Small scale / large capacity resaw (To curlykoa)

[DuneCreature]

Hello to Steve and everyone,

I read in one of your posts that you own a Hitachi resaw with a power feed. Tell me a little about it if you would. What type of feed? A swing arm type with a toothed drive roller? I remember seeing two models of Hitachi resaw years ago one larger than the other. I was under the impression that they were both out of production. Makita had one too at one time, but I checked and it is no longer made. The Hitachi uses a 3" blade with Stelite(sp) teeth if I remember correctly. That’s a whopper-sized blade for no larger diameter than the band wheels appear to be isn’t it? Problems with the blade heating up just flexing around the drive wheels?

The reason I ask about all of this is that I’m interested in building a bandsaw resaw. Probably a horizontal type along the lines of a bandmill but much smaller. I want something designed for more ‘down stream’ processing than a mill sized resaw like a Baker. A machine that won’t take up too much room yet allow me to pickup a 4/4 board and slice it in two at will. Something that would handle a short 4"x 6’ long cant tops. A 16" width capacity would be ideal. ... I know I’m reaching here but so was Thomas Edison most of his life. I’m just tired of watching the better part of a perfectly good 4/4 board swirl away in the cyclone making 7/16" panel inserts and 3/8" drawer sides.

I suppose the stock width I’m looking for will be the biggest headache. Burying a band blade in that much material will surly have cut ‘leading’ problems and feed rate dilemmas.

Anything you or anyone else here could tell me about bandsaw resawing would be appreciated.

~ Dune - The Bozo that Always Wants Stuff They Don’t Make

[Steve]

Dune

The power feed I have is a swing arm type but it has rubber rollers. I just have a wood faced fence right now and will someday put a roller fence on. I do use the 3" Stelite blade and have had no heating problems really. I feed it very slow, in fact I only purchased this powerfeeder because it had a slower feed rate than others I had considered.
I , finally, love my resaw but it wasn't always like this. It has two sets of guide holders made to use those hard fiber guides. Never could find replacements so made some out of hickory and since I've started running them tight to the blade I've had very consistent cuts. I try to keep my cuts to within .010 if I can. Generally the longest material I put through it is 48" or less and widths to 10". I think the kerf of that blade is about .045.

You could run 6" wide material though this saw all day and it wouldn't complain a bit. It does have a 5 hp. motor instead of the stock 2 hp.

The blades are $90 each and until I found a local sharpening business that does a great job I used to try to sharpen them myself with often frustrating results. Now I have a half dozen blades and just keep them circulating.

For what I do I can't think of anything I'd rather have.

Steve

[DuneCreature]

Wow that was fast. 

Thanks a bunch for speed of light reply, Steve. Thanks for the picture too. That looks a little like a Northfield feeder based on color mostly. Mind telling me the brand? …. 10” would get me 65% of the width I’m after and probably provide 90% of my needs but….16” is the magic number I’m dreaming about.

Good spec’s to know. What sort of feed rates do you actually get with 5 hp on your Hitachi? ….. Have you resawn any red oak, cherry or walnut? Hard Maple? I know nothing about Koa except that it sure is pretty, so feed rates for your specialty won’t tell me much.

I hope for your sake Koa isn’t related to Ipe. Not too long ago I did pitched battle with a load of Ipe. The Ipe finally lost but I was taking heavy casualties there for a while in the melee.  That stuff is so hard the poor WV wood bores who think nothing of chewin’ up stacks of hickory were dying in droves from exhaustion just trying to gain entry.   

Thanks again,

~ Dune The Much Better Informed

[Steve]

I was up at 5:30 with no one to talk to and there you were....

Yes I think it is a Northfield, can't remember for sure. Import you know.
I don't really know what feed rates I get as I have it set to super slow. Koa is similar to Walnut in hardness.
I have only run Koa, Mango and the occasional Cedar board though it. It will take the Cedar as fast as you can push it.

I paid about $900 for the powerfeed.

[DuneCreature]

Thanks for your information and input, Steve. 

Resawing on a bandsaw has always struck me as a task that requires constant attention, montoring of the results and tweaking. I’ve never used a powerfeed on that operation but powerfeeds themselves sometime require some fussy setup especially running small componet parts and stock.

.. I’m hoping to design a resaw that won’t require a boatload of operator finess just to get consistant results. One I can point at to the new kid and say, "Take this stack of 4/4 over to that resaw and make two 7/16" pieces out of each stick." I want to see how many varitibles I can design out of the system from the git go.

Hope you get some productive time on your favorite river soon. That and thinking of stuff I want to build is what gets me up that early.

~ Dune - Who Often Times Hears the Brooktrout Calling To Him Waaaay Before Daybreak

[DuneCreature]

I see you leave a dial indicator setup on your fence. I take it that’s to adjust lead consistently and precisely? Or is that simply for your thickness setup?

Either way it’s a good idea.

Something of the former nature built rigidly on the saw frame or conveyer table to adjust camber and know where you are thru zero would be just the ticket using a short conveyer system.

Oooooh the little wheels in my brain are spinning now! …. I better get back out to the shop and give my brain a break before it overheats.

~ Dune - The Warm and Fuzzy

[Steve]

I use the indicator to size the cut. I always run practice wood through it until I know I have it set right. It makes a big difference if I can get an extra a piece out of a billet (luthier speak for small board).