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Nothing like trying out someone else's machine. On the Redstone Arsenal, there is a woodworking shop with two 20" Minimax bandsaws. 4.8 HP. The one I used had 1.25" resaw blade on it. The resaw fence (or perhaps it was just a rip fence) sucked for resawing. Needs to be taller. I resawed a 1"x8x48" board into 3 pieces (lace wood). Then I did the same for a zebra wood board (1"x10"x48"). The zebra was much more work, but it was taller.

To be fair, this blade is used by a LOT of people for all kinds of tasks, so it prolly was not in the best of shape.

Here is my question. I am considering the grizzly 19" extreme (gx2). What kind of setup, blade, guide, bearings gives the best performance? Is the 3hp motor strong enough for this type of work? Since it is my saw and blade set, should I expect better performance than what I saw today on the Minimax used by lots of people? Again, it had a 4.8 hp motor and it was really warm by the time I was done!

Mike

Sounds like the blade was the problem to me Mike. I'm certainly no industrial resawyer, but my 17" bandsaw with a new 1/2" Viking blade and 2HP motor powers through stuff of that size quite easily. I've resawn Cocobolo, Sitka, Cedar, Maple, Pau Ferro etc. up to 11" with no problem and good accuracy. I have a homebuilt "point" fence 8" tall that I use. Setup is everything making sure everything is square. Mine has ball bearing guides. The 19" Grizzly should work very well with the right blade and setup if you're just doing things on a non-production line basis.

I kind of thought that. What is a point fence? What brand & size blade do you use? Have you thought obout Grizzly's ceramic bearings? There is a guy up the road selling a brand new 17" X2 for $1000. I Think I can get it for $900, but I would have to drive and get it (200 miles round trip) Good deal?

Mike

I too am trying to make a decision re. saws & blades. I just cut A. blackwood fingerboards for 1.5 hrs continuous on a 20" wadkin 3 hp and a supercut carbide impregnated blade over 100 bucks, with a .030 kerf. It all went well but the blade is now dull and cannot be resharpend. I would only use this blade again if I was cutting the most expensive of woods B rose or snakewood & maximum yeild was essential.
I think one should be able to resaw 8" wide at 3/16 very accurately or 4 pieces out of a 1" board
Check out the 'borson' resaw sight he's got it down.
I assume he uses a lennox or laguana carbide tipped blade that can be sharpend. A mister for debris & a much slower speed which means you need a big motor. Even carbide gets dull with heat and of course exotic woods.
mike mcnerney,ottawa

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Mike McNerney

Mike,

In my understanding of experience, your experience with the minimax was setup and blade choice...

I bought a used 19" Grizzly, and spent a great while setting it up and learning how to use it - that was the trick.
I modified their stock fence with a big, heavy 8" tall resawing 'box' fence that I support from the back with l brackets clamped to the table after I have set up my slice thickness (I saw slice to fence, not stock to fence)...The guides I have are the stock bearing and cup guides, and again, with proper set up, do a great job. I would like to upgrade to ceramic though, because anything that pulls more heat out gives more blade life...

I am not where I want to be yet, but I can cut within about .005" corner to cross corner pretty consistently now in varying woods, including maples and rosewoods...

That being said, I think the Grizzly would be a great place to start. I am sure we would all like to start with a beautiful new Laguna, but the lesson that needs to be learned first is patience in cutting, and proper set up so you know what the saw is going to do - and therefore can control it to a couple of thou's...

Hope this helps,
Stephen

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

Mike, It's good that you have that experience under your belt.

Carbide blades can make a world of difference, they're expensive, but then so is good stock to cut.

So you want to make the most of your wood.

I have a question for you: 1) Why cut ten inch boards?

Second question: 2) Why cut four feet long boards?

Third question: 3) What good is the third cut in guitar wood?

Remember that most carbide manufacturers of blades require you run a 18 inch saw or larger. Buying a smaller resaw capacity limits you to steel blades. Steel blades can do a lot of sawing and are way cheaper. I still use steel on occasion for certain woods. $25 versus $200, easy to see why you might want both.

Also, the wood you are cutting helps determine the blade. I wonder percentagewise how much top wood is cut with steel versus carbide?

For those interested in good setup procedures check out the library articles for free at http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Bruce, how wide of a blade?

Just so happens I found a fellow selling a brand new grizzly 17" (x2). His wife was pissed at him for buying it. Trouble is, I gotta go get it, 100 miles away. He is currently asking $950 but I am sure I can burn the gas to equal the shipping grizzly offers. So, its not a deal. $875 is as high as I could go... but then its only the 2hp motor, and the 17" wheel means no carbide.

Mike (I guess I should just go ahead and order the 19" X2)

OK, so tell me the length, width and min thickness of your billiets

Mike I have an 18 inch saw and use the one inch TriMaster Lenox 2/3 Variable pitch.

At one point I was using another brand carbide and they reported 17 inch users were successful.

The issue is stressing the band by continued flexing and straightening as it compassed the wheels.

I use the stock fence that comes with most saws. A Point Fence leaves you constantly adjusting angles, not good. By jointing the lower part of the billet it helps you stand up straight for resawing.

Cutting billets to near finish sizes only makes sense. 8 1/2 by 22 to 9 by 22. Sides 4 3/4 to 5 1/2 by 35 usually for me.

By removing all excess material to billet size, it makes resawing easier and handling.

If you followed the link to Highland hardware library you'll find all kinds of good info on resawing.

Fences must be capable of being set to the drift angle of the material and band. by drawing a line on the billet edge and following it freehand, you find where the angle is required to cut a straight line. I stop the saw and draw a sharpie down the low edge of the billet onto the saw table. That is the drift angle.

Set the fence and you should be cutting some nice slices of guitar wood. It's not easy, or kiddies would be doing it. It takes some patience and understanding. But after sawing a hundred sets or so, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to set up and use a resaw bandsaw. Piece of Cake.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

For what it's worth, I bought a Griz 17" extreme several months ago and have been very happy with it. I can't vouch for the 19" (often there is a big difference from one Grizzly model to the next) but the 17" is sturdy enough to put plenty of tension on the blade for resawing and the guides that come with it are fine. I've cut a bunch of 8" Santos Mahogany and Wenge without bogging down the motor. Blade changes are easy. Balanced and very little vibration. And the best part is that the guide arm is stiff, sturdy and adjustable. And even more surprising was that it didn't need adjusting. It stayed within a few thousandths from top to bottom right out of the box.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

Bruce's info is spot on and that 2/3 Lenox blade is great. So what Bruce said.
One thing I might add is people mention heat but I have never, ever had a band saw blade get hot. If your blade is getting hot something is wrong. I've never noticed my blades even getting warm. I suspect folks are using too fine a tooth and too wide a blade. Most of these saws in the 16" to 20" range will be at their upper limit for tensioning a 1/2" blade. (Not talking carbide here ) Anything smaller I would be using 3/8". Tension is more important for keeping a blade alined than width.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Don Williams recently steered me to Lou Iturra of Iturra Design in Jacksonville, FL. He has no website but can be reached at 1-866-883-8064. I spoke with Lou for 45 minutes and learned more about resawing than from any source previously. In addition, their 250 page catalog contains more information than product and is my primary reference.

I have an old Delta 14" bandsaw with riser block. Lou is very high on carbide blades but also recommended their Bladerunner steel blade for occasional resawing. I followed his advice and he was right in every regard.

Consider calling and ordering his catalog as well as talking to Lou about your specific issues. You can thank me later!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

So I ask again, is the 17" Extreme a sufficient saw for resaw? (I have one data point here, thanks Kent).

Mike

I have two bandsaws one low powered 18" machine and a laguna lt18.

i use two diferent blades for resawing.
for general resaw work i.e back and sides in most species including the denser species i use the hankinsson 2-6 tpi varible bi metal blades.
i get about 80 deep cuts (7" +) with this blade before it begins to dull and it leaves the finest finish that i have found so far on a bandsaw blade.
i think its the combo of the large 2 tpi teeth that take the saw dust away with the fine 6 tpi teeth that leave the fine finish.
it only costs about 70 dollers so it makes much more sense to use this when doing production runs.
these are the only bi-metals that have worked for me and i have had poor results with other brands.

i tend to use the lennox 2-3 tpi on the smaller saw for cutting fingerboards and i find it excells at this task but its not as accurate as the hankinsson for resawing.
however it does work well with cocobolo.

i find that the lower powerd saw will resaw fine if take more time and use good blades.
sometime more horse power can actualy lose accuracy over a smaller machine.

Joel.

Thanks for the blade tips.

I just did a search on the person's name selling the Grizzly Bandsaw 17" Extreme. Did not take long to find him. Found him at SawmillCreek. Unfortuneately for him, he detailed an incident with the saw while transporting from the terminal to his home. He actually put the saw vertically on the trailer and tied it down. A few blocks later, hit the brakes and the whole thing came crashing down on the front rail of the trailer. Not too bright. Now, I have no idea if this caused any damage... but I bet you one thing, he just voided his warranty. So, his story about needing to sell after his wife objected to the purchase seems suspect. My guess is he wants one that has not been damaged and is willing to sell minus shipping charges to order another. He did not post it for sale at SawmillCreek... just on Craigslist. So if you spotted this saw, be aware of the history.

I will not be considering this one anymore. I am simply going to order the 19" Extreme (X2 version)

Mike

Ha, good research Mike. The 19" should treat you very well. As far as using a point fence on my 17", I've been too lazy to build a high regular fence as the point fence works very well within a few thousandths for me. There is little to no adjusting or correcting for me as I saw, probably due to making sure everything is set up very well and square. I only build a couple of guitars a year however and if I were to increase this output, would take the couple of hours to build a regular, tall fence.

I do use a 3/4" blade occasionally, but find the 1/2" viking 3 TPI more than adequate for the resawing I do. It also saves switching blades as I can use the 1/2" for many other operations involving curves.

What is a point fence? Pics?

Mike

Mike a single point usually elliptical or rounded end, near the blade. It can be moved to determine width of cut. You first draw a line down the edge of your billet and start the cut, moving the aft end of the billet right and left to maintain alignment. This compensation during the cut is actually the drift angle freehand. By using a standard fence and you don't really need one ten inches tall, you establish the drift angle, then lock the angle into the fence by loosening and retightening the attaching screws to the clamping mechanism bar.

One reason I get by with a five inch aluminum fence that came with my Laguna is jointing the billet. When you have an erect billet, all you need is a sliding surface of a standard fence.

Then one graduates to motor-feeds and other such sleds and holders, it's all relative to the money one wants to shell out. Good luck with your Grizzly 19 inch. We want pictures. I can't wait to hear your exclaimation of glee when you slice open some beautifully figured wood. One time I sawed open some black walnut to have the bookmatches fall into a perfect valentine heart. It is now a mandolin back.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

The owner of the 17" saw has modded his craigslist post to mention that the saw fell over during transport.

I removed any mention of the problem from SMC.

But I still wonder if the saw is AOK after that.

Mike

I bought a G0513x2 17" Bandsaw from Grizzly. It's the one with Cast Iron wheels and Trunion, bearing wheel guides, 2hp motor and a very nice re-saw fence. I am running a 3/4" 3tpi steel blade on it. Works great. Blade changes are easy, guide setup is easy and the motor has enough power even running on 110v. It's my favorite power tool that I own. Only thing that would make it better is a wheel-brake, as the cast iron wheels have quite a bit of mass so it takes a while to spin down. It re-saws guitar sized woods just fine - rosewood, mahogany and koa are what I have cut so far. Hell, when I was living in Hawaii, I even put a huge koa LOG on it that barely fit. Worked fine.

I would stay away from any saw that tipped over during shipping.

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The member formerly known as erikbojerik....