Portable band saw for re sawing?

P

Pedro G.

Well-Known Member
I need a bandsaw to resaw some wooden blocks into wood scales for handles and big bandsaws are just too much. I found an offer on Craigslist for a Milwaukee 2630N model brand new For 100$. I figured I could get a metal and wood bandsaw two in one if I build a stand for it.

My question is,
Can it accuratley resaw wood? I can add a fence and miter gauge if needed.
 
A portaband type saw would work. Not a whole lot of clearance for large or uneven blocks, so you would need a way to clean up the wood first. It'd also work real well on metal.

Good luck with it, Craig

edit to add, you'd have to clean up most any bandsaw cut. Maybe, sand paper on a flat surface like a piece of glass or remnant of granite. Smooth and steady with the cut pressure will give the least wandering.
 
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With any cut wood you'll have to flatten one side.
I doubt you have jointer planer, so sanding on a flat surface (granite or glass) will give you a nice mating surface for your tang. Doing it on the grinder usually doesn't work out because of even pressure problems and the belt has more slack as it comes down from the top, causing rounded top edges.

Rudy
 
I understood most of that. (Sorry for my slow understanding). Do you have to do this every time you cut a scale? The blocks I have right now are semetrical.
 
One problem with recutting wood with the portable band saw is that you will have to rig a rip fence for your table. You will have to resurface because the cut surface will not be smooth, especially with a band saw. They don't make as clean a cut as a table saw will. You could also try a wood plane to plane the surface.

Doug
 
If your blocks are symetrical, meaning square and flat sanded or planed, then you can use the outside surfaces to mate to your tang. Think bookmatched scales....the cut surfaces will be on the outside where you'll be doing your final sanding.

Rudy
 
Thank you for that imput but, What is re-surface? A rip fence should be TOO hard to make. What do you mean by cut surface?
-Pedro
 
What will I do with the rest after its done? By the wood in the middle. These are pretty decent blocks.
-Pedro
 
I spent a few months looking for the right bandsaw and ended up spending 1200.00 on a 14" powermatic with a riser block. I thought about going with the cheaper ones but in the end, its always better to go for the best tool you can find (best isn't always most expensive). I resaw about 1000 board feet a month on heavy months and closer to 200 on lighter months and it makes a heck of a difference. Keep in mind that a good blade goes along way... I use a Wood Slicer blade from Highland wood working and it cuts down on waste as well as time. Before this blade, I was having to sand about 1/16 to 3/32 off of the block after resawing. Now, the cut is almost smooth and needs only a few passes on 100 grit paper adhered to a granite reference block.

If your budget does not allow for a higher end saw, you can modify a cheaper version to get you near where you need to be. With the cheaper models, you will have issues with blade movement while cutting which can be corrected by retro fitting it with some sort of blade support, either cool blocks or bearings. Either can be rigged pretty easily though the latter tends to be quite pricey. Also, a fence can be made with little experience and just a couple of tools. Below is a link that you may find useful. If you have questions, let me know.

Regards,
Mike M

http://images.meredith.com/wood/images/pdf/bandsaw_fence2.pdf

Also if you have the time, you can get a pretty accurate cut with handsaw and jig. I've made one for pieces that were too cumbersome or small to put through a bandsaw.
 
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I didn't understand the terms in the first half of the second paragraph.
but thank you very much. If this milwaukee isn't right i'm thinking of selling it for higher and going for a harbor freight metal bandsaw and trying something with that.
What jig would that be?
-Pedro
 
I would look for a good used older Craftsman, Atlas, or Delta or other major brand, wood cutting band saw, to cut blocks into scales. I have a metal cutting band saw, like the Harbour Freight one, and it would be very hard to cut 1-1/2 inch thick blocks of wood with any kind of precision. I recently found an old Craftsman 12 inch wood working band saw for $100.00 and it has a good Baldor industrial 1/2 HP motor on it, I did have to replace the blade guides, that cost $10.00, for materials, and a new blade, and made a rip fence. After some adjustment it cuts 4 inch thick hedge wood easily and very precise, with a prety smooth finish for a band saw. As far as sanding smooth after the cut, I use a Delta 4x36 inch belt sander, and a 100 grit belt, just apply even moderate pressure to the block or scale against the platen, and you can get prety flat, if not then use sand paper on a piece of granite, or anything that is flat. When using the sander to flaten scales, be carfull of your finger tips though, that hurts like -----. Don't ask how I know!
Dale
 
Hahaha! makes total sense! I think I might just stick with the the milwaukee for metal and maybe some occasional wood. But for cutting scales I will use a mitter box.
 
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