User:Jason/resawing jig
Proof of concept proofed
The challenge was to see whether Ed's 14 inch Rockwell bandsaw was up to the task of resawing wide stock.
Dylan and I worked on this a few weeks ago, coming up with a repeatable and safe strategy for quickly installing Ed's riser block and changing the blade out to our longer 3tpi ripping blade. We tried building a kludged rear blade guard but gave up after it became clear that the tight tolerances under the wheel covers pretty much demanded that we just buy the appropriate part.
The machine is still unacceptably dangerous because the blade is exposed on its upstroke on the left side — that means teeth are going up, so it presently requires extreme situational awareness — I will make sure to operate the machine in short sleeves until we purchase the stock plastic rear blade guard so that nothing attached to me can catch in the blade.
As it stands, I taped yellow caution tape so that people knew not to come near the machine while it was set up for resawing, as well as made certain to remove the riser block and set the machine back up as a 14 inch general purpose bandsaw after I was finished using it.
For the March 3, 2014 test, thanks to Derek for helping set the machine up and Nathan Ellis for helping break it down.
Thanks to Ed Bennett for letting me use his riser block to investigate whether the machine could even do this. If this ever becomes something we let members use, I will insist it requires authorization and a demonstration that the member understands how to properly set the machine up.
This may not seem like a big deal to a more experienced woodworker. I'm a relative newbie, so I'm pleased to have another tool for dimensioning lumber with tons less waste.