Resaw with Table Saw

[PDX Rich]

I've seen bits and pieces of conversation regarding this technique via the search engine, but would really like to engage in a discussion on this. Many of us (such as myself) do not have large enough bandsaws to handle a resaw of reasonable size (say 4/4 6" width boards). I have been researching a bit over the last few days regarding using a table saw for this task.

Due to the obvious kickback risk from blade pinching, fence-jamming and simply having so much blade inside the wood, I have deduced the following to be a reasonably-safe method (to my relatively novice experience):

Let's use a 6" or greater width stock as an example, and a 10" table saw...

- Taller auxiliary fence
- Push stick to apply stable pressure downward and into fence
- Smooth passes, no stopping on the blade
- Several passes (increments of 1/4 - 1/2"?) to reach goal of 3" (approximate max cutting depth on most small table saws), or just short of midway mark, depending on board size.
- Flipping the board on end (same face against fence) and repeating the process
- Feather boards fore and aft of blade, but minimal pressure to the board
- Use riving blade (splitter) aft of blade
- Finishing the cut with a handsaw, using a kerf-width spacer & clamp to keep the piece intact for the handsaw cut

Does this seem reasonable/crazy/overkill/insane/useful? Please feel free to add/remove steps, or negate the practice altogether. Shop safety is paramount, but as we all know, there is generally more than one way to complete a task, and there is not much cleaner of a machine cut than a table saw. Conversely, there are not many shop tools more dangerous if not treated with respect.

Also, how about the blade? Would a Freud 30-tooth glue-line rip blade be good for this task (if deemed acceptable, of course)?

Any woods that would not be a good idea to use? I have a lovely 4/4 6"W 65"L Morado (Bolivian Rosewood, Pao Ferro, etc.) that I would love to bookmatch for a couple tops/backs. Resaw service would cost a bit, but if a job can be accomplished DIY, I always try to look into that first.

Thanks!

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

I have recently adopted a workflow very similar due to having the same constraints in regards to lack of a large enough bandsaw. You lose a bit more than the width of the kerf, but taking the cut in small increments (1/4" to 1/2" depending on the wood) and alternating the cut on either side of the board with the same face against the fence has produced decent results. Starting with a flat face and edges is important to avoid blade movement in the piece and get a nice clean cut. Keeping the face and bottom edge square and firm is important and helps to avoid kickback and wandering cuts.

Kickback can be dangerous so I keep well away from the trajectory path of the board. I have had a board fly out of my hands on the table saw and slam into the other side of the room hard enough to dent a hardwood board 20' away.

 

[Dadagoboi]

If "shop safety is paramount" get a better bandsaw. A Delta 14" or similar that will take a six inch extension block will do the job. Used ones are out there at a reasonable price.

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

If "shop safety is paramount" get a better bandsaw. A Delta 14" or similar that will take a six inch extension block will do the job. Used ones are out there at a reasonable price.

That's a great point, and safety is important. That being said I can't count how many times I have been discouraged from thinking outside the box, and in my mind there is a balance that should be sought for each individual. Each tool is at it's heart very basic, but often times tools can be utilized safely outside of the immediate and obvious purposes the tool may have been originally devised for. Since the table saw is the tool under consideration let's explore that a bit further.

The table saw is a motor with a circular blade that spins in a single direction. It's most obvious purpose is to rip boards in 90 degree angles. This basic design has seemingly been been extended to include options to cut various angles by using a miter fence. By further extending the basic functionality and using a jig I can also use it to cut a variety of shapes that aren't immediately obvious, such as a circular table. Perhaps it's not the best tool to carve a large circle out of stock, but it can be done safely and provide excellent results. Numerous jig designs are available to extend the basic functionality of the table saw to provide additional options that might at first glance seem impossible, or ill advised. I have seen elaborate jigs used on a table saw to carve spheres out of cubes, and the options are limited only by your imagination and a healthy respect for the very real dangers involved when using the tool.

I personally think that a considered discussion of the possibilities of the OP's idea is well worth the effort and time.

 

[PDX Rich]

This is exactly the discussion I was looking for, and expected, from this community. Thanks guys. I am certainly interested to see how folks go about this particular challenge. I take a woodworking course via a local college and spoke with the teacher about it.

He said next week bring in a board and he will show me his technique. I will share it here, if folks are interested and it doesn't seem sketchy.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I've done resawing that way. It basically works, but it's not the best way to go. For one, it's not very safe, as you've noted. For two, it wastes a lot more wood, as the table saw blade is a lot thicker than a bandsaw blade.

 

[Jonny5bass]

I've done this for smaller pieces (about 4") and it worked decent enough. Personally I get nervous thinking about that much of the blade being buried in the wood and only your hand/arm and a push stick driving the piece through the cut. Now that I have collected and seasoned some better woods I am very seriously looking at a Grizzly bandsaw. They've got a basic 1 hp model for about $500 with free shipping and for roughly another $100 you can get the riser kit to give you 12" resaw capacity. 12" would probably be pushing it for a 1 hp motor but 8" seems to be a common cut for body wings, etc.

 

[Dadagoboi]

I've done this for smaller pieces (about 4") and it worked decent enough. Personally I get nervous thinking about that much of the blade being buried in the wood and only your hand/arm and a push stick driving the piece through the cut. Now that I have collected and seasoned some better woods I am very seriously looking at a Grizzly bandsaw. They've got a basic 1 hp model for about $500 with free shipping and for roughly another $100 you can get the riser kit to give you 12" resaw capacity. 12" would probably be pushing it for a 1 hp motor but 8" seems to be a common cut for body wings, etc.

1 hp will do it. The 'secret' (actually the standard blade in the furniture industry) is a 3 TPI blade. I use a 1/2" 3 TPI on my 1 hp Delta for everything I do: resawing, ripping, cuttiing bodies and pickguard material to 1/16" of the perimeter line before final routing, etc. A pass or two on the jointer cleans up ripped boards and gives a perfect glue line.

 

[KramerDon]

I don't have a band saw either.I used my 10"saw just about as you desc

ribed to make a matching cherry veneer for the headstock of my avatar bass.It worked fine for a small piece but I was very,very careful and had to belt sand the cut side quite a bit.Not very good pics,sorry(when I permanently installed the tuners,I did get them straight!!LOL)

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Remember that horsepower and rigidity of the machine are the real big issues with resawing, either with a tablesaw or a bandsaw.

The more teeth that are in contact with the wood at one time, the more power is required to drive the blade down through the wood. A rough rule of thumb is that a bandsaw needs 1/2 hp per inch of thickness of wood that you are cutting. Resawing 8" thick wood really needs about 4 hp to cut correctly. If you look at the bandsaws made specifically for resawing, they usually have 5 hp or 7 1/2 hp motors, and thick heavy frames to handle it. And the main reason why resawing bandsaw blades are wide is so that they have enough traction to transmit that horsepower from the wheels to the blade.

So, resawing 8" thick wood on a 14" bandsaw with a riser block and a 1 hp motor will be seriously underpowered. If you try to push the wood at a good cutting rate for the teeth, the blade will slow down or even stall. If you try to feed slowly and gently, the blade excessively rubs wood. The wood heats up, swells, smokes, and creates even more friction against the blade. This will quickly dull the teeth of a regular carbon steel blade, which then requires even more horsepower, and creates even more heat. Plus, it will deflect and wander. That's the reason for those expensive resawing bandsaw blades. They are thinner, to reduce the horsepower required, and they have carbide teeth to resist the heat. They are a big help, but still, the overall problem is the lack of horsepower and rigidity of the machine. It's a patch.

The same thing is true with tablesaws. Because the tablesaw's blade is thicker (wider teeth), it needs more like 1 hp per inch of cutting thickness. Cutting 3" deep requires 3 hp. A good, heavy tablesaw can cut 3" deep in softer woods, but that's near the limits. Now, with the tablesaw, you can do multiple passes increasing the depth. That will reduce the hp needed per pass, and keep the blade spinning at the right speed. But, as you get to the full depth, you still have the danger of the blade and wood heating up, dragging, and jamming. That's when the full torque capacity of the motor will try to hurl the wood back at you.

To answer the OP's question, yes, you can do resawing on a tablesaw as you describe. But it needs to be a big strong tablesaw with plenty of power, a rigid fence, good hold-downs and anti-kickback devices, etc. The passes have to feed smoothly and accurately.

Edit: So what do I use? I have a Grizzly 16" bandsaw that I've upgraded with a 1 1/2 hp motor and a better belt drive. Like Dadagoboi, I use a 1/2" wide 3 tpi hook-tooth blade in it. It has the clearance to resaw 8", but that's marginal. It resaws 4" nicely. I regularly use it to cut hard maple neck blanks 3 1/2" to 4 1/4" thick. Eventually I want to upgrade to a Davis & Wells 20" bandsaw, which normally has a 3 hp motor. I have several other smaller bandsaws for the smaller work.

In general, I don't do a lot of resawing, not the big wide boards. When I occasionally need that service, there are local woodworking shops around that have the big special resawing bandsaws. I let them do it for a small fee.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I've tried the tablesaw resaw technique, the results were about what you would expect with underpowered 1.5 hp contractors saw, rough cuts and some burning. I think part of that is due to poor tablesaw setup on my part, I know the blade is "recutting" a little on the way out. I get some blade flex because I use thin kerf blades to compensate for my low power saw, so that adds to my woes. In the ideal world, we'd all have 14" bandsaws and Sawstop 3hp cabinet saws. Short of that, we try to find safe workarounds to get the most out of the tools we can afford.

 

[Dadagoboi]

"...we try to find safe workarounds to get the most out of the tools we can afford."

Definitely! IMO the mistake is buying a table saw before a bandsaw. The band saw has much more flexibility. All lumber ripping operations can be done on the bandsaw. If necessary, crosscuts can be roughed with a circular saw or jigsaw and finished on the bandsaw. And for curves there's no contest.

 

[scottyd]

I've done it, I dont recommend it... If you do just make sure you do it in several passes and not just one, slow and steady, set up some feather boards... Yolo...

 

[Bruce Johnson]

I don't want to divert this thread into a tool bragging session, but.......Since we're talking about tablesaws, you guys will like this recent acquisition of mine. If you don't know it already, I'm a hopeless antique machinery fanatic. I'm gradually replacing the nice modern machines in my shop with beautiful old ones.

This is a Baxter D. Whitney No. 77 tablesaw, from the late 1930's. It's arguably the heaviest duty tablesaw made in its size class. It weighs 2200 lbs! It takes up to a 16" blade; a 12" blade is on there now. The motor is direct drive, a special long assembly that runs on 440 3 phase, rated at 4 hp (probably a conservative rating).

These saws are rare, and I was very lucky to be able to buy it from a friend who's closed his shop. I hauled it to my shop a few weeks ago. I'll have it set up and running some time soon, joining my other prized old machines. My trusty Grizzly 10" tablesaw will be moving down the hall of the building to one of my neighbor's shops.

It's facing the wall in these pictures. Check out the beautiful fence assembly. The wheel adjusts the position of the fence with a fine rack and pinion. To appreciate the size of this machine, remember that's a 12" blade in there. It's a 1" arbor shaft. It's a monster. The previous owner says it will rip 3" thick hard maple all day, purring like a big old kitten.

 

[scottyd]

I am greener than that table with Jealousy!!

 

[Lonnybass]

I have done this resawing method a couple of times, and each time it involved removing the blade guard and operating with an ABSOLUTE abundance of caution. However it's not something I'll repeat if I don't have to, and would like seek out a cabinet shop or other better-equipped shop to do heaving resawing work like this.

Lonnybass

 

[Gilmourisgod]

That thing is a tank! A local cabinetmaker I visited has a 1930's era Jointer they call the "USS Enterprise", because the bed is something like 3'x 6', unbelievable hunk of cast iron. That said, I'd rather have a Sawstop cabinet saw. They are becoming standard in schools and furniture shops, and with good reason: They make it very difficult to hurt yourself with them. If I had the money, I'd scrap or sell my Jet Contractor saw in a heartbeat and buy one. For anyone not familiar with them, check out this video, very convincing:

 

[michaelwayneharwood]

That thing is a tank! A local cabinetmaker I visited has a 1930's era Jointer they call the "USS Enterprise", because the bed is something like 3'x 6', unbelievable hunk of cast iron. That said, I'd rather have a Sawstop cabinet saw. They are becoming standard in schools and furniture shops, and with good reason: They make it very difficult to hurt yourself with them. If I had the money, I'd scrap or sell my Jet Contractor saw in a heartbeat and buy one. For anyone not familiar with them, check out this video, very convincing:

I want this.

 

[PDX Rich]

I use SawStop table saws in my class. Really fantastic machines! ~$60 for a replacement sensor-thingy is certainly better than flesh to blade! At some point, I will own one, along with a proper-size bandsaw and various other shop upgrades. I get by with the bench stuff, but the differences are pretty obvious when you get a chance to use the big dogs.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I took my son up to A college in Boston where he was looking at their Engineering program. They have a pretty good machine shop with some woodworking tools for prototyping, still using ancient Rockwell 3hp cabinet saws. Those things will eat your whole hand and the arm with it. I gave the shop manager a little stank about it, he said they have no budget for new saws. Really? $35k tuition and they can't afford a couple Sawstops? I can't imagine what institution with a shop wouldn't buy these.