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Vinnys Hair-brained Re-saw Tool


Vinny

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I have a need to re-saw 6'' , 8'' and 10'' 4/4 and 3/4 boards and have been kicking around this idea for a flat tabletop resaw tool. Heres a sketch of whats in my head. The fences would be adjustable for different width boards and the feed could be by hand or mechanically pushed. The Jig Saw runs the saw blade back and forth. Speed isnt a concern for me. I'd like to be able to cut boards and run them through the planer for 1/4'' drop tops. What do you think ?? -Vinny

ResawTool.jpg

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Through the mists of my crystal ball, I see your future involves.... a burnt out jigsaw motor.... a wasted afternoon.... and several wasted pieces of lumber....

Seriously, not gonna work. The jigsaw doesn't have the oomph required, and the saw will bind and flex since it has so much more surface area than a bandsaw blade.

If time isn't an issue, I'll refer you to my (patented) technique for slow, tedious re-sawing:

bookmatching.jpg

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I think all of you missed the simplicity of my design, There's actually two versions of the Re-saw tool, the 2nd one overcomes the lack of power of the 1st version.

- I hope you'll give it another look. Thanks -Vinny

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- Oh well, back to hand sawing. -Vinny

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Run it through your table saw upping the blade each time, coming in from both sides... that'll get 6" done... and then you only have the center bit to do with the hand saw, and what the table saw already did will guide your saw.

Hope that helps.

Chris

+1 on what CHris said, or find a local cabinet shop and pay them to resaw it.

MK

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Good call Chris, Looks like Camphor burl to me too. I love that stuff.

Vinny, How much wood do you need to re-saw? you mentioned 3 widths and 4/4 or 3/4 stock. Are you trying to make drop tops? Are these high dollar woods?

I would consider these things, in choosing how to proceed. If you are just looking to resaw some fair grade curly Maple or maybe Padauk it is probably not a big deal if you have a couple lost sets as you cut using methods other than a bandsaw. If you have something you prize and or is expensive you may be safer to take it to a person who is a skilled resawer. There are people out there with high end Lagunas that are dialed for low loss cuts and clean surfacing. You can probably have a handful of cuts made for less than you think. I would only recommend that though if these are like I said important to you or very expensive.

Peace,Rich

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Looks like camphor burl. I bought a 2.5" thick guitar sized pieces from gilmer when they had their big sale awhile back. Great stuff.

Chris

Be careful with the Camphor burl. while most tolerate it in Vicks vapor rub or whatever the stuff is, it can be nasty to some in real life from the wood that it comes from. Just a cautionary word. :D I love working with it but have to be careful with the dust.

Mike

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Hi Rich,

I have 8x36 4/4 flamed maple boards among others that I plan to re-saw. I've tried the method described above using a table saw and doing the rest by hand to make fingerboards and thought there's gotta be an easier way.

The cross-cut kerf on my table saw blade eats more wood than I'd like, its the one that came with the table.

Are there 10'' re-saw blades available for table saws that will go through hard woods? With a smaller kerf too?

Thanks to all who responded. -Vinny

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What is the kerf on your blade? Freud and Diablo make some nice affordable saw blades ($45-$60 I believe) with around .090" - .095" kerf.

To nitpick for a minute, isn't diabolo a saw blade manufactured *by* Freud? I've heard them recommended as a great all rounder, thin kerf but still great for general purpose table saw stuff.

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To nitpick for a minute, isn't diabolo a saw blade manufactured *by* Freud? I've heard them recommended as a great all rounder, thin kerf but still great for general purpose table saw stuff.

I was never clear if they were or not, but they sure do look the same and I've had great results from them. I've gone through 7 different saw blades for ripping / jointing in the last 2 years. Freud and Diablo make the only blades that stand up to the daily abuse I put them through. I don't cross-cut with my tablesaw though, so I can't recommend a blade for that.

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Hi Rich,

I have 8x36 4/4 flamed maple boards among others that I plan to re-saw. I've tried the method described above using a table saw and doing the rest by hand to make fingerboards and thought there's gotta be an easier way.

The cross-cut kerf on my table saw blade eats more wood than I'd like, its the one that came with the table.

Are there 10'' re-saw blades available for table saws that will go through hard woods? With a smaller kerf too?

Thanks to all who responded. -Vinny

Vinny,

I am going to say no, nothing that will start to come close to a bandsaw. Bandsaw blade kerf for resawing is about 1/2 of the lowest kerf table saw blade you can find. The blade scratches will require twice as much material to cleanly surface. Then there is the question of losses do to inaccuracy of the cut which makes matters even worse for a table saw method.

Bottom line, If you want the cuts to be reasonably low loss, you need to go with a bandsaw. This is where value of the wood, and your time may well offset the $60 hr. or $10 a cut min. for very few cuts that the top professional resawers charge. If you are splitting 4/4 flamed maple(and it is nice stuff), you probably have between $12-$20 invested(grade will vary the cost). If you would like a simple cut down the middle to make a drop top set, and you pay $10 for a cut you are into it $22-30 plus shipping. This is where everything comes down to what is best for you. If you cut it yourself with more risky methods there is the chance of loss, your cost to make whatever jigs you may use, your time, cost of materials to surface and so on... If you invest in a bandsaw and surfaceing equipment, you can do the processing for less(but of course you have to pay for that equipment). This is where much of the cost associated with basic Maple sets comes from. You will just about never see sets that cast less than say $15-25. This is because that is not about the value of the wood(which on the low end or this price range is pretty cheap), and 75% of the cost is in the sawing and surfacing.

Don't fight the process too much, and if you are thinking long term consider investing in the tools(at a level that will suit your needs). If you just want a handful of cut pieces, either buy them cut and let the seller take the risk, or buy your wood and find a resawer and use them as needed.

Peace,Rich

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Hi Rich, very good post, thanks. All the points you bring up are so true and can be applied to every tool I have in the shop, the cost vs. the use I'll get from the tool is always a factor. The saw I'd see myself owning for re-sawing would cost in the $650-850 range once its set up right. Right now I cant see spending the money and will continue with the table saw method or like you said take it to a local shop. Thanks again, -Vinny

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Hi Rich, very good post, thanks. All the points you bring up are so true and can be applied to every tool I have in the shop, the cost vs. the use I'll get from the tool is always a factor. The saw I'd see myself owning for re-sawing would cost in the $650-850 range once its set up right. Right now I cant see spending the money and will continue with the table saw method or like you said take it to a local shop. Thanks again, -Vinny

Yep, I think we are all in about the same boat. I have a list of tools I "want", but you have to make do with what I can afford, and or justify. I made the mistake early on(well and I am sure I still do occasion) of trying to do somethings myself that are best outsorced to someone with certain expensive equipment(in my case CNC, comes to mind for certain things). Just try to make good calls on what you want to do, and keep an open mind to using services if it makes sense for you. Bulk purchasing kinda falls along the same lines. The one thing we can really do as a membership is help each other with things like this when we can(resource sharing :D ), or bulk buys as a group. I know other forums such as the OLF are more active about these kind of things, and it is certainly possible here also.

Peace,Rich

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