Resaw capabilities of Bandsaw

[WibbleWobble]

I am looking at adding a bandsaw to my ever growing workshop of tools, however I think I will have to go for new as I beleive that I need 11" cutting depth minimum for 1 operation in my new boxmaking hobby.

The operations I would be looking to perform would be :

Converting 8" x 4" x 48" Timber into useable 1/2" boards
Cutting the butt joints out for the boxes
Cutting the top off the closed box (this is apparently why I need the height as although the boxes are only 8" tall they have to apparently put through the blade with an arc type motion to get the correct cut (something to do with blade load if I remember properly))

The bandsaw I have been looking at is the Record Power BS400, I have looked at the usual suspects of the second hand Startrite 352 etc but they all seem to stop at 10" clearance.

Does anybody have experience of this saw. I would be throwing the stock blade away and buying whatever blades Ian? at Tuffsaw's recommend's when I get whatever I get.

So the question is do I really need 11-12" of clearance or are other people doing a similar operation with just 8-10" clearance?

Thanks for reading I hope that all makes sense

Pete

 

[Jacob]

I don't think you'd have much luck with the re-sawing. Blades dull really quickly when ripping and then wander off. One way is to do as much of the cut as possible over a TS both sides and just take out the middle with the band saw. The TS saw kerf keeps the band saw blade in line and is less demanding.
If you are cutting 8" boxes then you only need 8" plus a bit of clearance. I've no idea what this arc thing is and I've cut off the tops of hundreds of boxes (I used to make toys many years ago).

 

[WibbleWobble]

Thanks for the reply,

I didn't realise that I wouldn't be able to cut through a 4" board, I assumed that cutting 1/2" boards off the edge would be ok. I guess I will have to look for a table saw with enough depth of cut.

The method of cutting the lid off the box is as shown in the vid below (not made by me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj0deE4DOZ4

I need to go and re-examine my next purchase I think. One of the reasons for a bandsaw next was the ability to convert my own boards.

Pete

 

[Jacob]

Thanks for the reply,

I didn't realise that I wouldn't be able to cut through a 4" board, I assumed that cutting 1/2" boards off the edge would be ok. I guess I will have to look for a table saw with enough depth of cut.

It will cut 4" obviously, but not sturdy enough to carry a heavy enough blade for repeated ripping. You'd get away with a few on a new blade.

The method of cutting the lid off the box is as shown in the vid below (not made by me)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj0deE4DOZ4

.

Pete

I see what you mean about the arc. It's just to get a clean cut through without applying the blade to the whole 8" length of the side presented. A good idea but not essential - if your saw is only 8" you could still do it. But in fact you'd only need another inch or so to do that tilt.

 

[Peter T]

I've been re-sawing 6 to 8 inch oak boards on my Axi SBW3501B with the same 3 tpi Tuff Saw blade, without problems.

Cut quality is excellent and cut speed impressive, even at 8 inches, the max thickness for that saw.

 

[Jacob]

I've been re-sawing 6 to 8 inch oak boards on my Axi SBW3501B with the same 3 tpi Tuff Saw blade, without problems.

Cut quality is excellent and cut speed impressive, even at 8 inches, the max thickness for that saw.

I could do a few on my 352 with a bog standard 3tpi skip hard edge but not for long. May be I should try a new blade, are they really that much better?

 

[marcros]

I have cut a fair few boards down on a 3tpi m42 blade from tuff saws. The blade was on the bandsaw when I bought it and wasn't new. Well worth trying one of these Jacob. I can't compare it with any other but it certainly sounds like it is lasting better than what you are using. Not an expensive experiment!

 

[devonwoody]

I do not like cutting the lid off carcasses with a bandsaw, too risky.(Easily go astray)

I find the best way is to use a table saw and cut each face 1mm less depth than the thickness of timber and finish off with a fine tooth hand saw and clean off the rough edge with a plane. (You most probably need to clean off the rough edge if cut with bandsaw anyway)

Also you can do recess lids off a carcass if you plan your cuts with a table saw.

 

[Peter T]

I've been re-sawing 6 to 8 inch oak boards on my Axi SBW3501B with the same 3 tpi Tuff Saw blade, without problems.

Cut quality is excellent and cut speed impressive, even at 8 inches, the max thickness for that saw.

I could do a few on my 352 with a bog standard 3tpi skip hard edge but not for long. May be I should try a new blade, are they really that much better?

Sorry, can't give you a comparrison as I've only got experience of the TuffSaw blades.

I would say they are definately worth a try, they're not expensive, and the performance is superb.

Good luck,

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

Although I am a bandsaw fan I would say, from experience, that a table saw was far better for cutting the lid off a box. You can adjust your saw depth to cut just shy of the thickness of the box wall and then cut through the last veneer thickness with a craft knife. This makes cutting off the lid a lot safer and cleaning up the edge is easy with a plane or sandpaper.
I can cut through 6 inch thick ash boards with a Tuff Saw bi-metal 3 Tpi blade without the blade wandering on my INCA bandsaw that only has a 250 watt electric motor! It is just as quick as ripping on my INCA circular saw (wth Freud ripping blade) and three times as deep a cut. You do need to pay attention to what you are doing to get a clean true board but the same is really true for a table saw and there is no danger of kickback. Before I discovered Tuff Saws I too considered a table saw to be the only way to go. I find that a 3 Tpi bandsaw does leave a slighty ripple on the surface of the wood but it is very quick to clean up. I can thoroughly recommend Tuff saws blades.
If you can find an old Startrite, Inca, Meber or Kity bandsaw you will find that 6 inches of cutting depth is managable and that 10 inches will take a bit of experience to cut true every time. If you mess up when resawing a plank it is a shame, if you mess up cutting the lid off a box you have spent hours making it is a disaster. Of course you could always use a handsaw to cut the tops off your boxes, takes about as long as setting up and switching on your table or band saw.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Jacob - convert to Tuffsaws. Yes, they really are that much better.
S

 

[WibbleWobble]

Thanks very much for the replies folks,

I think I will get the tools and see how I get on with both methods. I don't personally like table saws, I think that they kick back too often for my liking. That could be down to my technique.

Pete

 

[Steve Maskery]

Pete
Tablesaws should not kick back. You do have to have them set up properly and use appropriate techniques, like a short rip fence, for example.
Kick back is usually a result of poor setup and use. I have a 20-year-old scar to prove it!
S