# Making veneer with a bandsaw issues



## Ken_W (Feb 20, 2017)

Basic question, what am I doing wrong?

Im trying to cut some 7-1/2" by 22" pieces of 3/16" veneer from a ~36' long X 7-1/2" wide piece of 3/4" birch and not having much luck. I have a 3HP 14" Laguna Bandsaw with a drift master fence. I first tried a 1" resaw king blade that I though would work well and then tried 1/2 14 TPI blade which I didn't think was the right blade for the job but tried it any way. In both cases I set the fence for drift. The resaw king had a much greater drift angle than the 1/2" blade. I set the fence about 3/16" from the blade and went at it. The 1" resew king looked fine for maybe the first 12" and then the blade seemed to pull the wood away from the fence despite having a stop perched on the indeed side almost all the way to the blade to prevent that happening (basically it over powered the fingers on a magnetic stop I had set). The 1/2" blade was did OK on some 3-1/2"wide wood that I experimented on but when I went to the 7-1/2 birch the blade just seemed to squirrel around.

I just got the bandsaw a few months ago and have used it for cutting a few things but not a lot of experience with it. This is the most challenging cut Ive tried to do with it. As I said I don't think the 1/2" 14TPI blade was the right blade, but I think the resew kind should have worked fine.

What am i missing?


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## Bonka (Apr 13, 2012)

Enter Alex Snodgrass on Youtube it is a great tutorial.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

Fellow Laguna 14 user here. Bought in December. Mine has had zero drift right out of the box with the Laguna fence.

Yes. The RK should have worked fine. Are you sure the 14" saw will accommodate a 1" blade?

1. I use a 3/4" resaw king for resawing but I've used the Laguna 1/2" for softer woods and it works fine too but it isn't 14TPI. If you are using a 1" blade try adjusting the tracking to fix the drift. 1" is pretty wide for that saw.
2. Alex Snodgrass
3. I like to resaw with the veneer on the outside, not the inside using a jig like this
















4. How about your tensioning? Is there a setting on the gauge for a 1" blade? This screen shot is from the Laguna video from my 1412.









Also, here are the specs for the 14BX which says max blade width is 3/4"

I've been able to resaw everything from pine to cocobolo to 1/16th" with no issues. Like Gerald said, first do the full Snodgrass setup from start to finish.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Birch can be a very difficult wood to resaw because it distorts so quickly as it's cut. What does the wood look like after it's cut is it warped twisted or cupped.


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## Ken_W (Feb 20, 2017)

My saw is actually the 14SUV so its supposed to be able to handle a 1 blade. As for tensioning the gauge isn't as informative as yours is so I used the mild pressure on the blade below the upper wheel distorts the blade about 1/4". The wood was fine no distortion or twisting. The problem was that I was shooting for veneer of 1/8"-3/16", it started out fine but about 12" it started thinning out the veneer quickly and appeared to be pulling the wood away from the fence. I was making the veneer between the fence and the blade. My plan was to cut a piece of veneer, take the original piece of birch over the jointer and then rinse and repeat.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

I hate when that happens. BS's are tricky machines to set up right. Maybe a little more tension? Maybe cut the veneer on the outside holding the stock firmly against the fence? Are your guides adjusted properly? That blade properly tensioned should not deflect if the guides are adjusted properly. I've never had much luck with the various tensioning methods like the flutter test and the deflect method. Very subjective (or is that objective??). Again, definitely do the Snodgrass setup first if you haven't already. I'd suggest using scrap to get it set up first.

That blade should leave you a slice that only needs mild sanding but the jointer works too.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Here's one opinion on what causes this and bandsaw drift. Worth a look. And a cool jig by the way.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

Another way to set drift angle here. Another way to set tension at 3:20.

Lazyman's video above might explain your issue so again I'd suggest cutting the veneer to the outside.


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## BobAnderton (Oct 5, 2010)

Note the setup Andy shows in the first picture with the bearing forward of and on the right side of the blade and the fence on the left. Have the veneer you are cutting come off the right side of the blade. That's how I do it too. Something about stresses in the wood that are released in the cut will result in deflecting the veneer coming off but the source stock will be able to be kept flat against the fence and it won't affect your cut. After the cut just put the source stock between the fence and the bearing and slide the fence to the right until it contacts the bearing and lock the fence and you're ready to go again. Keeps your jointed face against the fence and undamaged.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

> Have the veneer you are cutting come off the right side of the blade. That s how I do it too. Something about stresses in the wood that are released in the cut will result in deflecting the veneer coming off but the source stock will be able to be kept flat against the fence and it won t affect your cut. After the cut just put the source stock between the fence and the bearing and slide the fence to the right until it contacts the bearing and lock the fence and you re ready to go again. Keeps your jointed face against the fence and undamaged.
> - BobAnderton


+1 Explained much better than I did.


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## AHuxley (Apr 22, 2009)

While it could be a number of things or a combination of two or more things low tension is likely to be at least a significant part of the problem. The SUV can't properly tension a 1" carbide blade, even a thin gauge one like the RK. The bandsaw spec that shows say a max 1" blade is not what the saw will tension but what width blade the saw and guides will physically accommodate. While it may be counter intuitive the issue is all blades of the same width don't need the same spring pressure nor the same strain. For example a 1" thin gauge carbon blade will need less than 50% of the spring pressure of a thick gauge 1" carbide blade. On a similar note bandsaw tension gauges (which reflect spring pressure) are only useful as a relative reference so slapping on a 1/2" blade and cranking the tension to 1/2" on the scale does not mean the tension is correct for that particular blade. In many scenarios even being 50% or more off of the ideal tension for a particular blade is a non-issue if the cut doesn't require a lot of beam strength. Tall resawing requires as much beam strength as a saw/blade combination can muster.

My suggestion is crank the tension up to the saws max (it will still be low for the 1" RK which likes 28-30k psi) however do NOT fully compress the spring, just get close. Then make sure you have your ceramic blocks all just kissing the surface of the blade (the proper way to run these guides). If you still see deflection (different disease from drift but presents the same symptom) reduce your feedrate and see if that helps. Keep in mind on a small saw like the SUV you will never have the beam strength for a fast feedrate and it needs more help from the guides than a larger/heavier saw. The SUV is a good saw for its size but you can't expect it to punch too far above its class.

BTW since he is using a Driftmaster fence I assume he IS cutting the veneer to the right side of the blade, that is how that fence is designed to work. On my hand fed setup I cut with the veneer to the right side using a DM fence, on my power fed rig I cut with the veneer to the left, never really seen a difference however the power fed veneer is smoother for obvious reasons.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

Great points AHuxley.

Maybe you need to go down to a 3/4" RK. The drift issue aside there is no reason why my smaller 1412 3/4hp can cut thin veneer through bubinga, cocoblo etc like butter and your SUV can't.

But….since everything influences everything else on a bandsaw you should zero out the drift and increase the tension and try cutting on the outside as a start. Maybe a 3/4" blade will eliminate the drift. You'd have more control over where it rides on the tires. Laguna says to center the blade not the teeth on the wheel.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

One more thought… A particularly dirty or dull blade can cause problems as well. I was having problems with my 3/4" blade after cutting a particularly resinous wood and after cleaning it using some simple green, it cut like new again.


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## Ken_W (Feb 20, 2017)

Sorry everyone, I had to go out of town for work for a couple of days. I think I might have a combination of things going on here.

(1) Ive got a feeling that the 1" RK may be too big and Im not getting enough tension. It does fit nicely on the wheels but I can barely tension it up per the snodgress method. Im going to give it one more try though.
(2) try and cut on veneer between the fence and the blade on the LH side of the blade. IM going to go get that table saw bearing that Andybb has, Rockler has it for $35 and Im going to try it on the RH side as some people have suggested.
(3) I thought I did the drift set properly, I did it by marking a 6" straight line on squared up block of wood cutting it as close to the line as I could then setting the fence angle to the angle the block of wood forms. Ill try the snodgras method with a straight edge up against the blade and see how that goes..

Ive got a 12" piece of pine that was a shelf in the garage square up and give the cut a try before I give up on the 1" blade or use some good wood. Im finding that resawing on a bandsaw is quite bit more finicky than I thought.

Thanks for the help, and Ill report back.


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## AHuxley (Apr 22, 2009)

> (1) Ive got a feeling that the 1" RK may be too big and Im not getting enough tension. It does fit nicely on the wheels but I can barely tension it up per the snodgress method.


Be aware the Snodgrass "tap" method will result in a very low tension for a carbide blade, it is OK for a carbon blade. This is where I usually mention a tension gauge but most people aren't going to spend 200-300 bucks on one, and yes I know Duginske's opinion on bandsaw gauges. In any event you aren't after the last bit of quality currently, you are just chasing a straight cut so the SUV should still be able to get you there at max tension.

One thing to try is if the blade keeps deflecting try slowing your feedrate WAY down, if the cut's straightness does not improve then tension is much less likely to be an issue.


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## BroncoBrian (Jan 14, 2013)

AHux crushed it!

I was about to say the saw makes no difference. But it does in this case. You should try a 3/4 blade. I buy Lennox blades from somewhere in Ohio (don't remember). They make the RK or Timberwolf (also don't remember) and are less expensive than getting the same blade packaged in the retail shops.

Anyhow, a deeper blade is not always better. I was able to resaw 1/8 easily with a 1/2 blade not designed for resaw at all. That was 7" Mahagony. I think the tension is 95% of the issue.


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## AHuxley (Apr 22, 2009)

> (2) try and cut on veneer between the fence and the blade on the LH side of the blade. *IM going to go get that table saw bearing that Andybb has, Rockler has it for $35 and Im going to try it on the RH side as some people have suggested.*
> 
> - Ken_W


This hit me earlier this morning. Why have you been cutting the veneer to the left of the blade when you have a Driftmaster fence? You don't pay $400 extra for that fence just to use it to set drift easily, the main use of the Driftmaster fence is to use the crank and lead screw to advance the stock for the next veneer cut. You don't need a stop block from Rockler as you have an expensive fence designed to be used to cut veneer on the right.

While you can get potentially better finish by cutting on the right that isn't the main issue here.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Before you spend the money on the bearing have a look at Andybb's first photo with the yellow wood. That's one I took making Barberry veneer. The bearing I'm using there amounts to the same thing but only costs a buck or two and only that if you don't have an old bearing lying around.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

> That s one I took making Barberry veneer. The bearing I'm using there amounts to the same thing but only costs a buck or two and only that if you don't have an old bearing lying around.
> - shipwright


Yes. I should have given credit where credit is due. Mine is just a copy of his that he posted in an old thread when I had the same questions. I just didn't have a picture. I had an old bearing so the cost was zero.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

No problem Andy. Public domain and all that. 
I'm just glad I can help now and then.


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## Ken_W (Feb 20, 2017)

<laughter>

I was cutting on the left due to inexperience. I've taken on woodworking as hobby, 2 years ago my wife told me I had to have one if I was even going to start thinking about retiring. Since then I've been collecting woodworking equipment; garage space not money is turning out to be the limiting factor. Anyway kids are gone and mostly off the payroll (aside from a few dollars in emergencies), the house and cars are paid for and I hate golf so I can afford to buy toys. I'd never used a bandsaw before, and I bought this one around Christmas. Id used it for some non-straight cutout work but nothing challenging. I bought the saw with the idea that at some point I was going to do some resawing on some of the notional future projects I had in mind, (aka Laguna had a sale). In this case I was attempting to resaw some 3/4 birch for some 1/2" thickness drawers for the cabinet I was building and I was going to use the offcut for the veneer on the crummy plywood side of the cabinets. In the past I had planned down the 3/4" down to 1/2" to make drawer sides. Figured this way I could save some wood and get some experience with the saw in more challenging configurations. That was the plan anyway. When I thought up, on a table saw when you want the same width on multiple parts you get it between the blade and fence, that's what I was trying to do here. I was too inexperienced to know that it wasn't a great technique, so I've learned something.

At this point I've got the drawers built so I'm going to try batching the veneer from another piece of 3/4" birch. This time Ill use the RH side and use the driftmaster to dial the thickness in. I should have known something was wrong when I bought the 1" RK because it was $30 cheaper than the 3/4 RK", but the saw manual said 14SUV could handle a 1" blade so I thought I was good to go. I never thought about the tensile strength of the RK blade (yup Im a Mech Eng) and not being able to properly torque it. As I said I'm going to give the 1"RK one more try on a piece of pine and see what happens. If it doesn't work I'm going to just buy an ordinary 3/4" 3 or 4TPI blade for resaw work, those are about $30.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

Excellent strategy. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out. Got mine during the December sale too. Although, since $ isn't a pressing issue I'd invest in the 3/4" RK. With the carbide teeth it is resharpenen-able and an awesome blade. I thought about a cheaper blade but after using the RK I think it's worth the investment.

PS….I would do the exact same thing. If the manual said it would take a 1" blade I'd buy a 1" blade!! But I learned the same thing with my Harbor Freight 14" that I added a riser block to. It will take a 3/4" blade but trying to resaw with it is just asking too much of the saw.


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## Jeffery (Sep 8, 2010)

got my 12" band saw back up and running with a newer faster motor. Had to install a 6 " wheel on the back side of the band saw to slow the saw blade up some and have more torque with the belt and motor. 
I want to build a jig that will rip thin cuts thanks for the info all 
Lumber jock Jeff.


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## Ken_W (Feb 20, 2017)

Tightening up the blade and going to the right side of the fence worked well. I should have but didn't bother to joint the parent board between veneer cuttings and I was still within about 0.010 in of 0.150" thickness I was trying for on the individual veneer sheets. Couple of minutes with the rotex sander and 40 grit took care of the band saw blade marks. The bandsaw had no trouble pushing the 7" wide boards, I probably will build a higher fence but for this I just used the stock drift master ~4" high fence. Thanks for all the help with this.


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## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

Cool! Glad it worked out. Not that it matters but I have never jointed the parent board.


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## AHuxley (Apr 22, 2009)

> I probably will build a higher fence but for this I just used the stock drift master ~4" high fence. Thanks for all the help with this.
> 
> - Ken_W


Glad it worked out. In case you just wanna spend some money, Laguna makes an 8" fence extrusion for the Driftmaster.


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## Ken_W (Feb 20, 2017)

Already gave them $2.5K for a Supermax 25X2 drum sander. The got all the money they're going to get from me for a while.


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