Resawing... by hand?

OK, fair enough.

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>

Re: example...

paul womack

>Preparing the stock for shaker boxes by frame saw.

Ralph Brendler's Shaker Box page

BugBear

Re: Resawing... by hand?

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Since you do woodworking to put food on the table (and beer in the fridge), under what circumstances would you choose to hand-resaw a board?

BTW, the two-kerfs plus D8 is the only method I have yet used.

Re: Lessons from history

paul womack

>Don't resaw if you don't have to. The great thing about hand tools is that you don't have to be a slave to specifications. You can work with what you've got. Maybe you could rethink your design issues and see if you couldn't use the stock you already have.

Indeed. How about floor boards? They "obviously" have be resawn and planed (scrubbed) to a uniform thickness, right?

Wrong.

In the old days, a rough sawn floor board would have a single (the one that showed) face planed. A sash fillister (yes, Adam, you could use a plow) was then used as a "macho" marking gauge, on the side edges of the board. It didn't just leave a line demarking the excess thickness, it removed some of it!

(here comes the clever bit)

The board was then offered up into position and the position of the joists marked.

The board then had the waste removed; but only where the board crossed the joists (picture a sort of half lap joint).

This has 2 benefits. It reduces the amount of thickness planing to be done, and it retains strength in the board,

BugBear

Re: Resawing... by hand?

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>There are a lot more reasons than just putting food on the table that I do woodworking, but I could go on for hours about that, but it will have to be some other time.

If I didn't have a bandsaw with a sufficient depth to handle the width of the board.

If I didn't have the power tools available, for example because I was somewhere I couldn't carry the bandsaw, or that I didn't have power, or the last bandsaw blade broke or got dull.

If the board was too thin to get a pair of bookmatched boards due to the thickness of the available powertool blades' kerfs.

If someone wanted the item completely hand made.

If I were demonstrating historical techniques.

If I were making a reproduction whose authenticity required hand sawn tool marks, which would be visible on inspection of the back side or inside of the piece.

I had to get it done late one evening, and didn't want to disturb family, friends and neighbors.

Just to increase my skill versatility, and to prove to myself I could do it.

Eight Good Reasons!

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>Thanks for the response.

I certainly hope that I did not offend you with the "food on the table" remark. It just seemed to me that a professional such as your self would have different sensibilities about techniques because of pressures from customers than would an amateur such as I, who can (and does) take years to get some things completed. I was trying to elicit any "tricks of the trade", etc., that a pro like you might know.

Have a good weekend,

Don in SoFla - Sunny & 77� F.

Re: Resawing... by hand?

Paul M. in San Diego

>Hi Pam,

Actually, the Tatebiki's shown on the Hida Tool link you posted earlier are NOT hardened. These are rip tooth saws that can be resharpened just like a Disston. That was a key factor in my buying the 300mm one on that page was so I could resharpen it when needed.

Re: Eight Good Reasons!

William R. Duffield on the Cohansey

>But you can't use all the reasons on the same board, or even the same day.

No offense taken! Woodworking is both profession and avocation for me. I just build different things, using different methods and tools, and in different shops, boatyards, and sites. I try to take as pragmatic approach as possible, and find the best way to provide acceptable value to the customer given the tools and materials at hand. I'd go nuts building the same thing over and over again, so I'm sure I won't ever figure out how to build the best of something thats ever been done, nor how to build it cheapest or quickest.

Re: Resawing... by hand?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Thanks, Paul, that's why I mentioned Mark's talents, should have been more explicit; although I'm not 100% sure they're not hardened, just that they're not hardened to brittle.

How do you like yours?

Pam

Re: Resawing... by hand?

Paul M. in San Diego

>Love it. My ryoba is feeling woefully neglected.

Re: Resawing... by hand?

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Yeah, know what you mean, as we gain tool refinement we tend to no longer need the general/more flexible tools. I use various ryoba for smaller tasks like tenons.

Pam

Re: Resawing... by hand?

Jim DeLaney, Austintown, OH

>A few years ago, at a WW show in Ontario (California) I watched Toshio Odata resaw a 12" wide pine board, maybe 5/4, into three pieces that were so perfectly matched in thickness that they hardly needed any planing at all. He used a tatebiki that was about 500mm long, and probably 250 mm wide. He, of course, made it look effortless... All who saw this were very impressed!

Odate-san is amazing.

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>

Re: Resawing... by hand?

Jim G

>I've done some resawing with a homemade frame saw recently on 8/4 basswood. I tried a couple of bandsaw rip blades and ended up with that dished out middle that Scott was talking about. So I found an old Disston D-8 rip and cut it at 2" wide for a blade. Cleaned it up and sharpened it. Works great, cuts a good straight line. But, as mentioned above, it's _alot_ of work.