O/T Any woodworkers here? bandsaw question

jason, NW Ontario · Jan 31, 2010

I've got 4x6" red oak to rip in half. My bandsaw blade is 3/8". Is my blade going to wobble all over with the grain, or will it do okay? I don't want to jeopardize these pieces of wood - they don't come along every day.
Thanks for your help
Jay

Zachary Hoyt · Jan 31, 2010

If your bandsaw will accept a wider blade it will work much better. I don't think you can do a very good job with a 3/8", but I don't know for sure. My big bandsaw will take a 3/4" blade and that is what I use for resawing. For 4" or 6" wood you'll want as few TPI as possible. I use a 3 TPI because it is cheaper, but you'd get a cleaner straighter cut with 1 1/2 or 2 if you can find it. Make sure your guides are adjusted correctly and you have the right tension for the blade you're using and you should be fine. Resawing is slow, but sometimes it's the only way to get what you want. If you have pieces longer than 4 feet or so you might be able to find someone with a band saw mill who could cut it for you. It's a lot quicker, but it takes a bit more of a kerf. We bought a Turner a couple of years ago and have really liked having a way to make our own lumber. I hope that is helpful.
Zach

larry@stinescorner · Jan 31, 2010

did you saw the lumber for the barn restored in one of your posts not too long ago? that was a nice job of saving an old barn. I thought that was great!

NW Ohio Tim · Jan 31, 2010

The bigger the band, the more power it takes to bend it around the wheels. That means less power to pull it through the wood. You are better off with a GOOD SHARP blade on a well tuned saw. If it's adjusted right, a good 3/8 or 1/2 inch blade will do fine.

Obviously, you have to adjust your feed rate to the job it's doing. You won't be able to go as fast as cutting a 3/4" board.

How much do you have to resaw??

Good luck.

Tim K in NW Ohio ~ Who's seen quality resawing done with pretty small blades.

MarkB_MI · Jan 31, 2010

It's a good idea to set your blade tension higher than normal while you rip or resaw. Another trick is to figure out the angle your blade is drifting and adjust the fence to match: Take a scrap board and mark a line the distance from the edge that you intend to rip the good board. Then run cut the board freehand for a few inches. You'll see that the board is now at an angle to the blade as you've compensated for blade drift. Adjust the fence to match the angle of your scrap board, and use that setting to rip your good lumber.

VADAVE · Feb 1, 2010

Mark's right.
Crank up the tension some. Mark the line you want to cut and feed the wood freehand. The increased tension will help keep the blade from twisting. By feeding freehand you can catch any drift quickly.
If you have a 1/2" or 3/4" blade that will also help prevent twist.
Plan on a clean up pass through the jointer.

omahagreg · Feb 1, 2010

Freehand, or with a pivot point makes the nicest cut. Do not use the fence alone-I have ruined good lumber trying to rip using only the fence. Greg

HughB · Feb 1, 2010

Jason, a little more info please. What type of band saw are you using. What size throat. HP of the motor. How long are the boards are they fresh cut or old timbers. If they are large timbers I would take them to someone with the equipment to handle the job. We used to rip large oak timbers when I worked at a custom shop years ago. Heat build up is just one of the problems.

Bill in IL · Feb 1, 2010

Of course you can do it with a 3/8 blade but a the larger the blade the less wander you will end up with.

To me it would be worth my money to buy the largest blade I could fit in my saw.

teddy52food · Feb 1, 2010

Do you know of any bandsaw mills like a Woodmizer in the area? The kerf is 1/8 inch but you will loose more than that if your small blade woobles.

bruster · Feb 1, 2010

Just ripped up some curly maple last night on the 24" Oliver band saw at dad"s . I have several blades for it and if you are going to rip, you need a wider blade. I use a 3/8" for small curved work or a 1/4" for puzzles, but the 1" is used strictly for ripping. The tension is tight and the blade being wide enough travels a straight line from start to finish, and with it I"ve ripped up to 8" thick with minor variance that was cleared up on a jointer with a few passes.

Hope this helps

O/T Any woodworkers here? bandsaw question

jason, NW Ontario

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Zachary Hoyt

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larry@stinescorner

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NW Ohio Tim

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MarkB_MI

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VADAVE

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omahagreg

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HughB

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Bill in IL

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teddy52food

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bruster

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