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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
resaw fence or the resaw pin. When using the
resaw fence, 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 can’t be used and it’s difficult to control
the cut freehand.
Figure 46 demonstrates resawing with the
aluminum resaw fence; Figure 47, with the
resaw pin.
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 48 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 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.
• Workpiece is being fed too quickly.
If the blade is suspect, but replacing it is not
currently an option, the blade lead can be
temporarily compensated for by skewing the
fence:
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.
2. Draw a line on the board parallel with the
jointed, or straight edge of the board.
3. Move the band saw fence out of the way,
and carefully make a freehand cut along
your drawn line on the board. Stop about
midway on the board, and shut off the band
saw (allow the blade to come to a complete
stop) but do not allow the board to move.
4. Clamp the board to the table.
Figure 46
Figure 47
Figure 48
5. Slide the band saw fence over against the
board until it contacts the straight edge of
the board at some point. Lock the fence
down.
6. Use the back adjustment screws (B, Figure
16) to line up the fence against the board.
7. Re-tighten the four hex cap screws.
NOTE: Skewing the fence to correct blade lead
is effective for that particular blade; when a new
blade is installed, the fence will need re-
adjustment and re-squaring to miter slot. See
appropriate section in this manual.