Band sawing planks

[David R. Pennington]

What is the best tooth per inch / blade design for band saw blade to saw out 3" maple planks into stock blanks? Most of the cutting will be rip sawing obviously. Planks have been sawn stickered and stacked over three years and I thought I would go ahead and cut out some blanks.

[iloco]

What is the best tooth per inch / blade design for band saw blade to saw out 3" maple planks into stock blanks? Most of the cutting will be rip sawing obviously. Planks have been sawn stickered and stacked over three years and I thought I would go ahead and cut out some blanks.

http://www.allbandsawblades.com/nubmer_teeth.htm

[Mike Brooks]

I use a chainsaw to get the blanks out of the planks.

[gunmaker]

I use 4 per inch and 1/2 inch wide on my craftsman,  Does a good job of cutting 3.00 inch blanks straight----if saw is tuned well.   ....Tom

[PPatch]

A bit off subject but here is a very good band saw tuning video:



dave

[David Rase]

I agree with Mike.  Use a chain saw to rough out the blanks from the cant.  Then you can use the band saw to make them look pretty.  I use a 1/2" x 3 TPI blade when cutting my stock blanks.
David

[Gaeckle]

I use 4 per inch and 1/2 inch wide on my craftsman,  Does a good job of cutting 3.00 inch blanks straight----if saw is tuned well.   ....Tom

This is true.....may want to have something to stabilize the blank so it doesn't wave around, tilt, cause the blade to bind, snap in two and cause you to use cursive (the art of swearing).

[Old Bob]

I have two 9 foot cherry planks with 2 blanks laid out on each. Will have to use a chainsaw to separate. Finish up with the bandsaw. I have 9 more that I'll probably have resawn for boards for furniture.

[mountainman70]

Dave,BW and I use a small chainsaw to rough cut the blank,then mark our pattern on the wood,and trim out with his bandsaw.Call him about his choice of blade for saw.Have a goodun,t'other Dave

[Kermit]

Um, what size is your bandsaw? If you have the manual, look to see what the maximum size is that's recommended. My 14" saw will let me go to 3/4" blades. I keep a couple 3/4 x 3tpi blades for ripping. They will handle cuts down to less than a 3" radius, IIRC. I rarely use narrower blades unless for some reason I need tighter curves. Then I change back to a 3/4" blade right away. My bandsaw has a riser block for resawing, and I regularly cut thick/wide stock. I don't own a tablesaw any more. If I didn't already have the bandsaw, I'd probably get along with one of my handsaws, 4 1/2 or 5 1/2ppi filed rip. I'm not in a hurry any more and don't like gym memberships.

[smart dog]

Hi Dave,
I have a 15" bandsaw that takes 103" blades.  For ripping out stock blanks I use 3/4" wide blade with 4 "hooked" teeth per inch.  That blade, when sharp, easily cuts hard maple blanks up to 3.5 inches thick.  However, it is not an "all-purpose" blade.  Depending on the stock, I sometimes clean up the curves with  1/2" or 3/16" blades with 10 regular teeth per inch. 

dave

[J Henry]

 And just as important ,, use a new/ sharp blade  ,,, dull blades will wonder all over the place,,,

[Mike Brooks]

I use a chainsaw to get the blanks out of the planks.

I'd like to add, my planks are usually huge and weigh several hundred pounds. There is no way I could pick the whole thing up and saw it with the band saw. I have 1/2 dozen walnut planks to blank out this spring/summer...according to my memory they should have been cut for three years by then.

[Acer Saccharum]

I cut them with a chainsaw from plank, when planks are green(wet). STicker and dry, then pretty them up with a bandsaw later. I use a 1/4" x 4tpi. It seems on the small side, but it works.

Once dried for a few years, I router the edges with a corner rounding bit. You can send blank thru the mail like that, just write the address on the wood with a marker.

[Dennis Glazener]

You can send blank thru the mail like that, just write the address on the wood with a marker.

You may get away with that but the post office here will not let me ship them that way. They showed me a regulation that says items must be wrapped in a min. of brown paper! Dumb but I comply by using brown butcher paper.

My blanks are usually 6 ft by 2.75 to 3" and like Mike's, are way too large/heavy to cut on a band saw. I lay them out with a black marker then cut the straight edges with a Skill Saw and the curved lines with my Bosch jig saw with a 5" blade. Then I might true the blank up on the band saw.
Dennis

[Jim Kibler]

I've shipped lots of bare wood blanks.  I usually take a spoke shave and break the edges.  USPS has never had a problem with it here. 

[WadePatton]

I've shipped lots of bare wood blanks.  I usually take a spoke shave and break the edges.  USPS has never had a problem with it here. 

Tru-dat.  Last two I got were bare nekkid wood with labels.  From Jim and from the Harrisons.  The first one from West TN was in a box.  Don't know if my PO would let me ship one nekkid, but they do deliver 'em that way.

[B. Hey]

Hey Dave ... FWIW, I have been resawing tone woods as thick as 6" for years. When all is said and done, I prefer the Highland Woodworking "Wood Slicer" blades. They are made specifically for resawing and other "fine" work. A word of caution, they do not do well on wet woods. Take care ... Bill

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer-resaw-bandsaw-blades.aspx

[Ben Quearry]

PPatch thanks for the video; very helpful!

Ben

[Jim Kibler]

Hey Dave ... FWIW, I have been resawing tone woods as thick as 6" for years. When all is said and done, I prefer the Highland Woodworking "Wood Slicer" blades. They are made specifically for resawing and other "fine" work. A word of caution, they do not do well on wet woods. Take care ... Bill

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodslicer-resaw-bandsaw-blades.aspx

I like the wood slicer blades as well.  I use a 1/2" blade for cutting out stock blanks.  Works quite well for me..

[Acer Saccharum]

I have found differences from one post office from another in terms of shipping guns(flintlocks) and wood. Each super interprets the regulations differently.

I go to the PO where my stuff is most welcome.

[P.W.Berkuta]

I use my  Milwaukee Sawzall Recip Saw with 9-Inch 5 TPI to cut out the blank (2-1/2" to 3" thick maple or walnut) then use my Grizzly 16" band saw with either a 1/2" 6 TPI hook blade or a 3/4" 4TPI hook blade to profile. Then jointer - then Makita 12" planer. I called the Milwaukee people and told them what I wanted to do with the Sawzall and what they would reccomend & they said that the 9-Inch 5 TPI blade would work well.

[David R. Pennington]

Finally got around to turning some planks into blanks. Had a wild cherry plank and a red maple plank. The maple doesn't appear to have as much figure as I had hoped but the grain runs well through the wrist. I got 2 blanks out of the cherry plank and 3 blanks out of the maple plank. The cherry was sawn in 2008 and the maple in 2011.
I painted the end grain again and will store them in the rafters and let them rest there a while. I used my coal powered chainsaw.

[rich pierce]

Strong work!

[WadePatton]

Gettin' R Did!

good work!