jtg116 Posted September 3, 2007 Report Posted September 3, 2007 Sorry, but I have limited (no) machine skills and big dreams. What is the difference between a resaw and band saw? Ease of multiple cuts? Or does a properly tuned bandsaw work for an occasional bookmatching? Thanks! Quote
Mattia Posted September 3, 2007 Report Posted September 3, 2007 A 'resaw' is just a bandsaw fine-tuned/specially built for resawing (ie, can take absurdly massively wide blades). A good bandsaw of an appropriate size (heck, even a 14" with a riser block) will do all the guitar resawing you will ever be likely to need as long as you tune it up properly. I have a 16" saw which will resaw 10" of wood with ease, as well as use a 1/4" blade for general purpose cutting without too much problem. It won't tension anything wider than 3/4", but that's plenty wide for a resaw blade (blade runner, timberwolf come to mind). Quote
jtg116 Posted September 3, 2007 Author Report Posted September 3, 2007 Thanks much for the info Quote
Woodenspoke Posted September 7, 2007 Report Posted September 7, 2007 Resawing is just a term for cutting tall or thick stock on the band saw into veneer or thin stock. The distance between your table top and the bottom of the guides is your resaw capacity, or the largest cut you can make in the vertical direction. Of course depending on the saw and how it is set up resawing on a cheap bandsaw generally is more trouble than it is worth. But I am sure people with inexpensive saws will disagree. A comparison for you and everyone else, a $1500 Grizzly 19" bandsaw (wow a 19" saw)has a small resaw capacity of around 12" (I am throwing out numbers here didn't check but thats close). A high end Laguna 18" bandsaw has an 18" resaw capacity and the power to cut through 18" of stock but the price is twice that of the grizzly. You would have to buy a 24" Grizzly to resaw 18" stock. I expect most 14" saws have a 10" resaw capacity or less. the cheaper the saw the smaller will be the tallest cut you can make. This is the reason most people buy acoustic boards pre-sawn since it takes a good saw with power to make a good clean cut and not waste material. Quote
fryovanni Posted September 7, 2007 Report Posted September 7, 2007 Many companies identify a bandsaw as a "resaw" bandsaw when it has a handful of upgrades or possibly a more powerful motor in its size class. As an example I believe Grizzly offers several models in the with the same wheel size. You may notice there is no difference in actual capacity(table to guide), but there are upgrades to the guides, horsepower etc... Depending on how much re-sawing you will need to do(and if you think you want to do a little, you will probably do more than you anticipate) you should choose the right machine for your need. A 1HP 14" bandsaw with cool blocks, a riser block kit, and fresh(sharp) low loss blade(Bladerunner or Woodslicer) will resaw most wood you would need to saw. It is not the best choice if you are going to push a fair bit of material though. Personally, I think a larger (and well designed) machine that can tension Carbide blades. Will improve your reliability, and overall performance. The most important factor is still going to come down to the user. If you can't dial in your 24", 10HP bandsaw, you will make a mess of whatever you are cutting. If you know what you are doing you can get very very accurate resaws of very hard woods with a very basic machine(it is more challenging though, and requires costant attension). Peace,Rich Quote
Woodenspoke Posted September 12, 2007 Report Posted September 12, 2007 Many companies identify a bandsaw as a "resaw" bandsaw when it has a handful of upgrades or possibly a more powerful motor in its size class. As an example I believe Grizzly offers several models in the with the same wheel size. You may notice there is no difference in actual capacity(table to guide), but there are upgrades to the guides, horsepower etc... Depending on how much re-sawing you will need to do(and if you think you want to do a little, you will probably do more than you anticipate) you should choose the right machine for your need. A 1HP 14" bandsaw with cool blocks, a riser block kit, and fresh(sharp) low loss blade(Bladerunner or Woodslicer) will resaw most wood you would need to saw. It is not the best choice if you are going to push a fair bit of material though. Personally, I think a larger (and well designed) machine that can tension Carbide blades. Will improve your reliability, and overall performance. The most important factor is still going to come down to the user. If you can't dial in your 24", 10HP bandsaw, you will make a mess of whatever you are cutting. If you know what you are doing you can get very very accurate resaws of very hard woods with a very basic machine(it is more challenging though, and requires costant attension). Peace,Rich The reason I just sold my old 18" grizzly with a 12' resaw capacity and bought a Laguna LT-18 with a carbide blade to resaw more efficiently. I doubt I will use the full 18" but who knows. It will be the last bandsaw I buy. Just awaiting the new resaw fence (waiting 6 months so far) and I will be set. Quote
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