Making Thin Wood: Resawing Lumber with a Band Saw

So you want 1/8″ thick exotic wood, or maybe thinner? Or slice a 3/4″ thick board into some 1/4″ thick pieces? It’s a common question from our customers. “Can you slice a thicker board into numerous thinner boards?” It’s a sensible question because it seems like a big waste of wood to plane a 3/4″ thick board to 1/4″. So, sure, resawing is no problem.

Well . . . sort of.

Check out this great video from The Woodworkers Guild of America about resawing with your band saw.

Looks easy enough, doesn’t it?

Yes. But resawing introduces a few troubles that you should be aware of when you’re slicing boards to get thin hardwoods, whether they’re exotic or domestic.

1. Results Aren’t 100% Predictable When Resawing

George Vondriska makes two key comments around 2:40 in the video above: “Just in case something goes wrong” and “let’s see how it goes.” Welcome to the world of making thin wood – you just don’t quite know how it’ll come out.

Let’s say you have a board that’s 3/4″ x 10″ x 60″. You’re going to stand the board on edge and push it against a 10″ section of the band saw’s blade, and that’s a lot of wood to cut through at once; a lot of tension, friction, and heat. The likelihood of the blade wandering increases. And a wandering blade means the saw hogs off more wood leaves you with an even rougher surface. For this reason, you can get more consistent results when you resaw narrower boards.

A wandering blade can also produce a board that’s miscut – the term “miscut” means you end up with a board, or portion of a board, that’s thinner than what you aimed to get. With the right fence set up and good sawing technique, it’s still very possible to have miscut pieces; a really dense wood can fight with a resaw blade, so to speak. Or the tension of your blade can loosen as you work. Or an abnormality in the work piece can cause the cut to go off course.

So what should you do? Never resaw? Well, that’s not the answer. The answer is just be prepared that unexpected things might happen. Resawing is not a procedure for cutting precisely thick pieces; instead, the best practice is to cut for a slightly thicker piece than you want to end up with and then plane or surface sand to finish it off at the right thickness. Rule of Thumb: If you want to end up with 1/4″ thick, cut for about 3/8″ just in case. This is why when we resaw a 3/4″ thick board for 1/4″ pieces in our own mill, we”ll just slice it down the middle and surface the resulting two pieces down to 1/4″. It’s sensible and practical that way.

To sum up:

Band saws produce a cut that’s not very smooth and a little bit wavy; and the waves get more pronounced with denser woods.

Resawing narrower boards is easier than wider boards

For getting a particular finished thickness, cut about 1/8″ thicker (not including the kerf) than your desired finished thickness and plane or surface sand to the finished thickness

2. Thin Resawn Wood Has Trouble Staying Flat

Take that 3/4″ x 10″ x 60″ board again. Let’s say it’s a quality kiln dried board, perhaps 9% moisture content. In any board, the moisture content is concentrated in the middle of it. So when you resaw that board into two pieces, you now have two pieces that have an imbalance in the water content location of each one: in short, one face of the newly resawn boards is dry, the other has the bulk of the moisture content (the side that used to be the middle of your original board).

And then that side will start to dry. The wood fibers will shrink on one side of the board. The thin board will cup. There’s no getting around this fact. Again, the trick is to learn how to work with this, and react properly to wood movement.

It’s important to realize that cupped boards aren’t hopelessly destroyed. You just have to re-establish the moisture equality on both sides of the wood (for which there are a number of techniques.

Here’s a nice quote from Good Woodworking Magazine:

Ben Plewes says in “How does Wood Work?” from Good Woodworking Magazine:

There is a general misconception that once wood has been seasoned you don’t need to worry about its moisture content anymore. If only life were that straightforward! Wood continues to expand and contract after the initial drying process is complete. In fact wood, even with a synthetic finish applied, will continually adapt to the ambient moisture level that surrounds it. It’s a slow process so you’re not going to see your wood move the minute you open a window but it will move over a period of weeks to match the average conditions around it.

So if you’ve given resawing a try with your bandsaw and ended up with cupped boards, don’t let that fool you into thinking something went wrong. It’s not that the wood was of low quality or that your saw did a poor job, or that you don’t have good technique.

It’s just what happens with thin resawn wood.

Woodworkers Source Offers Custom Cutting

Resawing services are available at all Woodworkers Source stores. Call or come by when you have a board you need resawn into thinner pieces.

Vice President of Operations – Woodworkers Source
We’re a family-owned lumber & woodworking supply retailer with 3 delightful stores in Arizona, and 35 friendly employees.
Mark oversees the company and creates tutorials on wood finishing and woodworking tips for hardwood lumber.

Discussion, Questions & Answers

Making a Sewing Machine Table

We found this Singer sewing machine base at an antique mall several years ago. We love old things and we knew this would be perfect to use as a base for a sewing machine table. We got right to work adding a wooden tabletop.

On a personal note...

I love to sew and am thankful my mother taught me. Now that I am semi-retired and have a grandson, I sew a lot for him, especially outfits for special occasions. We converted the loft into my office and craft room. I wanted a place to keep my sewing machine so I could use it anytime without the hassle of getting it out and setting it up. Because Neal and I have moved around so much for my career, I was finally thankful to have a craft room/closet to leave my sewing machine out and use it as needed without having to unpack/pack up each time. I also have more time now that I am semi-retired.

Back to making my sewing table...

First, we had it powder-coated. I opted for this over spray painting so it would be more durable. I chose a black satin. I like painting old things black and chose a satin finish so it is not too shiny but hides imperfections.

The next step was creating the tabletop. Neal had a leftover piece of plywood. We put the frame upside down on the plywood to get a feel for the size I wanted.

My craft room is quite small, so I did not want it to be too big but wanted it to be big enough to hold my sewing machine and have a little extra space for sewing supplies (scissors, pin cushion, etc.) as I am sewing.

We decided to attach the plywood (under the actual wood top) directly to the sewing machine base. We cut the plywood 12.75 x 22.5 inches. (Note: The finished wood top will be 18x26 inches. More on this below.)

Neal used his table saw as a working surface and his level as a straight edge. He used his circular saw to cut the plywood.

After Neal cut the plywood, I sanded the top, bottom, and all the edges. It would not be seen, but I did not want any rough edges to snag fabric or to get any splinters while I used it.

Now it was time to work on the actual wood top. This is leftover heart pine flooring that we had milled and installed throughout the main level of our lake house. (Side note: Our flooring was milled from large floor beams in an old yarn factory in Columbus, Georgia.)

We determined that we would need two pieces of wood for the top. Neal used his circular saw to cut the first piece of heart pine. He used a square to ensure a straight cut. He typically does not wear flip-flops when we use tools, but he was working in his office and I interrupted him to make my tabletop. He reminds me that my projects sometimes become his projects.

Neal used the first cut board as his template by placing it on the second board (remember that it takes two pieces to make the top) and marked where to cut. He also made sure that both pieces (all four ends) were perfectly square.

Here is another view as he is getting ready to cut the second board. This wood is so beautiful!

The finished wood top is 18x26 inches.

I sanded both boards (top, bottom, and edges of each) with fine sandpaper.

Neal used a belt sander to round out the corners so they would not be so pointed/sharp. Here is a closeup of one of the corners.

Now it was time to bolt the plywood to the sewing machine base. Neal drilled slightly smaller holes in each corner before he inserted the bolts, washers, and nuts.

Now for the fun part where it all really comes together (and Neal can get back to his appraisal work). Neal put screws from the underside in several locations to attach the heart pine wood to the plywood.

NOTE OF CAUTION: Be sure that your screws are not too long! You do not want them to come through and be visible from the top. Neal was very cautious to ensure that was not the case before he added several screws. We also added wood glue (on the bottom of the heart pine and on the top of the plywood) before screwing down this board.

So the first board is installed. And then we screwed the second board. We also used wood glue on the underside of the second board.

We added wood glue to the seam where the two pieces of heart pine touched. We then clamped it (pulling it tight) and gave it time to dry.

Here is a picture of the underside so you can see the screws. Also, notice the heart pine wood (actual top) overhangs from the plywood.

Now, time to wait (overnight) for it to dry. Waiting is one of the hardest things for me. When I start a project, I want to keep working on it until it is completed!

The next day I removed the clamps and sanded the tabletop with fine sandpaper. This helped to further blend the two pieces of wood.

Neal moved it to my craft room and there I put three coats of wipe-on poly on the tabletop. I did not stain it. Be sure to wait between each coat for it to completely dry.

Voila! Here is the final product! Doesn't it look GREAT!

Thank you for reading this blog post. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions by commenting below.

Happy sewing!

Singer Sewing Machine Wood Base Tutorial (Pictures of Building Process)

Interested in buying a base? See what’s available,

HERE

My original post for how to make wood sewing machine bases has been popular so I decided to make this tutorial with pictures of the building process for a base with a side cubby and full dovetail joints*.

*If you don’t want the side cubby you can easily alter the 20″ front/back wood pieces to be 16″-long. If you don’t want to make dovetail joints you can alter the side pieces to be 6-3/4″ instead of 8-1/4″ and use your own joining technique for the corners such as glue or screws.

SINGER SEWING MACHINE BASE BUILDING PLAN

Finished Outer Dimensions: 20″ long by 8-1/8″ deep by 2-11/16″ tall

Materials and Tools Shopping List:
1″ x 3″ x 8′ select pine board
1/4″ or 5mm utility plywood (measuring at least 9″ x 21″)
12″-long 3/4″ quarter round trim piece (for corners)
3/4″ straight router bit
Dovetail router bits
Flush trim router bit
1/4″ round-over router bit
1 1/4″ brad nails (for nail gun) or finish nails (use hammer)
2 Metal Mirror Clips (optional)
3/4″ finish nails
Drill bits
Wood glue
Sand paper
Wood filler
Wood Stain and/or Polyurethane

Tools:
Safety Glasses & Hearing Protection
Measuring Tape
Pencil
Hammer
Drill
Table & Miter Saw
Router
Dovetail Jig
Nail gun or Hammer
Sander

Cut List:
2 – 1×3 @ 20″ (front & back)
2 – 1×3 @ 8-1/8″ (sides)
1 – 1×3 @ 7-1/4″ (cubby divider)
4 – quarter round trim @ 2-9/16″ (corner pieces)
1 – 8-1/2″ x 20-1/2″ utility plywood (bottom)

Refer to cutting list to cut your front/back, sides and cubby divider out of pine board.

Make your full dovetail joints on your front/back and sides (picture shows sides). Refer to your jig manual on how to do this. It is a very precise joint that requires precise adjustments.

Dry fit your outside pieces. Make an ‘x’ or something with pencil on the INSIDE, right corner of your front & back pieces.

Measure 4″ from edge you marked and make a 1/4″-deep rabbit.

Your pieces should look like picture above. Do another dry fit to make sure your cubby divider fits in the rabbits.

Make your final assembly by first glueing the ends of your cubby divider and set inside rabbits. Glue around all edges of dovetail joints that will be wood-on-wood and set sides in.

Very important: Make sure your base is square by measuring opposite corners and comparing to other opposite corners. If one side is longer use a wood clamp to bring together. Measure again. Once both opposite corners equal the same length your base is square!

While your base joints are drying cut out your corner pieces and bottom. I like to cut my bottom larger than the base and trim off the excess later.

Glue the bottom edges of base and spread evenly.

Place bottom piece over glue and use 3/4″ finish nails to tack in place. I like my nails spaced out no more than 5″.

Glue corner pieces and use brad nailer or 1-1/4″ finish nails to tack in place. Wipe excess glue with wet sponge.

Use flush trim bit in router to trim off bottom excess.

Use flush trim bit to trim off any parts of dovetail joints that need trimming.

Use 1/4″ roundover bit to round bottom edges of base.

Fill in any holes or imperfections with wood filler. Let dry.

Sand base smooth, finishing off with 220 grit paper.

Dust off your base and stain or paint if you want and finish off with 2-3 coats of Polyurethane (follow directions).

I added rubber pads to the bottom of my base to keep it skid proof and protect table top from scratches.

Set your machine in base and mark where you’d like to place your mirror clips. Pre-drill holes and screw in. I spray painted my clips black and heated a strip of heat shrink tubing over end that would be touching machine (gotta protect our babies!).

DONE!

(Left to right: Singer 201-2 in base with cubby,

Singer 15-91 no cubby)

Stand back and admire that big-black beauty in the base YOU just made!