Creating 1/2-inch thick oak boards

[bmuir1616]

I have a number of oak boards that are 5/4 (1.25 inches thick). I need to create a number of 1/2-inch thick boards for a cradle project I'm working on. They are too wide to fit through my bandsaw for resawing so that's out.
Would it be worth it to resaw them on the table saw?
If so, do I joint one face and one edge to run through the table saw?
Or do I just run them through jointer and then through the planer to get them to size? That seems a waste.
Thanks,
Bill
P.S. The boards were free. They were stored outside for about four or five years and have been in my garage for the past two months in Michigan.

WJM

[JimD]

I usually do not joint one face and then one edge as I really should to prepare lumber. I usually just run it through the planner and then use the table saw or for extreme cases the track saw to give me a good edge. If you want to generate some thin scrap you could cut most of the excess off with the table saw. If they are too wide for the bandsaw you have, it suggests you would have to cut form both sides which isn't a lot of fun. Jointing and planning would generate a lot of chips but would be the easiest. I've done both before.

Jim

[pelligrini]

Could you joint an edge, then rip them down to a width to resaw on your bandsaw? You could always glue them back to get the width you need.

Resawing on the tablesaw might work, but I doubt it. A 1/4" waste area to work with doesn't leave much room for the saw kerf, jointing etc. If the boards aren't extremely flat and straight you'll probably end up with pieces thinner than 1/2".

[JR]

1. Joint the face and one edge.
2. Cut off the opposite edge on the tablesaw to make it parallel to the jointed edge.
3. Using a tall rip fence set so the blade cuts in the middle of the board thickness, stand the board on edge and run it through.
4. Flip the board end over end and run it through again.
5. If necessary start with a shallow cut, repeating steps 3 and 4 until you have reached the maximum depth of cut.
6. If the halves are not yet separated, clamp the board lightly in a bench vise and complete the cut with a hand saw.
7. Plane the boards to desired thickness.

I've done this many times as I am very frugal with my materials. I fret over every piece of wood lost to a saw kerf.

HTH,

[cabinetman]

1. Joint the face and one edge.
2. Cut off the opposite edge on the tablesaw to make it parallel to the jointed edge.
3. Using a tall rip fence set so the blade cuts in the middle of the board thickness, stand the board on edge and run it through.
4. Flip the board end over end and run it through again.
5. If necessary start with a shallow cut, repeating steps 3 and 4 until you have reached the maximum depth of cut.
6. If the halves are not yet separated, clamp the board lightly in a bench vise and complete the cut with a hand saw.
7. Plane the boards to desired thickness.

I've done this many times as I am very frugal with my materials. I fret over every piece of wood lost to a saw kerf.

HTH,

+1. If you can't use a band saw to resaw.

.

[greenacres2]

What part of Michigan are you in? I've got a 14" BS with a riser installed so there's 12" of capacity, you'd be welcome to give it a shot if you're within reasonable driving distance of La Porte, IN. I've not yet developed good skill at resawing--i'm still hit or miss, but i'd be willing to help.

earl

[Slik Geek]

I built a frame saw some years ago - it was rather quick and easy to make. I used a 1-1/4" band saw blade designed for re-sawing (or something about that wide). To achieve a narrow kerf, I put a 7-1/4" table saw blade into my BT-3000 and started the re-sawing. I ripped as deep as that blade allowed on the table saw (with the narrow kerf blade), then rotated the board 180 degrees (like a propeller turns, although your ceiling likely won't allow that, so the rotation is a three-step process of flipping, rotating and flipping again). I did this so that the same face was against the fence and ripped a second kerf on the opposite side of the board. The second cut will start at the opposite end as the first cut on the board.

This resulted in a board that was partially re-sawn. The two kerfs made it easy to keep the manual re-sawing job on track (and less work - less wood to cut). I clamped the board, angled the setup so I started with the top kerf and then slowly brought the blade more towards a 90 degree angle with the board as I was sawing.

I was surprised that it wasn't as hard to do as I expected. Having the appropriate blade in the frame saw surely helped.

When done re-sawing, I used a block plane to remove most of the kerf on both inner faces of the resulting two boards, then planed them to the desire thickness.

[schloff]

If you have a nice pile of free lumber, then practice and experamentation is always encouraged.

Would it be worth dropping a few bucks on some Blowes or home 'pot 1/2" stock? I hate wasting nice pieces of wood for kerf. and it sounds like you might even lose a board or 2 on practice here. Unless you have a nice stash of lumber, this might be an acceptable answer.

[steve-norrell]

JR's suggestion usually works quite well and I have used the technique several times. Be aware of Eric's (pelligrini) comment about the boards being thinner than 1/2 inch after they are planed. Also, you might notice some twisting or cupping after the final planing.

Regards, Steve.

[capncarl]

If the 5/4 lumber was outside for 4 or 5 years, how much would you have to plane off each side to get to good wood that you would be satisfied with? Would there be enough thickness left to slice in half and still have the desired 1/2 inch after the slice waste and planing both cut sides? I am not sure that I wouldn't re-design the cradle around the size wood that my equipment is capable of, ie, use 1/2 inch boards that you can slice on your table saw.
capncarl