Bansdsaw resaw fence

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  • LCHIEN
    Internet Fact Checker
    • Dec 2002
    • 20913
    • Katy, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 vintage 1999

    Bansdsaw resaw fence

    I have a kreg 7" bandsaw resaw fence
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    And a 12" Delta Bandsaw. - The bandsaw only has a 6" resaw capacity (6" clearance under the upper wheel housing and under the blade guide)
    So the resaw guide fence is too tall.

    Kreg also sells a 4.5" version of the fence. But I already have this one for reasons I can't even recall.

    I think I am going to cut the fence down into a tall version and a short version.

    I'm thinking
    5" & 2"

    4.5 and 2.5

    or

    5.5 and 1.5

    so I can use on my Delta BS.

    Any suggestions which would be better?
    Last edited by LCHIEN; 02-26-2023, 10:57 AM.
    Loring in Katy, TX USA
    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions
  • sweensdv
    Veteran Member
    • Dec 2002
    • 2862
    • WI
    • Baileigh TS-1040P-50

    #2
    I think I'd size it based on what size of resawing you mostly do.
    Last edited by sweensdv; 02-26-2023, 09:57 AM.
    _________________________
    "Have a Great Day, unless you've made other plans"

    Comment

    • leehljp
      Just me
      • Dec 2002
      • 8429
      • Tunica, MS
      • BT3000/3100

      #3
      I realize that my usage is very personal to me and often quite different from others and that is fine for me. No problems there.

      For me, I would make it to re-saw the largest that I could. My reason for myself is that - that is what I bought it for and if I make it shorter, will I regret it?
      Hank Lee

      Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

      Comment

      • LCHIEN
        Internet Fact Checker
        • Dec 2002
        • 20913
        • Katy, TX, USA.
        • BT3000 vintage 1999

        #4
        Originally posted by leehljp
        I realize that my usage is very personal to me and often quite different from others and that is fine for me. No problems there.

        For me, I would make it to re-saw the largest that I could. My reason for myself is that - that is what I bought it for and if I make it shorter, will I regret it?
        For supporting a 6 inch resaw, I think that a 4.5, 5 or 6 inch fence would not make a critical difference. As long as you support 2/3 of the height. And that if your fence is too tall, it may hit your blade guide on thinner rips, forcing you to set the blade guide higher than you might like.

        I was thinking that for ripping thin strips off a long piece that a short fence to get under the blade support would be handy.

        So it the choice of the height of the short one might be more important.

        Doing something with a 2x6 is what got me to thinking about how to use this.
        Last edited by LCHIEN; 02-26-2023, 11:21 AM.
        Loring in Katy, TX USA
        If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
        BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

        Comment

        • capncarl
          Veteran Member
          • Jan 2007
          • 3564
          • Leesburg Georgia USA
          • SawStop CTS

          #5
          If it doesn’t fit under your upper guides why not just notch out the fence where it does fit?

          Comment


          • LCHIEN
            LCHIEN commented
            Editing a comment
            Because for one thing there is no one notch that fits all - you are continually adjusting the upper guides depending on the height of the piece you are cutting. If you notch it for a low piece, then you will have no support when you cut a tall piece
        • dbhost
          Slow and steady
          • Apr 2008
          • 9209
          • League City, Texas
          • Ryobi BT3100

          #6
          I likewise have the Kreg bandsaw fence, but not the resaw attachment. Could someone please explain to me how these tall but short front to back resaw attachments work. It would seem to be a guarantee to have the cut wander... But maybe I don't understand the theory...
          Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

          Comment

          • LCHIEN
            Internet Fact Checker
            • Dec 2002
            • 20913
            • Katy, TX, USA.
            • BT3000 vintage 1999

            #7
            Bandsaws tend to have drift, because the blades are narrow and flex, that is hard to get to follow a line truly perpendicular to the fence and miter slot.
            Immaculate tuning can only do so much because you have the position centered on the crown of the wheels, the upper and lower guide blocks and rollers and thrust bearings and even the feed rate and pressure.

            Resawing a 1x4 (actual size 3/4" x 3-1/2") is making it into a pair of 3/8" thick by 3-1/2" boards, less the kerf of the bandsaw, about .025". along the thin dimension, making it even thinner. Its a vertical rip.

            Because of the drift you can't just use the bandsaw fence as a rip fence for normal rips or resawing. It would either drive the board into the fence or walk it away from the fence and you don't get a cut parallel to the edge of the board like you expect.

            So this gives rise to the of the resaw fence, One that is tall so you can control the piece absolutely vertical for uniform thickness top to bottom, and a slightly curved face so you can place it the desired thickness from the blade and allow you to keep it feathered against the face and yet adjust the feed angle to follow a line you have scribed on the top edge of the board to follow.

            DIY resaw fence
            Click image for larger version

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            Loring in Katy, TX USA
            If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
            BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

            Comment

            • dbhost
              Slow and steady
              • Apr 2008
              • 9209
              • League City, Texas
              • Ryobi BT3100

              #8
              Good explanation. I know when I resaw I always use my widest blade, and always have to flatten the boards once dry, just chalked it up to the cost of doing business as it were...
              Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel. Please check out and subscribe to my Workshop Blog.

              Comment

              • Dedpedal
                Established Member
                • Feb 2020
                • 255
                • Palm Coast Florida
                • One BT3000 in use and one for parts. Plus a BT3100

                #9
                If there’s a riser kit for that saw I would go with that first.

                Comment

                • LCHIEN
                  Internet Fact Checker
                  • Dec 2002
                  • 20913
                  • Katy, TX, USA.
                  • BT3000 vintage 1999

                  #10
                  Originally posted by Dedpedal
                  If there’s a riser kit for that saw I would go with that first.
                  No, it is a 12" Bandsaw and it does not have a two piece neck that can be extended with a riser.
                  The riser option seems to only be a popular feature copied by the many clones of the Rockwell/Delta 14" saw.
                  Its been an OK saw, my first bandsaw, but I wish I knew back then all that I know now about buying tools. I would have a different saw!

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                  Last edited by LCHIEN; 02-28-2023, 09:43 PM.
                  Loring in Katy, TX USA
                  If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                  BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                  Comment


                  • Dedpedal
                    Dedpedal commented
                    Editing a comment
                    If I had room, I’d have one that size as well as my Grizzly with the 6” riser. That’s a nice saw!
                • capncarl
                  Veteran Member
                  • Jan 2007
                  • 3564
                  • Leesburg Georgia USA
                  • SawStop CTS

                  #11
                  Drift is something that is hard to deal with. If the drift was the same at the top and bottom of the vertical board that is being cut it would make sense using the round resaw fence device. I’ve found several species of wood that absolutely can not be resaw on my 14” Rikon regardless to which blade I use! A large hunk of Asian Elm drifted so bad that I had to stop and remove the 3/4” carbide tipped resaw blade with the wood stuck in it and bust it open with wedges to save my blade from destruction!

                  Comment

                  • LCHIEN
                    Internet Fact Checker
                    • Dec 2002
                    • 20913
                    • Katy, TX, USA.
                    • BT3000 vintage 1999

                    #12
                    Originally posted by capncarl
                    Drift is something that is hard to deal with. If the drift was the same at the top and bottom of the vertical board that is being cut it would make sense using the round resaw fence device. I’ve found several species of wood that absolutely can not be resaw on my 14” Rikon regardless to which blade I use! A large hunk of Asian Elm drifted so bad that I had to stop and remove the 3/4” carbide tipped resaw blade with the wood stuck in it and bust it open with wedges to save my blade from destruction!
                    There are articles claiming you can adjust the drift out, but I doubt it... the adjustments are so critical that you will be adjusting it for every kind of wood, depth of cut and feed pressure/rate. In other words it can't be dialed in and left that way.

                    For example, the blade rides on the crown of the wheels. After you get the wheels perfectly parallel, then a flat blade riding precisely on the drown should track perpendicular to the wheels. Adjusting the blade forwards and backwards on the wheels will move it forward and back on the crown of the wheels causing it to tilt inwards or outwards and drift. As you feed the wood the blade moves back until it hits the thrust bearing. The blade will flex a bit right or left when pressed. Constrained by the right and left blade bearings trying to keep it from twisting.

                    So there is a lot of dynamics working on it.
                    Last edited by LCHIEN; 03-01-2023, 09:17 AM.
                    Loring in Katy, TX USA
                    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
                    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

                    Comment

                    • d_meister
                      Established Member
                      • Feb 2009
                      • 184
                      • La Conner, WA.
                      • BT3000

                      #13
                      I have a "General" 14" bandsaw that looks like it came out of the side door at the Delta factory in Taiwan back in the old days. The whole top wheel assembly sorta droops down to the point where the guides are not centered. It had terrible drift when I first started using it, and then I adjusted the blade tracking per the Alex Snodgrass video, and the drift is gone with a 1/2" blade. I can use a miter guide and a flat fence without ending up with (more) wedges. Centering the tooth gullets on the center of the tires is definitely the way to do it.

                      Comment

                      • capncarl
                        Veteran Member
                        • Jan 2007
                        • 3564
                        • Leesburg Georgia USA
                        • SawStop CTS

                        #14
                        I agree with the Alex Snodgrass set up methods, and I use them religiously, but there are still going to be occasions when you experience drift. I think it’s like lunchbox planers, there is always someone that swears that their planer never has snipe. (I personally think they never plug them in) Even the manufacturers say their machines snipe
                        Ive read someone’s theory that snipe is a result of the blade heating up. I’m going to take his word for it because I’m not going to touch the blade while it’s running!
                        Under normal conditions (don’t ask what normal conditions are though) I can set the Rikon factory rip fence up and resaw perfectly with no drift.

                        Comment

                        • mpc
                          Senior Member
                          • Feb 2005
                          • 979
                          • Cypress, CA, USA.
                          • BT3000 orig 13amp model

                          #15
                          Something many folks never do when setting up their bandsaw: adjusting the table miter slot to be parallel to the blade! Mount a wide blade, tension it normally, adjust the tracking, set the guides properly, etc. Then place a thin metal rule against the blade body so it passes between blade teeth - avoiding any tooth set. Use this as the reference. Adjust the table so the miter slot is parallel to the blade and metal rule. Then set the fence parallel to the metal rule. That's what I did with my Rikon BS and I get straight, drift-free cuts, with decent blades. I've made test veneer pieces, about 1/32nd of an inch thick, from a chunk of crappy pine as a demonstration/test... using a 3/16ths inch 10 TPI blade. Normally one would mount a much larger blade for resaw work; I did this as a demo to show you can resaw with a good/quality blade. This resaw was done with the stock Rikon rip fence, not a point contact or resaw fence. I use the "center the blade on the crown" technique, not the "center the teeth or gullet on the crown" technique. The Rikon BS uses guide bearings which I position very close to, but not actually touching, the blade. The upper wheel/tire has the crown; the lower wheel/tire is dead flat. The crown is not very large either which I think makes a difference. A large crown makes wide blades "teeter-totter" on the hilltop. Many bandsaws come with what I believe to be an overly-pronounced crown as that probably makes tracking adjustments easier for rookies. For most resaw work I do install a 1/2 inch blade... but this demo was for some friends of mine just starting out in woodworking. I wanted to show them that you can do things without having to buy a ton of blades.

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                          I don't have an aftermarket blade tension gauge; I adjust blade tension using the "push with a fingertip technique." I set the upper blade guides about 6 inches above the table and adjust the guides to be very close to the blade. Then I push mid-way between the guides and table with my fingertip (using the flat part with the fingerprints, not the very tip/end of the finger) just hard enough that I can see my skin turning lighter underneath and next to the fingernail. The tension is adjusted to get no more than 1/4 inch blade deflection with that much finger pressure. The Rikon BS does have a tension display inside the upper wheelhouse which gets me close.

                          When I adjust the guides, one thing I am careful to do is to make sure the distance between the blade back and the thrust bearings is small but more importantly EQUAL between the upper and lower guide assemblies. If the blade hits one thrust bearing before the other, the blade will want to twist more than usual... especially if the lower guide bearing has excess clearance. As part of the lessons to my friends, I made a sample bandsaw from wood using a thick rubber band as a blade. The goal was to demonstrate how blade tension stiffens the blade via "beam strength" theory. That little toy made it easy to show how the rubber band blade would a) bow backwards when the workpiece pushed against the teeth, b) how it would then flex laterally especially when the tension was low, and c) how having the thrust "bearings" not equally aligned made the rubber band blade skew/twist.

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                          The rubber band "blade" is getting shoved backwards by the walnut workpiece. You can see how it kinks below the dark upper blade guide. And how the blade is just beginning to twist. With less tension it would have already twisted 90 degrees to sit flat against the workpiece. You can do similar experiments clamping a rubber band across blocks on your workbench and pushing a stick into it. Stretch the rubber band more to "add tension" to the system and see how different it flexes and how much further you can push the workpiece before the rubber band blade twists and would start cutting a horrid path.

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                          Now, I have not done tons of resawing so I can't say my technique - tracking the blade centered on the crown and very little gap to the blade guide bearings - will work 100% of the time. It has worked for the dozen or so times that I've resawn. Pine boards, 2x4s, oak boards on-edge, maple boards on-edge to make 8/4 stock thinner, some walnut... that's what I remember doing over the last few years. Generally up to 6 to 9 inches tall; I have not resawn anything utilizing most of my Rikon's full ~13 inch resaw capacity. I also used a Craftsman 10 inch BS (the one that looks remarkably similar to Rikon's 10-305 BS and shares many replacement parts with it) to make bandsaw boxes. Slicing off 1/4 inch to make the back panels was done with the rip fence aligned parallel to the blade as well. Those bandsaw boxes actually exceeded the stock vertical capacity of my Craftsman BS; I made a replacement table that sits on the lower wheelhouse, giving up any ability to tilt it, to gain almost an inch of resaw capacity. That little 1/3HP BS did just fine making boxes in maple and other materials; I did have to use a slow feed rate when I made a box using hard maple. Later I got the much more powerful Rikon BS.

                          Blade choice: I used the Olsen blades available at Woodcraft for a long time. I tried Timberwolf blades and had nothing but bad luck with them... I have no idea why... high tension or the low tension they recommend. I tried the Starrett blades when Woodcraft began stocking them - they are by far my favorite blades now. That pine demo was done with a small Starrett blade. And when I resaw I do tend to use a slower feed rate to let the blade self-correct if the workpiece grain tries to distort the cut path.

                          mpc
                          Last edited by mpc; 03-01-2023, 09:19 PM.

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