Excellent! Appreciate your info!
Can you rip planking with a table/bench mounted band saw.
This comment is just from my experience and what I have learned. One key consideration for cutting planks with any machine…table saw or band saw…is the type blade being used. Most blades have a kerf on the cutting teeth…that is the teeth are pitched left and right so when the blade is cutting stock, saw dust is easily expelled from the cut. For me, the best performance for cutting thin planking strips from 1/4 inch stock (for example) is to use what is called a slitting blade. This blade has no kerf therefore slits or slices off very thin strips without losing a lot of wood to the kerf or creating kerf marks in the plank edges that need to be sanded out later. I do not know if such a blade is available for a band saw. I used a 1/8 inch narrow width band blade when I used my band saw to rip planking stick. In my experience using both machines, I find a mini table saw with a slitting blade and a rip fence produces the best planking strips for me. I have a MicroMark mini table top saw and it works great. Can you use a band saw? Yes, I would think so with the right band saw blade. Dave Stevens (Lumberyard) would have way more experience with using a band saw than I.
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But for clarity, 'kerf' is the slot created by a blade - usually referred to as at least the width of the blade or the widest part of a cut. Dependent on tooth offset of the blade. There is no blade that doesn't create a kerf. Slitting blades can have a kerf as small as .045". And may leave little or no tooth marks on the wood. High tooth count, typically used in miter saws or plywood blades also leave a smoother kerf. And there are also hollow ground blades used for smoother cuts. I have not seen a bandsaw blade with no tooth offset. And bandsaws have different gullet depths for swarf clearance. My Forrest Woodworker II combination blade leaves an exceptionally fine finish on cuts in soft and hardwoods.
Philski…way better explanation of blades, kerf and offset than mine! All I was told was to use a slitting blade with very small kerf...as I look that would be .045 or smaller. So got kerf and offset mixed up! Now I understand better as well! Thanks! Awesome!
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And slitting blades are usually small diameter blades. ie 3" - not a usual blade for a tablesaw. Thinking Proxxon saws may accompany though....
Use push sticks or jigs for safety
The current MicroMark catalog description of the blade I am using in my MicroLux mini saw is:
230 Tooth Hollow Ground Saw Blade (.025 Inch Kerf, 3 Inch Dia.)
A few years ago it was also called a slitting blade with same description. Cuts my planking strips like butter…quick, smooth, easy…
I bought a Proxxon for small work as well. A full-sized tablesaw isn't always necessary.....
Right tool for the job…. Not only for planking but for all your dimensioned wood, beams, carlings, etc. not to mention being able to use the mini table saws as a sort of mill to cut steps in waterways, mill out notches for deck beams and framing, all doable with other tools but why make things more difficult than they need to be? I have a 10” bandsaw too, don’t get me wrong…. Use it mostly for re-sawing larger pieces of wood, I like my scroll saw for cutting curved stuff…. Bulkheads, frame futtocks, some deck furniture pieces….
I've got an old Delta 3 wheeled 10" band saw which I made a rip fence for and I can rip as thin as 1/32 on it. I like it because it's small, I can move it around and it does everything I want. I also have a what's called a portable 10" table saw that I use with a 1/16 thick 40 tooth carbide blade, 7 1/4" dia. that I use occasionally with a zero clearance opening, but it's dangerous cutting short thin strips, so I use it for long strips only and I find I have little sanding after. Just my two cents worth!
I don’t do a lot of woodworking. But when I do, I don’t drink Dos Equis…or any other alcohol. Seriously, these guys have a lot of insight. I’ve also found YouTube to be helpful when I get a new tool.
Well, it would appear the answer to my question is "Yes".
Just got this the other day, shout out to Don Farr for recommending this saw, set up was a bit tricky, but nothing major. Just a few test cuts for now, had to order some fittings to connect the dust hose to my shop vac, but overall, pretty nice saw.
Just got this the other day, shout out to Don Farr for recommending this saw, set up was a bit tricky, but nothing major. Just a few test cuts for now, had to order some fittings to connect the dust hose to my shop vac, but overall, pretty nice saw.