Resawing

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 20:55:25 -0500 (EST), [email protected] (Bill)
brought forth from the murky depths:

>I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
>:-( ....
>QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
>for the buck (about $400). 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
>typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
>this is an answerable question...... THANKS....

See if your library has a copy of Duginske's "The Bandsaw Handbook".

Then go purchase iron and blades here, respectively:

http://www.grizzly.com Very good value machines
and
http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/ Education on blades

These two sites will answer all your question.


---
- Friends don't let friends use FrontPage -
http://diversify.com Dynamic Website Programming

Bill asks:

>I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
>:-( ....
>QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
>for the buck (about $400). 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
>typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
>this is an answerable question

For $400, I really don't have a clue as to what to suggest for a bandsaw aimed
mostly at resawing. Used?

Blades are a whole 'nother topic. I get good results with 1/2" and 5/8" blades,
and pretty good results with 3/4" blades. Commercial resaw machines use blades
2" and 3", and sawmills use 6" wide blades.

For the most part, good technique and a 1/2" or 5/8" blade is plenty. If you
can't tune your machine and blade combination to hold a line, then getting a
wider blade isn't really going to help.

Beyond that, we'd probably need to know more about your resawing desires, plus
the other uses you plan for the bandsaw, in order to make sensible suggestions.
Narrow resaws are one thing: consistently doing 8-10" thick and thicker wood is
another.

Charlie Self
"I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use
our power the greater it will be." Thomas Jefferson

Hey, in that same review it said it costs $1.50 per foot to BUY; $2
per foot to SHARPEN.??????
On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 16:29:01 GMT, "mttt" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>>
>>
>> QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
>> for the buck (about $400).
>
>Can you find another $99? My Jet 14" is $499 from Amazon.
>
>2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
>> typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
>> this is an answerable question......
>
>Depends on who you ask. Picked up a 2002 magazine last night from the stack
>and Lonnie Bird was talking about resawing. Said he loves his 3/8" Lennox.
>Says most 14" bandsaws can't tension a 3/4" blade enough to do a good job
>resawing. Point being it's width and tension that count.
>
>Don't know if he's tried the "low tension" TimberWolfs. I plunk a 1/2"
>TimberWolf blade on mine when I resaw. Saw a review of Laguna's blade
>that's made especially for resawing. Think it would end up being close to
>$150...
>
>A classic case of YMMV.
>

I bought the Grizzly G0555 (Ultimate 14") saw a few weeks ago. I added
some Timberwolf blades and so far really like it. I bought the riser
kit, but so far have left the saw alone. I want to get to "know" it
better before I add the riser.

I just spent some time tonight sawing some boards out of some walnut
firewood - eeek!, I cut some 3/8 and some 1/2 after I squared up
the log a bit. I'm very happy with the result. The saw cut clean and
easy with no signs of bogging down or other problems. I know a 6" log
isn't much of a test, but for a newbie like me it was a lot of fun.

You can get a better saw, but I don't think you can beat the Grizzly
for $375 and $40-$55 shipping and $15-$20 per blade. It's a little
over $400 but I don't think I'd go cheaper.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 20:55:25 -0500 (EST), [email protected] (Bill)
wrote:

>I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
>:-( ....
>QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
>for the buck (about $400). 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
>typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
>this is an answerable question...... THANKS....
>
>BILL

"Lawrence A. Ramsey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Hey, in that same review it said it costs $1.50 per foot to BUY; $2
> per foot to SHARPEN.??????

I thought I saw that too. But look again - I think it say's $1.50 per INCH
to buy and two bux a foot to sharpen.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 20:55:25 -0500 (EST), [email protected] (Bill)
wrote:

>I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
>:-( ....
>QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
>for the buck (about $400). 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
>typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
>this is an answerable question...... THANKS....
>
>BILL

Delta, Powermatic and Laguna are good brands, but not for $400.
Resawing is a bitch to do with a narrow blade. There are bandsaws
that are specifically designed for resawing. The wider the blade, the
better.

"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
>

Bandsaws are quite useful .. BUT I have been using a 12 inch Crapsman for
over 40 years without much trouble...

BUT I sure do not Resaw much with it and even then 5 inch thick lumber is
its limit...even using extremely slow feed rates... Accuracy is fine using
a 1/2 blade . using a 1/4 inch blade is not an option with this saw...

IF I did much resawing my Crapsman would have been hauled to the dump or
sold years ago... and Honestly if I were 20 years younger I would replace it
this morning with
a much better saw (heck most are much better)...But since I am in my 60's I
think I can manage to keep on surviving
and avoid resawing as much as possible...

400 bucks .... ? Bill I think you have been smoking
some of that Hemp you want to resaw.... !

Bob Griffiths

Phisherman <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 20:55:25 -0500 (EST), [email protected] (Bill)
> wrote:
>
>> 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
>>typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need???
>
> Delta, Powermatic and Laguna are good brands, but not for $400.
> Resawing is a bitch to do with a narrow blade. There are bandsaws
> that are specifically designed for resawing. The wider the blade, the
> better.

It's not so much the width of the blade that's important, as
the number of teeth-per-inch. When you resaw, the blade travels
thru a long distance in the wood (6, 8, 10 inches if you're
resawing wide lumber), and it has to carry the sawdust all the
way thru. That means you need a big gullet to hold the sawdust,
which means not very many TPI. Generally low TPI counts, like
3, mean wide blades.

John

"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
> for the buck (about $400).

Can you find another $99? My Jet 14" is $499 from Amazon.

2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
> typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
> this is an answerable question......

Depends on who you ask. Picked up a 2002 magazine last night from the stack
and Lonnie Bird was talking about resawing. Said he loves his 3/8" Lennox.
Says most 14" bandsaws can't tension a 3/4" blade enough to do a good job
resawing. Point being it's width and tension that count.

Don't know if he's tried the "low tension" TimberWolfs. I plunk a 1/2"
TimberWolf blade on mine when I resaw. Saw a review of Laguna's blade
that's made especially for resawing. Think it would end up being close to
$150...

A classic case of YMMV.

I have a Hitachi CB75F band saw which will let me mount up to 3 inch
blades. If you can find one (I don't think they're currently
manufactured) it's a great tool for re-sawing.

Boden

Phisherman wrote:

> On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 20:55:25 -0500 (EST), [email protected] (Bill)
> wrote:
>
>
>>I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
>>:-( ....
>>QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
>>for the buck (about $400). 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
>>typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
>>this is an answerable question...... THANKS....
>>
>>BILL
>
>
> Delta, Powermatic and Laguna are good brands, but not for $400.
> Resawing is a bitch to do with a narrow blade. There are bandsaws
> that are specifically designed for resawing. The wider the blade, the
> better.

Unfortunately $400 doesn't get you as much as it used to. The latest
American Woodworker (#104 November 2003) had good things to say about the
Grizzly G0555 for $375. They say "Given the features and the price, this
saw is hard to beat for value in a home shop machine." You can buy the
riser kit for $50 to give you 12" of resawing capacity.

One of the problems with the lower priced saws is the motor will have a
tough time making 12" resaw cuts all day long. Most manufacturers claim you
can install a 3/4" blade, but normal recommendations is not to go above a
1/2" blade with a 1-1.5 hp motor. The wider the blade the easier it is to
make a straight resaw cut. The bigger/most expensive saws have more hp and
can handle a wider blade.

I live relatively close to the original Grizzly warehouse, but I'm not
associated with them, don't own their stock, don't get a discount, don't
have family members that work their, don't think I own any of their
equipment.
--
Larry C in Auburn, WA

"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
> :-( ....
> QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
> for the buck (about $400). 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
> typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
> this is an answerable question...... THANKS....
>
> BILL
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

FWIW, I own a Grizzly G0555 w/Riser Kit. With a 3/4" blade and the speed set to slow, I have been able to resaw 11" to 12" without
any problems.

--
Al Reid

"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know
for sure that just ain't so." --- Mark Twain

"Larry C in Auburn, WA" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:tCYtb.167507$mZ5.1166598@attbi_s54...
> Unfortunately $400 doesn't get you as much as it used to. The latest
> American Woodworker (#104 November 2003) had good things to say about the
> Grizzly G0555 for $375. They say "Given the features and the price, this
> saw is hard to beat for value in a home shop machine." You can buy the
> riser kit for $50 to give you 12" of resawing capacity.
>
> One of the problems with the lower priced saws is the motor will have a
> tough time making 12" resaw cuts all day long. Most manufacturers claim you
> can install a 3/4" blade, but normal recommendations is not to go above a
> 1/2" blade with a 1-1.5 hp motor. The wider the blade the easier it is to
> make a straight resaw cut. The bigger/most expensive saws have more hp and
> can handle a wider blade.
>
> I live relatively close to the original Grizzly warehouse, but I'm not
> associated with them, don't own their stock, don't get a discount, don't
> have family members that work their, don't think I own any of their
> equipment.
> --
> Larry C in Auburn, WA
>
> "Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
> > :-( ....
> > QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
> > for the buck (about $400). 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
> > typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
> > this is an answerable question...... THANKS....
> >
> > BILL
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

I think you would do good to buy the Grizzly "Ultimate" band saw. This
summer, I bought the USA made Delta 14" and my neighbor bought the Grizzly.
While the Delta cost me abou twice as much as his, the saw he got was very
good. He also purchased the riser kit and has resawn 12/4 ash with little
problem (he DID have to take it slow). The Blades we both use is the
Timberwolf "low tension" blades at 1/2" and 3 TPI hooked tooth. I am VERY
happy with the Delta and have tuned it closely while adding the Carter
guides and Iturra's polyurethane tires. It performs very very well. BTW, I
have resawn several species with a 1/4" Timberwolf (because I had it on the
saw and didn't feel like putting a wider blade in place) with good (not
excellent) results. The wood did need to be run through the planer to take
out the saw marks.

And the Griz comes with Carter-style guides too....

So, for the money you want to spend, get the Grizzly.

Philski
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm tired of living without a bandsaw so am gonna break down and BUY one
> :-( ....
> QUESTIONS.... 1. Any suggestions as to brand....meaning the most bang
> for the buck (about $400). 2. Does RESAWING demand a wider blade than
> typical and ,if so, how wide a blade does one need??? I dont know if
> this is an answerable question...... THANKS....
>
> BILL
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>