Resawing
Resawing is the process of slicing stock to reduce its thickness, or to produce boards that are thinner than the original workpiece, such as veneers.
The ideal blade for resawing is the widest one the machine can handle, as the wider the blade the better it can hold a straight line.
Resawing can be performed using the aluminum resaw fence or the resaw pin. When using the resaw fence, use a push block, push stick, or similar device to keep your hands away from the blade. The resaw pin offers a pivot point by which you can carefully follow your layout line; it is especially useful for sawing curves, when the fence can’t be used and it’s difficult to control the cut freehand.
Figure 46 demonstrates resawing with the aluminum resaw fence; Figure 47, with the resaw pin.
Blade Lead
Blade lead, or drift, is when the blade begins to wander off the cutting line even when the band saw fence is being used. Figure 48 shows an example of blade lead. It is more common with small, narrow blades, and is almost always attributable to poor blade quality, or lack of proper adjustments. Inspect the band saw for the following:
•Fence is not parallel to miter slot and blade.
•Blade is not tensioned correctly.
•Blade is dull.
•Teeth have too much “set” on one side of the blade.
•Workpiece is being fed too quickly.
If the blade is suspect, but replacing it is not currently an option, the blade lead can be temporarily compensated for by skewing the fence:
1.Cut a scrap piece of wood about the same length as the band saw table, and joint one edge along its length, or rip it on a table saw to give it a straight edge.
2.Draw a line on the board parallel with the jointed, or straight edge of the board.
3.Move the band saw fence out of the way, and carefully make a freehand cut along your drawn line on the board. Stop about midway on the board, and shut off the band saw (allow the blade to come to a complete stop) but do not allow the board to move.
4.Clamp the board to the table.
Figure 46
Figure 47
Figure 48
5.Slide the band saw fence over against the board until it contacts the straight edge of the board at some point. Lock the fence down.
6.Use the back adjustment screws (B, Figure 16) to line up the fence against the board.
7.
NOTE: Skewing the fence to correct blade lead is effective for that particular blade; when a new blade is installed, the fence will need re- adjustment and
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