Official Luthiers Forum!

What saw do you use to re-saw with? I'm looking at a Rikon 14" model 10-325 for re-sawing.Anyone use it & how does it perform?

You may need something a little more powerful than a 1.5 HP motor if you want to do a lot of resawing.

The other limitation of ths saw is that it will only take a 3/4" blade.

My preferred balde is a 1" Lenox Woodmaster carbide tipped for which you would need a minimum 16" saw.

Bob C uses this blade and swears by it.

I tried re-sawing on a 14" saw but the losses due to the blade wandering and dull blades weren't worth the hassle.

We now have a Jet 18" and we're very happy with it and the 14" saw has a 1/4" 10 TPI blade permanently installed.

Hope this helps.

Bob

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Bob Connor
Geelong, Australia

I use a General 90-150. It's a 14" and allows for a 3/4" wide blade maximum. As long as the blade is sharp enough, I don't have any issue with it. I usually sharpen the blade before going through a set of back and sides just to be safe. It goes through an 8" wide board by 24" long in about 3 to 4 minutes.

But I only have to resaw about 2 sets a month, so I guess it all depends on the amont of resawing you expect to do.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

I thought it was a little small even so, they boast that it has a 13" re-saw capacity.I don't have a problem with putting a bigger motor on it if needed.But i do want the saw to cut true.I don't have the room for a bigger heavy saw in my shop right now, so i was looking at this saw.Does a 3/4 " blade really wander that much more than a 1"? The main reason i'm considering a bandsaw is the thin kerf they have to cut down on waste otherwise i'd just use my chainsaw mill with a 1/4" kerf to do it.It doesn't wander, but has the large kerf.

yes you need a minimum of 18" saw to resaw properly with a minimum of 2hp.

a smaller saw will leave deep saw marks and will lose yeaild and the balde will wonder.

anything under 18" and you will not tension a 1" blade.

Joel.

The only bit that I will add here is that saw size needs to be matched to blade size which needs to be matched to tension...i.e...putting a 3/4" blade on a 14" saw may result in a improperly tensioned blade because the saw mechanically cannot support the tension required to properly stress the blade...This is a worse situation than using say a 1/2" blade on a 14" saw. There is an intimate relationship between blade width, blade tension, and every saw. To get the best results, IMHO, this needs to be properly investigated before assuming wider is always better- as it is more like the widest my saw can properly handle is better.

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

I was looking at the specs. and the 14" has a 1" greater resaw height than the 18". Why would that be? Strikes me as weird.The 18" also weighs 150 more pounds.With a 2&1/2 horse motor.

I agree! I have a scroll saw that Will resaw better with a 1/8" blade than my 9" bandsaw with a 1/2" blade.And i think what you just said is why.It simply handles it's blade better than the bandsaw does.I think it's the relationship between the tension and the blade that keeps it from wandering as my scroolsaw doesn't have any guides on it.That scrool saw cuts so strait that i use it to cut out my laminated necks instead of useing the bandsaw . It just does a better job of it.

i have the Rikon 14" deluxe and love it. i resaw 2-3 times a month. Its perfect. i got it for under $700 and find it to be a great value. Bigger and stronger is usually better, but this is as much saw as i need. It is typical for me to get two sets (4 pieces) from a 3/4" board with some taller ply bolted to the factory fence for added stability. Its a bit "rigged", but solid enough to get decent accurate cuts.
on pieces that are shorter than a back/top set (like 3-4 inches), i can get much thinner cuts very accurately. small pieces under an eighth of an inch thick is fairly easy. I use 3/4" timberwolf AS-S (sorry, but that really IS the model) blades and they do wonders without a lot of waste. i have absolutely ZERO complaints about my saw. i don't want to get on a soapbox about its merits, but if its around your price cap and you're resawing for your own purposes on a small scale, you won't regret this saw.
-j.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

Well,

I just brought this saw home about a week ago.



It is the older version of the Hitachi CB-75. It had no motor, switch or pulley guard when I bought it, so I spent the day installing this 3 hp motor and magnetic switch and welded up a belt tension mechanism and modified the belt guard to fit. These saws a about as good as they get as far as I am concerned. They run a 3" stellite tipped band on 16" wheels. They are VERY accurate and can run all day. They are more than most people need and they are getting expensive new (approaching $4,000 USD) but I got this one for $1,000 CDN and I found the motor, almost new, for another $100. I had the magnetic switch already but they will run another $100. These bands have a .050 kerf and can cut with .010 very easily. I am setting this saw up primarily for back and side sets (I have a few hundered board feet of Honduras and African Mahogany to process). I have another 24" re-saw that I run woodmiser blades on for Spruce, which is much tougher to cut than most hardwoods. So, if you can find one of these second hand for a good price, you will never be disappointed. I checked the wheels and they are true within .002. And with the band on they are still that accurate. This one had been sitting around, unassembled, in luthiers shop for about 12 years. It was used to saw cedar before that. I will be adding a tall fence and pneumatic operated roller system as described by Bruce Crepps from Notable Woods, in his articles just over a year ago in AL. Bruce has also been advising on the details for accurate work. He uses a CB-75 and absolutely swears by the saw. The way I see it, if you can keep cuts very accurate and consistently get that extra set then the saw pays for itself.

Just another option (probably an unlikely one, but something to think about!). I also have two other bandsaws, a 14 inch Jet and 15 inch Gerneral, that I run 1/4 inch bands on.

Shane

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Canada

Ditto on the Hitachi. I agree, it is a lot of saw (I actually split the cost with my friend - eventually bought him out). However, I do resaw jobs for 50% cherry picked yield, so this works out for me (especially when we're talking Koa and Milo!).

I removed the 2.8 hp 110v motor, and replaced it with a 3 hp 220v motor - HUGE difference! The original motor is a "router" motor, that is geared down - it makes a whole lot of noise.

My other friend (who owns a local `ukulele factory) has the same saw, dropped in a 3 hp 3ph motor, and runs it all day long without skipping a beat.

I use the Rikon 14" deluxe with a 1/2" Wood Slicer blade to resaw ,
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/inde ... tegory=295
It does a outstanding job. The 3/4" blade is too wide for the Rikon since you can't get it to track with the front of the blade just past center of the wheel. The 3/4" blade will be too far forward and the crown of the wheel will cause it to wonder with the cut. Set up is the most important here. The Wood Slicer blade leaves a pretty smooth cut and is a great blade. If you are going to do resawing as a business then you might want something just dedicated for that. Seems like there might be a past discussion on this too.

Here's my setup and a piece of mohogany resawed.

more

J. I read over your post again. You don't have any problem with the 3/4" blade wanting to cut toward the fence? If not maybe I'm incorrect on the 3/4" blade.

I thnk what saw you get totally depends on what/how you plan to use it. I dont do a lot of resawing .. but that said, my 14 nch delta with 3/4 hp motor and a fresh 1/2 3tpi blade CAN resaw about anything I need ... I wouldnt use it all day long, bu the odd piece here and there.. no problems. One of my students resawed two different soft curly maple electric caps the other day ... about 10x24 size ... came out fine, no blade wander at all, as it was a new blade. I could have cut ten more quite easily on that same 20 buck blade.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I have the Grizzly Ultimate 14" with riser. I resaw with a 1/4" 3tpi Timberwolf and and have no problems with consistent cuts down to 1/16" thickness. I have used this for years now and do many at the max height of the saw and usually Hard Maple. It's all in setting up the saw correctly with the right blade then understanding your feed rates. Most 14" band saws are not equipped to tension the 3/4" properly, even my Grizzly doesn't tension a 1/2" to my liking. Therefore I use the 1/4" with very good results. I do usually tension the TW blade a few extra turns than their recommendations but this it what works for me.

Just my .02cents


Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Thanks for posting those pictures Chris! Looks like that saw does a great job when jiged up for it.I also thought the fence was too low for resawing.I also like the finger board you made for it as well.I'm just need it for the back& sides that i need to build with once and awhile.Alot of my milled lumber is at 1/2" and can be planed down.But for some of the wood i buy, i will need to reasw, so it won't get alot of heavy use anyway.Most of what i'll be sawing is highly figured maple so i don't want to get too much waste on that.

Well, I went and got that 14" rikon.It's not in the shop yet as it was easier to get in the garage and that is where my dust collector is ,so i might just set it up there for now.I haven't opened the box yet but the salesman said it doesn't come with a blade . So i picked up a 1/2" 4tpi timberwolf to play with for now as that was all he had there in the store with that brand.He did have a 1/4 " blade too but i think i can make the 1/2" work better, it probably won't get as hot as the 1/4" blade and last longer.

Just when I thought I'd never have tool envy again

At that price I'm going to keep my eyes peeled...a friend gave me three 3HP 3P motors last year that he couldn't use, so I'm halfway there! (Of course, I buy nearly all my wood from you anyhow...)

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

For years, I have resawn a lot of wood for guitars, furniture, etc with a 14 inch Rockwell Bandsaw with a riser block. I equipped it with a 2 hp motor. It works fine, but it is slow and only takes a 3/4 inch blade.

So here is what I did to get better results with resawing. I stopped doing it and found someone willing to do it for me a a reasonable price on a 25 hp horizontal resaw. The results are far superior to anything that I could do.

I put a request in my state woodworking organization (NC) for anyone who could do professional resawing within 200 miles of my home. I got back four replies. The nearest person, and the one I use is only 8 miles from my house. And he is also an acoustical guitar nut. Went into his office and a table was covered with Acoustic Guitar Magazines, Fretboard Journals, etc. I am charged an hourly rate. It varies. When cutting softwoods for tops, the rate is cheaper because a carbon blade will do the trick. Exotics are more because he uses a carbide tipped blade.

I believe my resawing days in my shop are over.

One other thing. My dad always told me to find a Doctor who was younger than me and I would have a Doctor for life. Same is true with a person with a good resaw bandsaw!!

Ken

Has anyone actually resawn anything by hand? for me I wouldn't have the space for a bigger bandsaw anyways so if I bought inexpensive wood from some mill I can afford to waste some wood anyways and plane it down with the safety planer.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

I recently got a 19" Grizzly with the 3hp motor. I don't have a ton of resawing experience to compare it to, but I'm pretty sure I could take my old Jet 14" bandsaw, put it on the new Grizzly and resaw thin little white slabs off.

I was able to get the MSN cashback on it for $200 off and ebay was also running a 10% off deal, so I picked it up for about $790 + shipping. Sold my Jet for $375, so it worked out well for me. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this saw to anyone interested, even at full price.

Darrin

18" Rikon here, got it for $800 as it was the floor model. 1" Lenox Trimaster 3-4 TPI - there is nothing I can't resaw.

Chris, I went through 4 Woodslicers in the same mileage as I have on my (still sharp) Trimaster - they are fine for stuff like mahogany, but for harder and more oily exotics, they dull too quickly and gum up even more quickly compared with the Trimaster.

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....

Thanks for all the replies! I see alot of you are having great sucess resawing.What speed do you find to be the best for reasawing? Slow or fast? My saw has 2 speeds so i have a choise.