How to Get the Most Out of Your Band Saw

Any band saw can re-saw. The question is: "How well and how thick?" The first thing you need to decide is whether bandsaw sawing is an activity that you are likely to engage infrequently, occasionally, or never. For those of you who don't know, re-sawing is the ability to cut thin slices or veneers from a board that sits on its edge on the bandsaw table, while being guided along a tall fence. . Where this pays off is when you're trying to get the most mileage out of an especially fine, beautiful, and expensive hardwood board. Get more information here Mike's blog.

For example, I made many jewelry boxes with 3/8 "thick sides. Considering that I had to sand all the sides to make them flat and smooth, I found that I could barely get 2 slices out of a 1" thick board. o 3 slices from a 1 1/2 "board or 4 slices from a 2" thick board. It should allow for 1/16 "cutting waste for most band saw blades and more if your blade moves, which all blades do to some extent. Then all irregularities should be sanded with fine sand. drum or wide belt sander. In the end, you can't realistically expect to get two 3/8 "box sides finished from a board that's only 3/8" +3/8 "+1/6" = 13 / 16 "thick. You won't need much less than 1 "full-thickness on your original board. Since most hardwood is sold milled down to 7/8" for a so-called 1 "board, you'll be faced with getting just one, 3/8" slice, not two. On the other hand, most 2 "lumber comes ground to 1 7/8", allowing you to stake three 3/8 "pieces, saving you money.

The further the bandsaw blade is moved, the more thickness it will need. The important thing is to minimize this offset and there are five ways to do it: (1) blade tension (recommended maximum to prevent blade bending), (2) blade width (the wider the better for stiffness), (3) blade type (specifically designed for re-sawing), (4) motor power (to drive the blade through wood without binding), and (5) blade guides (the more control of the blade, better).

If you plan to re-sawing a lot, pay close attention to the specifications of the band saws you are considering purchasing, in light of the above. If it doesn't seem like re-sawing will play a big role in your future, then you're probably more interested in cutting curves in thinner material. In this case, the depth of the throat of your bandsaw becomes a very important consideration because, on a small bandsaw, it will constantly collide with the back of the throat and may not be able to complete the curved cuts that have been sketched in pencil.

Any 14-inch bandsaw will severely limit the width of the cuts you can make to the left of the blade, so consider whether this is a problem for you. If you are planning to just cut small parts, that is fine. On the other hand, if you want to make large pieces of furniture, a small band saw is not enough. Of course, there is no limitation to the right of the blade, on a 14 "band saw (or any other), except that you will have to provide auxiliary support for your workpiece if it extends too far from the edge of the table. Throat depth is not a big issue when using the band saw for resawing, although to resaw, you will need to consider the maximum distance between the table surface and the upper blade guide. Measurement determines the width of the board. You can re-saw on your bandsaw.

When shopping for a band saw, don't be fooled into thinking that an 18 "band saw will give you a total of 18" between the blade and the back of the throat. Band saws are measured by the outside diameter of their wheels. These casters are mounted inside the cabinet, one above the table and the other below. Actually, there is an upper cabinet and a lower cabinet connected by a "column." The blade travels up from the lower (motorized) wheel through and into the column to the upper (idler) wheel before reversing direction and down through the upper blade guide, then the table, then the lower blade guide before returning to the lower wheel.