Resawing techniques
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30 August 2015 at 7:35 pm #129893
Show of hands: how many of you do resawing by hand and how many use a band saw?
Given that I will never purchase a bandsaw, for sure, and that I don’t have the luck to live anywhere close to a lumberyard that sells thin stocks, I guess I will need to do all my resawing by hand.
I have done my homework online and researched different techniques, but I would like to hear, from those of you who often (or always) resawing by hand, your experiences, your suggestions, your gotchas, etc.
In the saw department I only own a small tenon saw and I am thinking of purchasing a crosscut panel saw 10tpi and possibly a longer 4.5tpi rip cut panel saw, so I’d be particularly interested to hear from those of you who do use similar saws to do your resawing, if it’s even possible.31 August 2015 at 1:03 am #129903A kerfing plane like the one Tom Fidgeon has in his book made by hand is great for keeping accuracy but a dedicated framing saw as opposed to a handsaw is a must, till I have both I have no option but to re saw with my bandsaw.
Funny you should ask…I just re sawed the dividers on the Joiner’s tool box today. 3/4 pine shooting for 2 each 5/16 slabs. I didn’t make it with the saw I used. I was using a Veritas tenon saw to start then switched over to an old Disston Panel saw I picked up yesterday. It was curving underneath where I was not looking. Maybe if I sharpen/set it ….Keep in mind this piece was 6″ wide.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 7 months ago by trooper82.
31 August 2015 at 2:02 am #129910I’d love to have a bandsaw. Currently don’t have the space. I’ve done some resawing by hand and it’s a lot of work – can be fun work though, if you’re not afraid of some hard work. This was not resawing, but last week I rip sawed 11 feet of two-inch thick douglas fir (at least it was a soft wood) and 11 feet of one-inch thick doug fir. Happened to be some hot days, too. I definitely needed showers those evenings.
For resawing short pieces, I’ve used a tenon saw. But there are limitations when your pieces get larger. The spine of the saw gets in the way. I have a 26″ rip saw by Pax that I’ve used for resawing. I would like to have a smaller panel saw for this, but don’t yet. Would love to have the kerfing saw and frame saw that Salko mentions – maybe someday. Much narrower kerf that way.
As far as technique is concerned, I turn the piece over every few inches to go in from the opposite side. This keeps me on the line and I’ve gotten a lot better at it. I think this may even be faster for me in the long run, even though I continually take the part in and out of the vise.
I guess I’m spoiled. I have a bandsaw. I kept an eye out on craigslist and found a 1940’s or 1950’s 12″ bandsaw for a hundred bucks. It is an old butchers bandsaw, used for cutting meat!! I spent a little bit of time refurbishing it, changing the tires, replacing the guide blocks and guide block holder and getting a new blade for it and it has come real handy for resawing and sawing narrow pieces safely. the resaw depth is only 4 -6″ or so and even at 4″ it’s a workout for the little saw, so resawing by hand is still something I do.
To resaw by hand I have a 5 tooth rip cut frame saw (ECE large frame saw). I mark the thickness of material on both sides of the kerf. I cut a couple inches on one side of the board, rotate and cut from the other side. It’s easier to keep the cut straight with this technique and Paul has a great video on this technique. I will look for it, but I don’t seem to remember where it was posted…
31 August 2015 at 6:47 am #129915Very interesting, @salko, although the “kerfing plane” seems to be a tool that cannot be purchased, right? Or am I missing something?
And I still am having a hard time understanding why a frame saw would work better than a panel saw. It seems difficult to “balance” in position, isn’t it? Or is it because the blade is so thin that it produces less friction and therefore makes the work easier?31 August 2015 at 7:00 am #129916@dborn: lucky you 🙂 I’d give anything to have easy access to a bandsaw to avoid this type of task 🙂
I think I understand the technique you are talking about (essentially sawing from all corners inside, right? I’d love to see the video where Paul shows how to do it, I learn better by watching videos 🙂 if you happen to remember which video is it, please let me know.
Thanks!31 August 2015 at 7:15 am #129917@trooper82: that’s quite discouraging because it is exactly the kind of tools I have and that I was hoping to be able to use. I have to try to find the video @dborn mentioned to see exactly how Paul handled resawing and learn from him. Maybe there is a way, although it must be a very daunting task because even Paul uses the bandsaw all the time to prepare thin stock
31 August 2015 at 7:24 am #129918To give you a better understanding of what one is here is a couple of pics, you get make one from Tom’s book or you can order one from him directly and he’ll make it for you. Also a framing saw is what they used in the past you’ll see one mentioned in Moxon’s book, I believe it is better than using a handsaw because you have more control of the cut. It also acts just like a bandsaw with the blade being horizontal rather than vertical on a bandsaw. The cut is also cleaner. The blade thickness has nothing to do with it since the handsaw’s blade isn’t any thicker nor thinner. It’s also designed for a two man operation but one person can comfortably use it. I haven’t tried this myself so really I shouldn’t make a comment either way which ever you go it’s a slow operation.
Here is a video of Tom using the framing saw just fast forward 3/4 of the video to see it in action. lol fast forward hows that for growing up in the 70’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_E2iitIHgw&list=PLKA_Ff0bn9D3HbcBOHSiH2iY9dn5tJ3sO&index=5
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You must be logged in to view attached files.31 August 2015 at 7:24 am #129921Oh and I forgot to mention the kerfing plane will help you keep track.
31 August 2015 at 8:45 am #129922gallarotti: Here’s a video of resawing with a hand saw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_fvnSwhJuM
A frame saw I figure would best be for wider boards. The thing is, you can do this with just a $30, 26″ box store hand saw. And if you ruin the saw, get another one, putting off getting a better one until you get the hang of it.31 August 2015 at 9:00 am #129923A frame saw is good for both wide and small that’s what it’s built for but ofcourse you can use a handsaw I never said you couldn’t but using a handsaw like I said will give you a rougher cut while a frame saw will be no cleaner than a bandsaw but cleaner than a handsaw. It’s like using a jack plane for everything it’s an all purpose plane that’s why it’s called a jack, you know jack of all trades master of none. Obviously using a dedicated tool for a specific job is easier with better results.
@gallarotti Yes, start with the stock on an angle in your vise and start at one corner as if you were going to be cutting a tennon, then work down the rest of the board alternating sides. You don’t need any fancy tools, just a marking gauge and just whatever panel saw you have. You will be surprised how quickly it cuts. For the life of me I cannot remember where I saw Paul’s video on resawing stock..
If it were me I would not bother with a “roubo frame saw.” I believe they were used for cutting veneers and a regular old panel saw will work just fine. If the wood starts binding on the saw plate, just add a wedge in the kerf to open it up..
31 August 2015 at 9:44 am #129925Thank you all for the precious info and for sharing your personal experience.
After reading your comments I decided I will give it a try with regular panel saws and purchase the two saws that I had originally planned to buy:A PAX 26″ 5 1/2tpi (first image)
And a PAX 22″ 10tpi (second image)
- This reply was modified 8 years, 7 months ago by gallarotti.
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