# resawing with a hand saw



## harum (Nov 25, 2013)

How to resaw a 8"-wide board if your bandsaw can only has 6" cutting height? What if you also have neither a kerfing plane, nor a frame saw? This contraption worked very well. It was pretty slow and took some elbow grease but with a sharper saw it could be much faster.

This is a version of a kerfing plane made of a hand saw, plywood fence, a shim, and three small clamps. The thickness of the shim determines how far from the edge the kerf is cut. 
I used 1/4" plywood for shim and adjusted the kerf depth to be 3/4"-turned out deep enough to keep the actual cut straight as seen in the photos. The resulting cuts are flat and require only a few passes with a plane.


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## memilanuk (Apr 15, 2008)

That's awesome!

Might not be the fanciest kerfing plane out there, but for a one-off job it's quick-n-dirty and got the job done faster than making a dedicated version would have taken.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention"


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Nice slice. How long did the actual cut take you? What is the saw filed for?

Magnetize it, or clamp it onto a rail, and drift goes away, smart use of a guide here.

Thanks for sharing.


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## harum (Nov 25, 2013)

Yes, I now wonder why bother with a kerfing plane if this contraption not only does the job but also is highly adjustable: the fence, the shim, the cut depth-all takes a few seconds to set.

It took 10-15 min to go through 8-1/2×17" board with a pretty full hand saw. This is a regular rip saw, 4 tpi or so.


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## anthm27 (May 12, 2015)

So just confirming,
You use your device to get the cut started , then remove clamps and shims and use the bare handsaw on its own to continue the cut???
Is that correct?
Regards
Anthm


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## harum (Nov 25, 2013)

> You use your device to get the cut started , then remove clamps and shims and use the bare handsaw on its own to continue the cut???
> Is that correct?
> 
> - anthm27


Yes, this is how I do this! This contraption, a makeshift kerfing plane, is to cut a 3/4"-deep kerf around the perimeter at desired offset. This is enough to guide the handsaw alone for a clean resaw.


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## harum (Nov 25, 2013)

Of course, it's a bit easier, faster-and deeper-to kerf the perimeter with table saw. Long sides of the board are done using the fence, and for safety reasons short sides are kerfed using a tenon jig.


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