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Crosscutting
Crosscutting is cutting across the grain of the
workpiece, while using the miter gauge to feed
the workpiece into the blade.
Slide the bar of the miter gauge into the end of
the slot on the table.
The right hand should hold the workpiece steady
against the miter gauge, while the left hand
pushes the miter gauge past the blade, as
shown in Figure 32.
Do not use the fence in conjunction with the
miter gauge. The offcut of the workpiece must
not be constrained during or after the cutting
process.
Using the fence in
conjunction with the miter gauge can cause
binding and possible damage to the blade.
Resawing
Resawing is the process of slicing stock to
reduce its thickness, or to produce boards that
are thinner than the original workpiece. Figure
33 demonstrates resawing.
The ideal blade for resawing is the widest one
the machine can handle, as the wider the blade
the better it can hold a straight line.
When resawing thin stock, use a push block,
push stick, or similar device to keep your hands
away from the blade.
Blade Lead
Blade drift, or “lead,” is a problem that may
occur when the blade begins to wander off the
cutting line even when the band saw fence is
being used. Figure 34 shows an example of
blade lead.
Blade lead can be caused by a number of
factors, and these should all be checked and
corrected if necessary:
• Fence is not parallel to miter slot and blade.
• Blade is not tensioned correctly.
• Blade is dull.
• Teeth have too much “set” on one side of
the blade.
If replacement of the blade is not currently an
option, the blade lead can be compensated for
by skewing the fence. Proceed as follows:
1. Cut a scrap piece of wood about the same
length as the band saw table, and joint one
edge along its length, or rip it on a table saw
to give it a straight edge.
Figure 32
Figure 33
(push block not included)
Figure 34