30
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 bet ter it can hold a str aight li ne.
Resawing can be performed using the rip f ence
or the resaw guide. When using the rip fence,
use a push bloc k, push sti ck, or simil ar dev ice t o
keep your hands away from the blade. The
resaw guide 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 contr ol the
cut freehand.
Figure 60 demonstrates resawing with the rip
fence; Figure 61, with the resaw guide.
Figur e 60
Figur e 61
Blade Lead
Blade lead, or drift, is when the blade begins to
wander off the cutting line even when the band
saw rip f ence i s being used. Fi gure 62 shows an
ex ample 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 foll owing:
• Fenc e is not parallel to miter slot and blade.
• Bl ade i s not tensioned cor r ec tly.
• Blade is dull.
• Teeth have too much “set” on one side of
the blade.
• Workpiece is being fed too quic kl y.
Figur e 62
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 i t s l ength, or ri p i t on a table saw
to give it a str aight edge.
2. Draw a line on the board parallel with the
jointed, or st r aight 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 all ow the board to move.
4. Clamp the board to the table.
5. Loosen the four hex cap screws on the
fence and slide the fence over, lining it up
against the board. Loc k the f enc e down.
6. Re-t ighten the f our hex c ap scr ews.
NOTE: Skewing the fence to correct blade lead
is eff ective f or that particular blade; when a ne w
blade is installed, the fence will need re-
adjustment and re-squaring to miter slot. See
appropriate sections in this manual.