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One Great Tip » Work Around: Table Saw Resawing
Workaround: Table Saw Resawing
By Bruce Kieffer
Photos by author
Posted Oct 24, 2011
I rarely resaw, and when I do, it’s usually to maximize the yield of the wood I have rather than to make veneer or bookmatched boards. Changing my bandsaw blade just to make a few resaw cuts takes way too much time. The solution is simple… I use my table saw. The table saw alone is used for boards less than twice as wide as the maximum rise of your table saw blade, and for those wider boards you’ll add your bandsaw. I’ll show you at the end.
Stock preparation. Plane your boards, leaving them as thick as possible, and rip the edges square. Remember, your boards have to be at least 2 times the thickness of your finished resawn boards, plus the saw blade kerf thickness, plus a bit more to clean up the sawn board faces. I know this will be hard to believe, but some years back a customer brought in a 3/4” thick board and asked me to resaw it into two 3/8” thick boards!
The setup. You’ll need a well tuned table saw with a good rip blade (see Sources), a hold-in, and a push stick. Raise the blade slightly higher than half the width of the board you’re resawing, but not more than half the maximum height you could raise the blade. For resawing wider boards it’s safer to make multiple cuts raising the blade more each time rather than making one deep cut. Set your hold-in so it keeps the board against the fence WITHOUT APPLYING ANY PRESSURE.
First cut. This cut is half the width plus just a tiny bit more, and it’s centered in the thickness.
Second cut. Flip the board edge for edge and keep the same face against the fence, then make the second cut to separate the pieces. Be aware that you will have two pieces to push past the blade when the cut is completed. When you’re done, plane or sand the pieces to their final thicknesses.
Wider boards. The setup is the same, but there remains an uncut section in the middle. I made these cuts raising the blade three times, in other words I passed the board across the blade six times.
Use the bandsaw now. You don’t need a resaw blade to make this final cut to separate the pieces. Whatever blade you have installed in your bandsaw should work fine. Be very careful at the end of the cut because there will be a lot of blade exposed as the wood exists. I use a scrap piece of wood as a push stick.
Sources
Heavy-Duty Rip Blade #LM72R
Freud
www.freudtools.com
(800) 334-4107
8 Comments
Really it takes too much time to change the blade in your band saw!
That's what I said. I keep a 1/4" wide blade in my bandsaw all the time. If I need to resaw, then I need to change to a 1/2" or wider blade. Every setting on the bandsaw has to be changed. Then I would have to change it back again to the 1/4" wide blade. The point is there are lots of woodworkers who rarely resaw and certainly don't need a dedicated resaw bandsaw. This tip should be of value to them.
Resawing on a tablesaw without a riving knife? .... Wow, .... Please don't copy this very dangerous working method. If you don't have a riving knife on your table saw, .... don't go there.
I've also seen this done using a handsaw for the final cut. Your customer sounds like an engineer I heard of who didn't know a 4" cast iron pipe wouldn't fit in a 4" cinder block wall. We used to say, "In confusion there is profit."
This is grate information and very helpful
Ed, I understand your concern, and certainly if your table saw has a riving knife you should use it. Mine does not. Keep in mind that this workaround is intended for very occasional use. Use your bandsaw if you have a lot of resawing to do. I've been using this workaround for 34 years, and I've never had a problem. Some things to keep in mind: Use a good and sharp rip blade. Only cut properly and fully dried wood. Check it with a moisture meter if you are not sure. Don t cut knotty, twisted, or bowed wood. They are indicators of unrelieved internal stress in the wood, and that will cause problems. And most of all remember; woodworking is inherently dangerous, use common sense.
I have used this method several times over the years, it is as safe as the amount of thought you put into it. I also use a push block that encapsulates the top and left side of the board being sawn. I also use a zero clearance insert with a separating wedge mounted in it to prevent the back side of the blade from snagging the board as it exits the cut. Use a good blade 40T and I do not take more than an inch at a time. Still got all my fingers...
do not know what this is, sorry