# How to: Resaw without a bandsaw



## Zuki (Mar 28, 2007)

In making the cabinet for DW I required some ¼" board to fill in the back panels for the doors. The only problem is that I do not have a band saw and I only have 1" board to resaw. What is a fella to do?

My process:

I cut the boards a little long and jointed both edges (using my router) as they will be running on the table saw. [no this is not the actual board I used . . . just for illustration purposes  ]

I roughly marked the center of board as a guide for the table saw. I split this mark with the blade. I also marked one face of the board as a reference side.

When I set up the TS I used two featherboards. This kept the board tight againt the fence as it entered the blade and as it left the blade. I cut the board in four passes - 2 with the blade at ½ height and 2 with the blade at full height. I made sure to leave at least ½" holding the boards together. Next time I will put on a taller fence and taller featherboards.

NOTE: make sure that on all 4 passes through the blade the board's reference side is aginst the fence. If not, your gonna results that you may not be happy with.

When the board was cut it was off the wood vice and a handsaw. My handsaw was less than sharp so it took a little longer than expected to remove the waste.

When the boards were separated it was off to the planer to finish up with the final product.

I am quite happy with the results.


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

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


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## gezz (Aug 2, 2007)

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


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## mot (May 8, 2007)

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


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

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.


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## Dadoo (Jun 23, 2007)

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.


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## TomFran (Jun 19, 2007)

Zuki,

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


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## Buckskin (Jun 26, 2007)

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!


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## Calgirl (Sep 26, 2007)

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.


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## David (Jan 26, 2007)

Zuki -

Excellent blog entry!


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## Zuki (Mar 28, 2007)

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.


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## jockmike2 (Oct 10, 2006)

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


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## che (May 18, 2007)

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.


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## bryano (Aug 19, 2007)

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


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## Dustmite97 (Aug 1, 2009)

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


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## RetiredCoastie (Sep 7, 2009)

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


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

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.


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## Zuki (Mar 28, 2007)

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.


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## reggiek (Jun 12, 2009)

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.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

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.


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## russv (Sep 21, 2009)

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


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

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.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Nice tip!


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

a1 Jim,
What am I missing? I would think that if you put a shim in the side not being cut, you are forcing the wood to close and pinch the blade. I think you would rather place a light clamp on the outside of the side being cut to keep the slot being cut from closing.

Make sense?


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

Ceriale, I was thinking the same thing. Maybe he meant insert a slightly loose shim, then clamp it in place?

Yep, definitely ditch the outfeed featherboard.

Zuki, I sometimes still resaw with the TS, then use the bandsaw to remove the small remainder. I do this because I feel that I get less waste than if I had done it completely on the BS.


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## JimDaddyO (Dec 20, 2009)

That is pretty much the way I resaw too. I do not use the featherboards as it closes the kerf. I put a MJ micro splitter on recently, but have yet to see how that goes on a resaw. It works great ripping. Instead of using a hand saw I use a reciprocating saw for the final cut. I use my new thin kerf freud blade and after resawing put the wood through the planer a few times to clean it up. I too, do not own a band saw, no funds or room for one right now.


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## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

Oh yeah, good trick!!! Always good to have alternative ways to do something.


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## uniquenickname (Jan 2, 2014)

I have used this technique too, although in truth it is a far second to owning a bandsaw (which I don't have). Use of a higher fence and featherboards will definitely help. Make sure your extended fence is square, because I had problems with non-parallel cuts from opposite sides. Cutting apart with a handsaw can leave scratches all over the workpieces, so one option is to tape spacers in the top kerf and try cutting clean through. Also tape leading edges together so you pull the outside part clear of the blade at end of cut. Feather boards can be problematic on the final cut since they tend to press the work piece against the blade.
A variation on this technique is to stick the work piece to a backer board with double-sided tape, and run the backer board against the fence. The backer board needs to be the same width as work piece.
For those of you concerned with safety: running your TS with blade fully extended is indeed scary!


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