Re-saw Safe Operation
Tips for improved results, less damage and safer operation when re-sawing
boards on the Re-saw Bandsaw (machine #62).
• Use only domestic and some tropical lumber. The blade is designed specifically for kilt dry
lumber.
• Do not use wet, green or wood with high pitch/resin content. This material should only be cut
on the large Bandsaw (machine #73) commonly referred to as the Log Saw. The blade on the
Log Saw is designed for wet, green and high pitch content wood with bark — logs.
• Make sure one face and at least one edge is flat, straight and smooth. A flat face should be
next to the fence and a flat edge on the table.
• Be sure the wood is fully supported by the fence and table. If the wood can move during
sawing, then the blade may be bent or broken and injury to the operator is likely.
• Feed the material into the blade at a moderate steady rate. If you are having to push very hard
to feed the material the blade may be dull.
• Do not push so hard as to bend the blade. Bending the blade while sawing will cause the
blade to go off center and your cut will not be straight.
• Saw only boards 3 to 12 inches thick. Boards 1 to 6 inches thick can be re-sawn on machine 19.
• Please clean the blade if it has pitch or other gunk. A dirty blade will over heat and become
dull very quickly. Blade cleaning fluid and steel bush is located on the Log saw, #73 Blade Cleaning.
Re-Sawing is basically taking a board and cutting into two separate board of the same height and length, but of different widths. Why would you do that? Many times, you can only get wood from the lumber room in stock thickness say 1 ” but you might want to make a small box that would not be that thick so, you might split the piece into two 1/2″ pieces. You can also Re-Saw logs into several boards, similarly to what is done at a lumber mill with trees. Another process is to make “Book Matched” pieces. if you find a board that has an interesting grain and you split and open the two pieces as you would a book the two grains will align. This gives a nicer grain pattern then two random pieces if you combine them into a single board.
