well. I am going to give this method a try.

-- Remember, measure twice, cut once

Nicely done. You should consider using a zero clearance insert.

-- Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines! Mike D.

I’ve used this method a ton of times with no problems. Use a tall fence, a feather board in front of the blade (I’d also ditch that second feather board) and small cuts. And as you did, I always leave a strong 1/4” or so in the middle and cut that with a hand saw. I have never used shims and don’t think they would be necessary if you leave enough wood uncut.

I also would not recommend it for anything less than a 1” board.

This method does waste a lot of the board, but if you don’t have a band saw – and don’t want to try your hand at hand resawing – it’s a good method.

Certainly a method to consider.

-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.

I have since bought a band saw so I have retired this method.

Funny thing is that I have yet the need to resaw anything. :-)

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

I have had to use my TS on occassion when the Bandsaw was not up to snuff….I would highly recommend though that if you use your TS…install the riving knife (I would not use the TS with just a saw blade and no guard) ....without one…you run a serious risk of kickback…and possible serious injury. If your saw does not have a riving knife…then I would recommend having someone with one/or bandsaw or a lumberyard make the cut for you.

Glad to hear you got a BS though now….be careful at all times…I don’t think any of us want to read about one of our good friends getting injured or worst of all killed by an accident that could have been avoided.

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!

No comment on the safety aspects Zuki, but I do think it was a darn good blog. Congrats on you bandsaw puchase. Your life will now be simpler.

-- Mike, American in Norway

i have resawn both ways and I like the TS method. If you want you can still final cut on the band saw and it is a lot easier. If you have a thin kerf TS blade, it makes the cuts go better also.

russv

-- yknotwood.com: where to go because you don't want no stinking plastic!

Hey Guys
I just saw Roy do the same thing with a hand saw , The old fashion way. Good blog I agree with the taller fence for sure and smaller increments. You need to very careful any time you have you saw blade cranked up that high. I also like to put a shim in the side not being cut just to avoid the wood from pinching the blade.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop, custom furniture maker, woodworking school, heirloomwoodshop.com