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10.2 Ripping
Ripping is cutting lengthwise down the workpiece,
along the grain of wood. See Figure 38. Always
use a push stick or similar device when ripping
narrow pieces.
Figure 38 (ripping)
10.3 Crosscutting
Crosscutting is cutting across the grain of the
workpiece, while using the miter gauge to feed the
workpiece into the blade.
The right hand should hold workpiece steady
against miter gauge, while left hand pushes miter
gauge past blade, as shown in Figure 39.
Do not use fence in conjunction with miter gauge.
The offcut of the workpiece must not be
constrained during or after the cutting process.
Using the fence in conjunction
with miter gauge can cause binding and possible
damage to blade.
Figure 39 (crosscut)
10.4 Resawing
Resawing is the process of slicing stock to reduce
its thickness, or to produce boards that are thinner
than the original workpiece, such as veneers.
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.
Resawing can be performed using the aluminum
fence plate or the resaw pin. When using the plate,
use a push block, push stick, or similar device to
keep your hands away from the blade. The resaw
pin offers a pivot point by which you can carefully
follow your layout line; it is especially useful for
sawing curves, when the fence cannot be used
and it is difficult to control the cut freehand.
Figure 40 demonstrates resawing with the
aluminum plate; Figure 41, with the resaw pin.
Figure 40 (resawing)
Figure 41 (resaw pin)
10.5 Blade Lead
Blade lead, or drift, is when the blade begins to
wander off the cutting line even when the band
saw fence is being used. Figure 42 shows an
example of blade lead. It is more common with
small, narrow blades, and is almost always
attributable to poor blade quality, or lack of proper
adjustments. Inspect the band saw for the
following:
• Fence not parallel to miter slot and blade.
• Blade not tensioned correctly.
• Blade is dull.
• Teeth have excessive “set” on one side of
blade.
• Workpiece being fed too quickly.