oaktreeguy
ArboristSite Member
I see a lot of mention about chainsaw kerf (seems valid). Does anyone mill down to large cants and then resaw those on a vertical stationary bandsaw?
Thank you for more insite! My lil piker has a capacity of 13" which isn't used since my planer is 12 1/2" which never has full width use since no project calls for that width (yet). When I want wide, router planer comes into play on pieces that were already at 1 1/4" roughly, or 2" plus with other intent.Most conventional Wood Shop bandsaws are on the slow side to be efficient at cutting green wood. The optimum speed for cutting green wood is over 5500 fpm where as conventional Woodshed saws run at ~4000 FPM.
On very long-wide cuts this results in higher temperatures so band cooling (usually by water) is needed but this is not desirable in small wood shops. Gum adhesion to the band can also be a problem.
The other factor is band TPI and band width. For resawing wide boards you need around 1TPI and a width of 1"+. The big gullets on these teeth help clear the sawdust more efficiently than the smaller TPI bands
I modified my 19" WW bandsaw for resawing by replacing the 2HP single phase motor with a 3HP 3 Phase motor running via a VFD.
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This allows me to change the speed of the cut from very low speeds to 5700 FPM - this is done via the grey box on the door just above the blade.
I don't resaw much at high speed so for cooling I use methylated spirits in a spray bottle as this leaves no residue.
For added safety I also added a foot brake to the saw.
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I I have a 3TPI band I use for small stuff and a 1.33 TPI 1.5" wide band.
While I'm at it you might like to see my extra under-table "bell mouth hood" dust collection point.
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I also have a small sled for this saw and mill small logs and branches up to 2'6" long with it.
This is a 20" long piece of Olive wood being milled up
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That's what I said. For example the Grizzly 14" deluxe has a single speed of 3000 FPM and its 19" model has two speeds 1700 and 3500 FPM.5000 fpm is not nearly attainable for most woodworking bandsaws.
What sort of a saw was it that you could get that speed with? Most WW saws don't go less than 1000 FPMI saw green wood with success MUCH slower. 1/10 of that... !
What makes a bandsaw mill work fine but not a "regular" bandsaw?
I know the blades we use are 7/8" pitch, so 1.25 tpi?. I just finished sharpening about 250 blades.
Sure - that's what I'm effectively doing anyway with the wider cuts.Bob...I have a 14" delta clone with a riser. I'm not suggesting slow speed is the answer....I'm just saying that I have no choice because my little motor is inadequate to pull through a green log at a higher speed. So I just use what works and worry not.
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