Can you explain how you resaw

[harrisg]

I have seen comments about resawing wood and would like a little info about the process. Do you have to have a bandsaw and planer or can you do it with other equipment? At this time I don't have either of these machines and I've used up all my Christmas goodwill with my wife by getting the Dewalt DW788 and a bunch of scroll saw books.

[Otto]

On a general basis resawing in a home workshop is done on a bandsaw (most sawing of lumber is done these days on band saws). The type of wood, the width and the thickness that is required will determine the bandsaw you need. Bench top bandsaws are usually to small to handle most sesawing. If your projects involve smaller boards you can proably save the cost of the bandsaw in a couple of months maybe sooner if you can pickup trees and branches being discarded by the neighbours. A bandsaw is one of the most practical tools in a workshop, probably far and away more useful than a tablesaw and easier and less expensive to maintain. A planer is used for thicknessing wood not resawing.

Otto

[jttheclockman]

Otto gave you some good advice. I will disagree with him about the bandsaw being the most important tool. Every workshop usually starts with the heart and that is a tablesaw. That can be a discussion for another time but read this and it may help. http://www.rd.com/americanwoodworker...s/200008/main/

[Neal Moore]

JT....Thanx for the web address. I've been looking for that kind of info for a while now. I have an old 12 inch Craftsman bandsaw that looks and runs like new, but haven't used it since I quit carving decoys. Time to fire the old boy back up!!!

[jttheclockman]

Neal,

Back in the old days Craftsman made some of the finest tools. I know my father had an old Craftsman bandsaw and that thing was built like a tank. I t was a shame he sold it. I was too young to think of its value back then. He also had a 10" Craftsman tablesaw that was passed on to me and I have since passed on to my brother. He uses it on occasion but it still runs good and is still tuned. So fix that bad boy up and enjoy it.

[cooter]

To resaw with a scroll saw you would have to have a small board (and a bit of patience)

If you have a 1x2x4, that is a board that is 1in x 2in x 4ft and you cut the lenght of the 1" side, yielding two 1/2 inch thick boards, you have resawn the board.

If you cut the lenght of the board on the 2 inch side, yielding two boards 1 x 1 x 4 each, that is ripping the board.

If you cut the board across the 4 foot side, yielding two 1 x 2 x 2 foot boards, you have crosscut the board.

A Sheet of plywood or a 1x2 – the terms are the same.

[arbarnhart]

Kinda picking nits, but cross cutting is cutting across the grain and ripping is cutting with the grain, regardless of the dimensions (try your example with a 4x4 4" long- hmmm). The different cuts require (or are better with) different types of blades as a different cutting action works better depending on whether or not you cross grain much. Ever notice how much easier it is cut when crossing grain with most scrolling blades and how easy it is to burn the wood with the grain? They are crosscut blades for the most part. Neither term is all that relevant with respect to plywood, but it is more like cross cutting.

BTW, sometimes you purposely resaw "sideways". If you need a bunch of 1x2 slats, pick up a few slab sawn 2x6 pieces with very little face grain and lots of end grain and when you rip it up and turn the pieces on their sides it will be quartersawn (some pieces will be a few degrees off).

Resawing is cutting to change the width and/or thickness, possibly both at the same time (as in the above example where a 1x2 is cut from a 2x6).

Note - if you buy dimensioned lumber, it is smaller than its nominal size. To get 1x2 boards out of a 2x6, I meant going to a "real" wood store or mill and buying stock that truly is 2" thick.

[Neal Moore]

Old Craftsman Bandsaw

Well, I retrieved my old 12 inch Craftsman from the garage yesterday and set it up in my shop. The only thing it needed was the drive belt re-tensioned and a little clean-up. That saw has been out there for 10 years and still looks and runs like new...smooth as silk. I bought it in 1980 in Philadelphia and have used it in six different homes in three states. (one of the things I was allowed to keep from two divorces). I have cut literally hundreds of full size decoy blanks on it over the years. I set it up right next to "Old Yellar".
Problem now is that I'm running out of floor space in my shop!!

[urband]

Try it with a hand saw

I know of people who do their resawing with a hand saw. I've tried it a time or two myself with a Japanese style rip saw when I wanted to resaw wood wider than my band saw will handle. It's not as fast as the band saw, and you waste more wood because of the wider kerf. If you don't mind the exercise it's more fun, and a good rip saw costs a lot less than a band saw .

You have to clean up the sawn surfaces for both.

Dan