Resawing for Beginners

[Greg.B]

Well just recently got a band saw and could use some help with resawing and the methodolody behind it.

I have noticed that when I set the fence straight to the blade and resaw the cut begin to walk from where it started. This is blade drift. Now how does one deal with this ?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[SHADOWFOX]

What I do is start with a test piece that is straight and I would cut it first and look at the direction of the cut then back off the piece and use a T-Bevel Sliding Square to figure out the angle of the cut and would use that as a guide to adjust the bandsaw fence so that it is parallel with the cut in the test piece. Works for me everytime.

[Stormbringer]

Well just recently got a band saw and could use some help.

Which saw?

Greg

[Greg.B]

Delta BS150

[drumpriest]

The traditional way of measuring blade drift is to take a 2" thick piece of stock, mark a line that is parallel to the edge (about 2" in from the edge or so), and freehand cut the line. Stop after about 6" into the cut, then use a sliding T bevel to get the angle. You are compensating for the drift to cut the line straight, and this is the angle to which you want to set your resaw fence.

Cut another 6" and confirm the angle, once you are pretty sure of the angle, adjust your fence to that angle. Every BS fence has a slightly different method of making this adjustment, but that's the ticket.

[Greg.B]

What to do if I dont have a slide bevel ? I understand what you are saying. I actually did just that, and marked a line with a pencil and sent the fence on that.

Side question. Why would a bandsaw have a miter slot/guide if the cuts always drift ?

[newbie2wood]

Here's a method that does not use a t-bevel.

http://www.rd.com/americanwoodworker...ain/page4.html

Quite similar to the method with the t-bevel.
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[Pappy]

My understanding is that drift is caused by the blade, not the saw. I did a lot of resawing yesterday with a Timberwolf 1/2" 3 TPI in Mahogany and Oak up to 8" wide. Didn't have any problem with blade drift.

[SARGE..g-47]

I used the mitre slot on my BS 2 days ago to cut shoulders on tenons after cutting the up-rights with a tenoning jig on the TS. The miter gauge moved the drawn line at a 90 degree anlge to the blade to meet the already severed upright protion of the tenon cheeks.

As Pappy stated, drift can occur as a result of several factors.. one being the blade.. too little tension.. wheels not co-planular.. guides improperly set.. worn tire.. sawdust build-up on tire.. etc. etc..

All BS's have the basic same components but that does not mean they are all equal. I don't get drift on my Steel City 18" with the proper set-up.. matched blade to what I'm doing.. HP.. very healthy double tension springs.. etc. etc. I do on my Jet.. You have to adapt to what your BS can do under optimum conditions and it's capabilities. If you get drift when everything is right with the saw included proper blade match.. you either adjust for drift with the fence as described... or learn to use a point fence which only gives contact with the stock a one small axis point and guide it through by hand.

But..... I highly suggest you get a BS book and learn about the BS from ground zero. It is the most finicky machine in the shop but also one of the most flexible and useful..

Regards...

[BasementDweller]

Article

This months Fine Wood Working Magazine has an article on resawing and includes a side bar on adjusting for drift. It basicly says what you already figured out, just free hand a cut stopping half way down the test board, then back the fence up to the work piece and clamp it down. I have homemade fences for resawing and I just clamp them down.

The most important thing I can think of is making sure you have your blade at 90 degrees to the table top. After that keep your feed rate steady.

As to why does drift occur? I don't think I *know* the answer to that but I've heard that it has to do with the blade and also, more importantly, how that blade is riding on the tires of the band saw. Also a possible factor is the coplaner-ness of the wheels. Anyway, since I'm also a beginner resawer i've collected a few links dealing with the subject:


http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/i...OD&ProdID=6076

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/default.asp

http://www.rd.com/americanwoodworker...s/200008/main/

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/i...n=Custom&ID=24

Suffolk is where I got my blades they are very helpful on the phone making sure you get the correct thing, although their blade tensioning method is a bit confusing to me. They also have a very interesting catalog that has more than just product listings but includes good info, you should order a free copy.

The American Woodworker article linked above is what hooked me on resawing.

Good luck! If you come across any other cool sites or links send them on over!

Oh, here is a board I was practicing on:
http://www.teraflax.com/Fine.cut.bandsaw/

Kinda cool!

- BD

[HarmsWay]

I'm with Pappy on that one. There are two schools of thought: either compensate for the drift or remove it. I think Duginski talks about it in his bandsaw book. To remove it requires a well-tensioned, good quality blade, and co-planar wheels (under that tension), which is not possible on all saws. So it's a bit more work to tune the saw initially (may require spacers to offset one wheel to get it coplanar) but makes the resawing process easier. I can just use a tall fence square on the table.

Bob

[JackAZ]

Basemwnt Dweller:
"This months Fine Wood Working Magazine has an article on resawing and includes a side bar on adjusting for drift."
I may be old and slightly blind, but I can't find such an article in my copy, which is a newstand copy. Could it be limited to the subscription copies?

[Tom Miller]

Basemwnt Dweller:
"This months Fine Wood Working Magazine has an article on resawing and includes a side bar on adjusting for drift."
I may be old and slightly blind, but I can't find such an article in my copy, which is a newstand copy. Could it be limited to the subscription copies?

I see on-line that the article referred to is in the Jan/Feb '07 issue -- probably not on the newstands, yet, as it just showed up on-line.

Regards,
Tom

[Greg.B]

Guys thats for all your input. I'm using the stock blade now and will replace shortly once I re-arrange the shop in order to fit the addition. Then I'll be able to get some serious work into it.

[sacherjj]

While I have only resawed up to 6-1/2" tall, I have been just using Duginski's methods. If you adjust the blade forward on the top tire, the teeth of the blade go a little to the left, back they go a little to the right. I've been able to eliminate drift pretty well with that. Now, if the teeth on one side of the blade get damaged, that might cause more drift than can be corrected with this method. But with a my 3 TPI Timberwolf, so far so good.