# Resawing on a small bandsaw



## srzsrz (Apr 15, 2013)

What is the smallest size bandsaw you'd reasonably recommend for resawing? It seems most resaw blades are at least 3/4" and require at least a 14" bandsaw, but Timber Wolf has a 1/2" resaw blade that fits even the little 9" bandsaws like the Ryobi sold at Home Depot. They claim it's good for kiln dried domestic softwood up to 8" and hardwood up to 10".

Does anybody have experience with this? I'm currently looking to buy a bandsaw, and I'd prefer a tabletop model for my tiny shop, but I do want to be able to do some resawing, and if you guys say it just can't be done reliably, I guess I'll try to squeeze in a 14" bandsaw that can take 3/4" resaw blades.

I also regularly see the Craftsman 12in ones for sale locally, which come on a stand but aren't quite as bulky as the 14" ones. Has anyone used a saw like that for resawing?


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## Randy_ATX (Sep 18, 2011)

First off I would ask what size wood are you looking to resaw?

Also the 9" bandsaw will not cut a resaw height of 8" to 10".
I'm pretty sure a 14" bandsaw has a max resaw height of 6" with no riser.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

That Ryobi bandsaw can only cut up to 3 1/2" deep.

That Craftsman is somewhere around a 5" resaw capacity.

The standard 14" bandsaws resaw 6", or 12" with a riser. Be advised though that they don't really tension 3/4" blades properly. I would get a 1/2" 3tpi. I have a Grizzly G0555LANV with a 6" riser on it. I can resaw 10-12" hardwoods all day long with the 1/2" blade.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I have the 9" Ryobi band saw and even trying to resaw a 2×4 with an extremely thin kerf blade is very slow going. If you're even thinking about anything more substantial, you'll want at least a 14" band saw with a 1hp if not 1 1/2hp motor just to get started.


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## srzsrz (Apr 15, 2013)

Ah, yes, of course I can't very well expect to resaw anything that doesn't actually fit, right.

At the moment, frankly, the only particular project I have in mind is some bifold closet doors for an odd-sized closet. They would be some sort of softwood frames and plywood panels, but bifold closet doors need to be 1" thick for standard hardware and of course softwood comes in 3/4" (called 1") and 1 1/2" (called 2") (you Americans are nuts, you knew that?).

After that… who knows. Nothing outrageous, I don't think. I haven't seen much of *anything* wider than about 6" at lumber suppliers around here, not furniture grade anyway, but maybe I haven't been to the right places.


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## srzsrz (Apr 15, 2013)

Thanks for the comments. What I'm hearing is that 2×4s might be just doable, but painful if you have a lot of them, and anything bigger is going to be a real problem.

I think I'll go by the principle that if I save money by making something myself, I should allow myself to spend the savings on tools. Given the outrageous cost of custom-sized closet doors and how cheap the materials are that you need to make them, I think I may be able to squeeze in a 14" bandsaw after all ;-)

Financial logic makes perfect sense, right?


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

Don't forget that you don't have to mount the saw on the provided stand. You can put it on wheels with storage underneath if you have a small shop. That's on my list of things to make.


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## mpounders (Jun 22, 2010)

> Ah, yes, of course I can t very well expect to resaw anything that doesn t actually fit, right.
> 
> At the moment, frankly, the only particular project I have in mind is some bifold closet doors for an odd-sized closet. They would be some sort of softwood frames and plywood panels, but bifold closet doors need to be 1" thick for standard hardware and of course softwood comes in 3/4" (called 1") and 1 1/2" (called 2") (you Americans are nuts, you knew that?).
> 
> ...


You might look at the 5/4 boards used for decking…...they are actually 1" thick and you could just rip them down for your frames.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

You can resaw with a blade as narrow as 1/4" but I 
wouldn't go above 5 or 6" inches doing that.

A 14" or larger band saw is a very useful tool. Resawing
wider than 6" can be an annoyance anyway. The wider
you go the fussier the setup and the more likely the 
resawn wood is to cup significantly.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have good luck re-sawing 8" cedar and maple on my GO555 (with riser) 14" band saw using 5/8" Carbide blades form Grizzly.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I have a 1984 Delta 14" with a 3TPI 1/2" Timberwolf blade and have good results resawing up to the 6" I can. I would recommend a 14" just because it seems like a lot of people have said that if you go smaller, you'll want to upgrade soon. Don't know if that's true as I started with this saw.

I wouldn't recommend using resawn 2x stock for your door frames. If you're buying it from the bog box store, that stuff is prone to warping/cupping/splitting at the pith/etc as it is, and when you resaw it at the lengths needed for a door frame, you'll end up with far more garbage than you will usable material. I would recommend visiting a hardwood dealer and looking for 4/4 poplar, maple, etc. My dealer sells 4/4 S4S poplar at 7/8 for around $2-3/bdft. With lumber like that, you would be ready to just start cutting and assembling.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

You could also get 5/4 S4S hardwood, which would be right around an inch thick. It starts out at 1.25 inches, but once they plane it down smooth it ends up usually a hair over one inch thick.

You are really much better off with a thickness planer than a bandsaw for making the stock you describe. Either that or find a dealer that sells S4S (surfaced four sides) 5/4 lumber. Resawing is really for splitting very thick stock into usable thinner pieces or making very thin (< 1/2") pieces. If all you need is 1" stock, that's something that any decent hardwood supplier will have in stock.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

If you plan on doing much resawing a 14" saw is what you need as a minimum.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Are you currently shopping for a band saw or do you already have one that you're seeing if it will work for what you have in mind?


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## lndfilwiz (Jan 7, 2014)

I have purchased 5/4 boards from HD in various grades. I use it for window frames.


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## michael60622 (Aug 2, 2017)

Wait a second. Can't you just get a 8 inch belt driven bandsaw. Make a 6 inch riser for it. Replace the 1/3 hp motor with 1 hp one. That should make the saw ready for combat.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Wait a second. Can't you just get a 8 inch belt driven bandsaw. Make a 6 inch riser for it. Replace the 1/3 hp motor with 1 hp one. That should make the saw ready for combat.
> - michael60622


Ignoring the fact that this thread is/was about three years old…

Most (all?) smaller 8-9" bandsaws have a one piece frame. Riser block is not an option.

Cheers,
Brad


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## michael60622 (Aug 2, 2017)

Yes Sir MrUnix that's true. But every Carpenter makes his own tools. Don't get into the mind set you can't cut and weld that iron.

The term "there's more than one way to skin a cat". That's a woodworking term.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

> Yes Sir MrUnix that s true. But every Carpenter makes his own tools. Don t get into the mind set you can t cut and weld that iron.
> - michael60622


The Ryobi is all plastic 

But if you are willing to cut and weld, you might as well just go ahead and make one. Some pillow blocks and angle iron would suffice.. or you could just make one out of wood like Matthias - he even has plans. I doubt the frame of one of those smaller saws could handle the forces involved - even if reinforced.

Cheers,
Brad


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## ppg677 (Jan 21, 2016)

I've resawed 6" on my old Homecraft 10" bandsaw. Slow going because of the 1/3 hp motor. But I bet if I upgraded the motor to 3/4 hp it would go faster.


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## Fresch (Feb 21, 2013)

6" with a shopsmith bandsaw.


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## TungOil (Jan 16, 2017)

I have that same Craftsman 12" bandsaw. Just finished resawing a bunch of 5-1/2" wide Sapele for the table I'm building. It was slow but it worked OK with a 1/2" 3TPI blade. It's underpowered for any significant resawing in my opinion, but it will work if you are space constrained.


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## Horseman2 (Aug 14, 2017)

What is a riser on a bandsaw?


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## michael60622 (Aug 2, 2017)

Its a 'block' that goes on the neck of the bandsaw so the max depth of cut gets increased. This means the saw will need longer blades because the wheels are further away from each other now.


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