Resawing a log the old fasion way

Re: Resawing a log the old fasion way

mikew


>Hi Dave--you anticipated the answers fairly well!

Yes I have, and yes get a blade for your BS made for resawing. Just make sure it can handle green wood. Which basically is going to be fewer tpi and wider set. I cut green wood using a blade from Laguna, and it works fairly well but is spendy.

If you really want to do it in a neander way, I would suggest a frame saw made with a blade from, what else, a BS blade. Though a BS blade with 3/4 tpi will work fine and most likely doesn't have to be of the same quality a blade as one would run on the BS. As well, you can often get ends of rolls for fairly inexpensive. Certainly cheaper than getting one for your BS.

Exotics--which I would classify this wood as a domestic exotic --were done with pit saws. Good luck getting a victom to be the person under the log sections.

But once the pieces are halved, spend the time to joint them using a tailed jointer or even a plane and then I think you'll find the BS will handle it sufficiently.

I don't know about where you live, but here in the Portland, Ore area one can get these pieces resawn for a reasonable charge, which is also an option. Consider finding someone with a small band mill to do it.

Take care, Mike

Some suggestions

jim reed @ tallahassee


>I cut up some dogwood on my 14" Jet BS. It was hard work and made mincemeat out of the blades and blocks. Here is what I learned: It is dangerous and dirty. Things went better once I had a flat spot as the logs have a tendency to rotate. This rotation causes the blade to bind. Maybe you can use an adze or axe to make a flat side or pin the log to a 4x4 to keep it from rotating. Be sure you use low tpi blades as sawdust backs up in the kerf. Good luck.

Re: Some suggestions

Thom D


>As A wood turnner I have done some spectacularly unwise things with bandsaws. There are times when one is pleased to have only a 3/4hp motor. My Laguna has a 2hp, and it scares me a lot in comparison.

Spliting might get your log halved but if you want to make boards you probably are going to need to saw.

I made a flat frame saw after one I saw in an article by Klausz. I used a coarse bowsaw rip blade in it. It worked, and I never tried it on green wood which was not as much talked about around 1980, It was difficult work compared to the cheapest bandsaw.

I now have a good Japanese resaw, one of the whale shaped one. I recently saw something about the last sawyer working in Japan. He was working the log sideways, rather than at his toes. Gotta try that some day.

Cutting power wise. Bandsaws depend on good blades, the blades should not be too wide, most of the 14" saws are not capable of running blades thicker than 1/2" (tension issue). Often the springs that come with them are anemic, which is why there are aftermarket springs sold that don't loose their strength easily. You also need to check a table for the material and cutting speed. I have this table in this book I got years ago that literally gave differnet speeds for every material from baked goods and cardboard to steel. If you are cutting something called ironwood, chances are you need a slower speeed than for maple.

Re: Some suggestions

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX


>I now have a good Japanese resaw, one of the whale shaped one. I recently saw something about the last sawyer working in Japan. He was working the log sideways, rather than at his toes. Gotta try that some day.

Works great, be sure and have lots of wedges available to prop up the top part of the log so the saw doesn't bind.

Pam

Ok, follow up on details of the new fashion way...

Dave Thompson


>Well, I thought neander resawing might not be pragmatic. Given the answers so far, I�ll take it that others feel the same. I think the ultimate confirmation of masochistic eccentricity was Mike�s comment that the best blade for a frame saw would be from a bandsaw blade.

Regarding the BS approach, I was using a 3hp Laguna LT18, using this log sled. Initially with a 1� wide Suffolk 3TPI blade which has worked fine for me resawing dry wood (ash, cherry, walnut) up to 11�, and green wood (ash) up to 6�. It choked on the 8� ironwood. The gullets got clogged with fine powder, created lots of heat and friction and is now a mess. I switched to a 1� wide 3/4TPI blade that originally came with the Laguna. It doesn�t have the clogging problem. I believe either the tension *may* have been a little loose, or as you guys suggested, the set wasn�t wide enough. The blade drifted and now there is too much side friction for this blade to pass. There isn't enough set in the blade to correct it's path. It was this messed up kerf that I took the D-8 to, and was able to widen it and lengthen by a half log length. As suggested, I think I�ll need to get a wider set new/sharp � TPI blade. I�ve sealed up the end grain with some liquid wax sealer to tied me over until the blade arrives.

For fear of digressing too much from hand tool content... My intended use for this stuff when it dries will be for tool handles, maybe a mallet, and transitional replacement bottoms. With LN�s endorsement of this material for their chisel handles, I figured I�d give it a try.

Thanks,

Dave

Broken link...log sled  *LINK*

Dave Thompson



Log sled

Japanese resaw

Dave Thompson


>Previous to your post, I would have thought a "Japanese resaw" to be that big green Hitachi dedicated resaw machine that Norm uses. A quick check on Japan woodworker shows some pricey Bukkiri Noko Giri saws...unfortunately, no pictures. I'll have to check my print catalog if I can find it.

Thanks,

Dave

Re: Ok, follow up on details of the new fashion wa

mikew


>I think that BS are old fashioned--been around for a long, long time. Doesn't bother me. I'll resaw dry stock by hand, but not green. Moves too much in the center, the free water content can super heat and cause problems, etc.

And besides. A BS is a pull saw--it's just not you doing the pullin'.

That's a nice sled in your picture. My wife is a turner and has been after me to build one for quite some time. I may have a few thousand bd/ft of [dry] lumber around here, but I think my wife has about 10 cords of 3' log sections to process at some point! And she's getting anxious.

Take care, Mike

Re: Ok, follow up on details of the new fashion wa

Dave Thompson


>That's a nice sled in your picture. My wife is a turner and has been after me to build one for quite some time. I may have a few thousand bd/ft of [dry] lumber around here, but I think my wife has about 10 cords of 3' log sections to process at some point! And she's getting anxious.

Thanks. I don't think I spent more than an evening working on it.... should you get the gumption. But ofcourse, if you did, then someone would have to process those 10 cords..... Maybe it's better to put off the jig. ;-)

enjoy,

Dave

Re: Ok, follow up on details of the new fashion wa

mikew


>Well, I know, I know. The saving grace is she like using the BS so I can probably get out of most of it after I help for the first few logs.

Main issue is we [the boys and I] use our two bandsaws a lot through the day. Being without one would be a major pain.

Which is why she has told me to get another, even larger one and she will steal the Jet 18". It's on the list. There's a couple other items in front competing for the dollars...

Take care, Mike

Re: Japanese resaw *LINK*

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX


>The link below shows a maebiki. Note that the two now on ebay aren't really maebiki. Whether one of those would be suitable depends on the diameter of your ironwood log.

Pam


Maebiki

That looks suitable for a Japanese horror film

Dave Thompson

Thanks for looking this up Pam.

Dave Thompson

Re: Japanese resaw

Thom D


>Mine is like the lower saw in the links page. They look pretty normal compared to the marshall looking ryobii. Not a frightening tool, certainly not compared to and axe.

Wedges! I never would have thought of that! :0)

Re: Ok, follow up on details of the new fashion wa

Thom D


>If you are making handles just split the stuff you want little bits anyway. If it will split go to it. By now I have sen pretty much every combination of wedge, froe, glut, and axe used by experts to split wood, so it isn't too specialized. As in the chisel handle post above, consider using branches about the same size as the handles if the wood is nice in that size the pith is irrelevant (and could be drilled and dowelled if you are worried. The highest quality Japanese using chisels are often made with heart centered white oak twigs.

Re: Ok, follow up on details of the new fashion wa

Thom D


>I don't know how old fashioned it is but the BS is all American! Can't say that for any of the alternatives.

Re: Ok, follow up on details of the new fashion wa

Thom D


>A three BS familly, you guys rock!

Re: Thanks for looking this up Pam.

Thom D


>Pam has great links!

Do you have your own site Pam?

if it is handles you want

Tom Sontag - St. Louis


>why not just crosscut the log on the BS to your resaw height lengths, flip the new flat side down and square up the section like a turner making blanks would? You would have ~12" long 2x2s in no time.

Let us know how this turns out; I've got my eye out for some (hop)hornbeam too. This is way off the hand tool path, but I'd be inclined to rip the log lengthwise with a chainsaw. Probably less waste than splitting. Maybe.

Re: Thanks for looking this up Pam.

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX


>My own site? Not these days. I did a very early version for Pinehill that's now merely a placeholder and convenient emailer. I think this is a showmaker's children thing. I keep waiting for someone to pay me to make another web site. :)

Pam