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First time ever buying wood like this. I'm going to be cutting for 3 piece backs with my 12" Delta bandsaw. I'll be trimming it to about 5 1/2" before re-sawing the back pieces. I'm hoping I can cut it myself on the bandsaw. Worst case I use my table saw or bring it to a friends house.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Nice score!

Slow and steady wins the race. Make sure to set your bandsaw up for drift.

Yea, if your bandsaw is set up correctly, you should have no problem with a 7" resaw. Of course, a property set up bandsaw is a whole other thread. If I'm about to do a critical cut I like to grab a 4"-5" tall stick of hard maple and see if I can slice a 1/16"-1/32" piece off the side using my fence as a guide. If I get that, I feel like it's ready to go.

Why are you cutting down the back to 5-1/2"?

Hi Hutch,
I would leave it at the full 7 inch width. When I am using an underpowered 14" Delta I will first deeply kerf both edges of the wood on the table saw using a jig to hold it against the fence, then using the "nail in kerf" method of resawing finish the uncut middle on the band saw (or with a handsaw.
With a 10 inch table saw you can cut 3 inches deep, so by flipping the board you can remove 6 inches of material, leaving only the center inch of a 7" board to be cut with the bandsaw or a handsaw.
I will try to post some pictures of my set up.

If you can, find someone who uses carbide blades on a larger saw and is experienced at resawing wood thin. If you can, it will be well worth it.

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

I used a 12" delta for awhile. It was difficult. Motor was too small, a carbide tipped wide blade helped, and it was not easy to get a good setup, but it worked.

Get the best setup you can, being sure to study up on drift. Youtube has some good stuff. (it actually is caused by where the blade lands on the top wheel.) Use a fence and a feather board to hold the bottom against the fence. Then you have to watch the top of the cut as you go. You can put some marks along the top with a gray marker indicating where you want the cut. You can push the top edge of the wood away or against the fence as needed to keep the cut where you want it. Go slow.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Hutch,
Checkout the late Ken Cierplowski's thread on Successful Resawing where he cuts the slices off the outside of the blank rather than against the fence. I think it's much easier. http://acousticguitarconstructionforum. ... f=7&t=1819.

You could increase your yield by adding "wings" to your backs rather than going three piece.

Out of curiosity.....what kind of rosewood is this?

Here is one way to resaw wood using a table saw.
Raise the blade all the way up and use a jig that holds the blade vertical and against the fence. I use a spring loaded hinge and use the miter slot to hold the jig. Kerf one side then flip the board end for end and kerf the other.
Place the board in the "Hutch" vise and using a rusty hand saw cut out the remaining wood. By the time you are done much of the rust will be gone.

sure, you can use a table saw, but you lose a lot of material because of the blade's kerf compared to a bandsaw...and of course one better make sure the blade is really at 0 as even a small error can start to make things rather dicey

as far as blade all the way up in once pass...I'll think I'll pass on that one (hasn't worked too well for me the times I've tried that) and do my usual raise the blade up a bit each pass as I make multiple passes to get to full blade height when I find myself having to resaw woods on my saw

Hi Mike,
I agree a large bandsaw is better.
A problem I have had when raising the blade gradually is having the kerf want to close up and cause problems for the second pass. I use thin kerf blades so the loss is not quite as much as with a full thickness blade.
But I do agree a large bandsaw is a better option if you have one available.

well, you must have a mighty beefy table saw and uber sharp blades...I do hear you quite clearly on the risks of making multiple passes and admit it has its own drawbacks but at the very least reduces burning/glazing/etc from excess heat

I've tried this on big saws and still not been all that comfortable with one pass at full blade height, but glad to hear you can pull it off with alacrity

"...or bring it to a friends house." Best choice.

Mike,
You have some valid points. The saw is an old Unisaw, with a 1 1/2 hp motor, so nothing special, and the thin kerf blade helps, but still, if I was resawing a lot I'm sure things would heat up.
You have me thinking about putting a small "shark tooth" splitter on the front of a tablesaw insert which could be swapped in for the usual one after the initial pass was made. That would keep the kerf open and allow for multiple passes, raising the blade a little each time, as you suggest.
It would be easier on the saw and perhaps safer.

I think I'll get a better yield from 6" wide or less cuts on my bandsaw. I like 3 piece backs so that's not an issue. I'm also considering flamed maple for the center piece. I'm not going to slice it all at once but as needed so I may also try the tablesaw method. Good point about the riving knife which I don't have. I'll look into that before trying it. Absolutely multiple passes for me and my Rigid TS. I forget what the motor is but I don't think it would make single passes too well.

_________________
Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

Maybe, it's really going to depend on the yield. I paid $280 for that.

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

I guess the days of buying cocobolo for $15 a board foot are long gone!

I make table saw inserts out of scraps of Corian because my table saw accepts 1/2inch thick inserts. If the saw only accepts a thin steel insert some people will laminate Formica to a piece of 1/2inch plywood and leave a lip all the way around. This allows them to make a zero clearance insert.
I am going to use a screw about half an inch in front of the maximum height the blade raises to to act as a splitter.

It has got to be cheaper somewhere. I just calculated that to $70 by. Crazy

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Hutch

Get the heck off the couch and go build a guitar!!!!

For valuable wood to minimize kerf loss, you could always send it to Borson resaw. I’ve not used him, but he has a good reputation.

For 5 inch wide stuff you could use the 24 tooth 7 1/4 inch diablo circular saw blades to minimize kerf loss and finish up with one of those thin blade Japanese pull saws (I would probably waste a little wood, save a little physical effort, and use a 10 inch blade - but I'm kind of lazy )

If you want you can send it to me, I’ll resaw it and keep the set that you’re about to lose to the table saw.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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I've done a fair amount of resawing with the 7 1/4" diablo blade, I usually finish up on the band saw - it's quick and, honestly, I don't want to take the time to set up the bandsaw with the resaw blade and all. Guess if I was doing a pricey chunk of wood I would take the time to set up the bansaw

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"