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.

I brought some mesquite back from my last trip to visit my mom in Austin. It's extremely hard on the Jenka hardness scale — more than twice as hard as American walnut and cherry. I guess that's why they call it Texas Ironwood.
Getting a large piece this clear with such lovely grain was a coup. Once resawed, I'll be able to bookmatch pieces for the sides and tops of a mid-century style nightstand I'm making.

The jig is attached to the bandsaw table with C-clamps and wooden cleats.

I started with a scrap of a 2 by pine with a 3/4" x 5/8" rabbet cut into the bottom and a 3/4" piece of MDF screwed in true 90º. I cut a dado down the center that snuggly fits a scrap of maple with its edge more or less sanded round. There's a wide range of opinion on the best style of resawing jig and whether homemade can be as good as commercial.

The jig is operated by setting the maple strip behind the blade and using it to pivot the piece into the blade. Jigs like this are more suitable for resawing wide stock because it's difficult to accurately set a fence perfectly parallel to the blade. Using a fence is a mediocre way to scarf one's workpiece and a worse way to resaw it.

I was able to achieve promising results on my first attempt at a 1/2 inch cut on a piece of ~8 inch wide pine, although starting the piece straight seems to consistently be a problem. I'll just rough my boards out a little longer to compensate.

One side ended up 0.490 inch! Good enough for jazz!

The other end and edge came out 0.507 inch. Pretty darn good! It should be hand planed to remove saw marks and get it to its final thickness, so any minor variations would be trivial.