# Resaw Jig



## JimmyB1775 (Jul 4, 2013)

I have some wood that needs resawing. I have a bandsaw but of course the throat is just small enough that my zebra, curly maple, cherry, padauk…. are all too big by just a hair. I can resaw it on the table saw by using the standard fence and flipping it after. I just don't like the feeling of lack of safety with cutting 2 1/2 deep into a block of wood, with my fingers so close to the blade. ESPECIALLY flipping the wood after. I can plane it after so saw marks aren't a problem. Does anyone have a good idea of how I can do this in a safer way? I can't think of a way.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Make a feather board 2.5" or taller, as tall as 
your fence. You can make a taller auxilliary face
for your fence too if you like. With the tall
(thick) featherboard on one side of the blade
and the fence on the other, you can confidently
use a push stick.

There are other methods too. You can make
a "push shoe" out of a piece of24" long 4×4 with handles
on it to get your hands away from the blade. Some
people use these on jointers.

A useful trick on the table saw is to resaw a little
less than half the width so there is a strip of wood
left in the center. It can be split apart with a chisel,
hand saw or sawzall.


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## JimmyB1775 (Jul 4, 2013)

The third idea is what I was thinking. With it having to be resurfaced anyway, it could cut it with a flush cut or other hand saw and just plane the hill in the middle. Thanks for the ideas. I like that more than one where it's fully cut through on the second pass.


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## JimmyB1775 (Jul 4, 2013)

Should I run more than one pass or do you think it's safe to run the full 2 1/2" cut the first pass? I suppose it wouldn't be much trouble to go 1" at a time.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I have a 4 hp table saw and I'll do 3" deep in one pass, 
but what you can do depends on how strong the
saw is.

As long as you aren't taking a cut so deep it bogs
the saw down a lot, resawing on the table saw
is an operation that I find reasonably safe and 
predictable.

Practice on some 2×4s or something like that and
you'll get a feel for what kind of power you have -
hardwoods are denser than pine though so if the
saw is struggling at a given depth with the pine, 
go shallower for the hardwood and do multiple
passes.


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## sixstring (Apr 4, 2012)

If using the table saw, a feather board is a must. I ended up buying one at Rockler that slides along the mitre slot and I love it, but for very large pieces, I'll actually clamp it down to the table for accuracy on repeat cuts.

Before I got the featherboard, I made a overly simplistic one by just clamping a 2×4 where it needed to be. Remember to have the smaller side of the cut on opposite side of the blade from the fence. That opposite side is where the featherboard should go.

Once set up, just start cutting and flipping. I've done this a lot now resawing 5×12 beams which were cut down to 4 or 5ft in length. Not sure I would chance resawing anything longer than that on my saw. I have a fairly large extension table but there is no denying that running wood this size through my table can be very nerve wracking.

Be careful, think it through, and focus on the task.


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## JimmyB1775 (Jul 4, 2013)

I have a few featherboards. Problem is my Jet has those silly tabbed miter slots that are only 5/8. I absolutely hate it. Not to mention you can't clamp anything to the table because the bottom is nothing but structural supports. Very uneven. I'll figure it out with the featherboards. If I have to, I'll mount them to a giant piece of ply and clamp that to the edge of the saw. Those tabbed miters drive me (and I'm sure a lot of others) crazy.


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## sixstring (Apr 4, 2012)

My Powermatic has the structural underside too so a scrap piece of wood is all that's needed, along with a good clamp or two of course.

I've grown quite addicted to resawing but mostly I'm using reclaimed materials. This gets extra freaky because of the potential for stray nails. I'm starting to really want a good size bandsaw but it'll have to wait.


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## JimmyB1775 (Jul 4, 2013)

Yeah, six. I have a craftsman bandsaw and I got it super cheap. Unfortunately, it's made in the last 10 years so it's garbage. It's only about 3 1/2" full open and doesn't cut well at all. No fence, no bearing guides. I use it as a safe, stable place to cut things in a hurry. I hate it though. Bandsaws are super expensive when they're decent.


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## maplerock (Jun 21, 2013)

James… I just got a Shop Fox 14" bandsaw after struggling with a Craftsman 14" saw (model 22400) I bought new 2 years ago. The Shop Fox has a miter gauge, fence, cast iron wheels and table and cuts like a dream. I was all set to get a Rikon 14" and found out they make the Craftsman Junk I hated so much.

The Shop Fox was about $590. Only a little more than the Sears (Which I had about 6 visits from repair in less than 2 yrs.)

New, but I LOVE it so far.


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## ADHDan (Aug 17, 2012)

I don't have a bandsaw, so I have to resaw with the TS. I use a combination of feather boards (as per above posters) and, depending on the type of resaw, a Grrripper. I also don't do my second pass all the way through; as mentioned above, it's best to leave a little strip to keep the pieces together, and then just chisel or saw it out.

This is one operation where having a riving knife that can match the blade height is a huge plus. My R4512 isn't the best saw on the market, but I love that riving knife.


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

Above methods cover the topic pretty good. The spline down the middle method I have used many a time. Even with a powerful saw, I take smaller cuts than *Loren* recommends, IMO, but that is more to keep blade heat down than safety or productivity.

The obvious solution has been mentioned though, hard to execute… Time to buy a bigger band saw!!!!


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## JimmyB1775 (Jul 4, 2013)

I just bought a new bandsaw blade yesterday thinking it might wander less. Nope. I just wasted about 3/16" worth of zebrawood. Maybe more. I'm going to have to use a table saw multiple times and then use the crap bandsaw I have to finish it off. It can't possibly wander if most of the cut is done.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

James, Your bandsaw blade can still wander A LOT even with the deep TS cuts on both sides. Don't ask how I learned this!

Describe your blade" wandering". Is it drifting consistently in one direction (blade drift)?

Is it bowing in the cut (usually seen with a dull blade, too little tension, or forcing too fast a feed rate)?

Or is it cutting a wavy line?


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## JimmyB1775 (Jul 4, 2013)

Wavy cut. It tries to follow the soft grain of the wood.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

A sharp blade with few teeth per inch tensioned properly should help that problem. When I resaw expensive/important woods I almost always use a single point resaw fence and follow a scribed line rather than using a flat fence to guide the board. My single point resaw fence is just a simple shop made piece.


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## JimmyB1775 (Jul 4, 2013)

What's your single point fence look like?


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

James, Too late to take a pic tonight. It is basically just a fulcrum to rotate your workpiece so you can follow a scribed line. I'll try to find a pic to link ya to. BRBhttp://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1101/resaw_fence_side_view.jpg

This is one style


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

http://finewoodworking.assets.tauntonnet.com/assets/uploads/posts/4991/Resaw_Fence_(5).jpg

This is like the one I use. But either will work.


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