A big splinter

[belgian]

I have to agree with Roy Clarke. He made some very good comments with regard to safety imo. European background and education with regard to safety may explain this view. I had a very simular discussion on the safety issues related with a homemade cordwood saw. see http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=45233

the same discussion started as of post 34 +

 

[BobL]

The problem is, a huge amount of the cuts made on a tablesaw can't even be made with the guards on.

+1 and (sorry to do this here) Rob can you please check your PMs . . . or maybe you have and you don't wanna reply . . . . that's fine too.

Thanks

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Ive used my Delta tablesaw to rip all sorts of green wood but ive not used my bandsaw because I havent had a blade wide enougth to make smooth accurate cuts.

I think your going to find that it "isn't" the band nearly as much as it is the bandsaw itself! A heavy "tuned up" bandsaw will resaw very straight with a 1/4" band.... I've been doing it for many years useing Lenox bi-metal skip tooth bands...

Small bandsaws are VERY hard to get to resaw accurately...

DM

 

[woodshop]

I seem to remember hashing this out before a bit... but... bottom line on using a bandsaw for milling small logs, is you gotta have a powerful bandsaw or a LOT of patience. As with using a little electric chainsaw to mill large logs, you will eventually get down the log alright, but don't hold your breath. I have used my 3/4HP 14 inch Delta for milling very small stuff, like 4-5 inch osage orange to get a small blank out of a limb. Works even with a thin blade, but 1/2 inch 3tpi works better. However, my resawing (milling) larger logs, up to say 8 inches is done on a Laguna 220V 2 1/2 HP bandsaw. Even that doesn't really have enough power, but if you take it easy and your blade is sharp, it will do the job. I use standard 3TPI 3/4 inch wide blades on my resaw. Although it will resaw up to 12 inches, I never tackle much over 6, as it just gets too hard to handle. Again, the power for slicing through wet wood that thick is just not there in most bandsaws.

As for the European vs US safety laws and regulations... lets just say I'm glad I live here. I read through that other thread about the buzz saw... interesting. I posted pics of a similar saw run off of a tractor a while back ( it was my brother-in-laws). That thing sure did scare me to death... but I don't want somebody telling me (or my brother-in-law) that we can't build or use one for our own personal use. I did spend 3 years in Europe a ways back, and traveled to most countries while there, and although I loved many things about most of Europe I spent some time in, the cradle to grave socialist mentality over there just turned me off. Within reason, I like the fact that I am free to make my own mistakes, and hopefully learn from them. Yes in a socialist state that means everybody then has to pay for that... but then that's why I wouldn't like living in a socialist state in the first place!!

 

[aquan8tor]

It's a standard Taiwan 3HP cabinet saw... aka Grizzly or Jet or many others, but yes it's an after market fence, a Shopfox. I needed something more accurate and solid than the original that came with it. I got this fence 10 years ago, attached the quartersawn birch to it and never looked back. Only once did I have to readjust it slightly in all those years. When you toggle that handle in front, it locks both ends of the fence to the rails, so you get a pretty solid accurate fence.

I do mill small logs in my shop, 8 inches dia and under, and less than 5-6ft long. I start on the resaw bandsaw (with outfeed table to support log) to slab off the sides and then mill into planks. Often I stop there... but occasionaly depending on the wood I will run them through the planer, jointer and then tablesaw to get them semi-cleaned up and THEN sticker them.

Do you like the shopfox fence? I need to replace the fence on my 1970's rockwell contractor saw. The saw only has a 1.5 hp motor, but I'm looking for a suitable replacement......It has a 50" table on it. I'm looking at the vega and accusquare fences now, but I'm not set on anything yet. The guy that I bought the saw from was a machinist, & built a table like the unisaw table extension out of aluminum angle & tube. The factory fence's 35 year old plastic pieces are degrading, and have been repaired a couple times. I want something better than another fix.


BTW, how big are the wheels on the laguna saw? I've seen their setups and they're pretty sweet looking. I have a meager Ridgid 14" saw, but I put a riser block on it, built a nice rolling stand from a "fine woodworking" project, & put a riser block on it, as well as a 2HP baldor motor, which works a lot better than the crap 3/4hp motor it came with. I spent the better part of the afternoon "milling" up some mulberry firewood logs on it. (pics later--couldn't find camera today).