Shopsmith Forums

algale wrote:Either on your radial arm saw or shopsmith ER, set up to rip fence slightly more than 1/2 from the blade. Set your blade height as deep as you can and rip along one edge of the board. Flip the board end for end and repeat on the other edge. You will now have two deep grooves separated by somewhere between 4.5 to 5.5 inches of material. Use a handsaw to cut through and you will have a board 10 inches wide and roughly 1/2 thick.

I once made some book-matched panels for frame and panel closet doors doing exactly as algale recommended. You might consider making the table saw passes in a couple of passes instead of trying to go the full depth of the cut in one shot. You did not say how long your pieces are but if they are very long you will need some way to hold them while you use the handsaw to remove the center "rib" remaining after the table saw cut. I used a Black and Decker Workmate to hold the pieces vertical while I sawed...maybe you could clamp the piece upright to the edge of your bench.

Depending on your cosmetic requirements, there's another option. First, rip the board lengthwise in half, or even thirds. Then resaw each piece on your 10ER, per algale's suggestion. Then edge glue them back together into full-width panels. If you mark both sides of the original board with full-width V's before ripping, it will be easy to reassemble the resawn pieces with the grain properly realigned.

Given the information we have I would think the idea of cutting the boards into strips then resawing them might be the safe way to go.

Keep in mind if you start with a full inch then use the table saw to cut them in half that gets you to 1/16" less then the half inch or 7/16 but the cut will need to be planed down to get it flat and smooth and that will take off from a 1/16" to an 1/8" so long as it is flat to start with. So expect the product to be in the 3/8" thickness area or less.

When you resaw it is also possible that the stresses in the wood will release and bow, warp and or twist the wood. That is why if you were to plane away the wood down to the 1/2" you would want to take off equal amounts off both sides..... but you will need twice the wood since each piece will yield only one panel but that is the safest approach.

A bandsaw with the capacity would be the best at saving the wood as the kerf is the thinnest but that thick of wood might have some difficulty getting cut perfectly and the thin kerf might not really save you anything.

Anyway a few more reference points for you to think about.

Ed

I agree with algale ,,,If the board isn't too long you could use a table saw on both sides ,,I wouldnt try to set the blade at max depth on the first go around , also feather boards will help support the wood from wobble and maintain the width ,,be sure the fence and blade are square to eaach other or your cut wont be flat,,,,,,make 2 or 3 passes,,,, then clamp it in a bench vise and use a hand saw to finish up whats left in the middle. if its too long it may be tough to handle .I do this with 1 in walnut stock frequently however the boards are cut to length first . be care full of fingers . I use 3/8 thickness for small drawers , also I buy 5 and 6 1/4 lumber to save waste .

JMO

One thing that has not been mentioned (that I have seen) is that his TS is a 10ER. Nothing wrong with that, but it does limit his depth and power. I would try to find the original steel combo blade for the 10ER (if you already don't have one) make sure it is sharp, and resaw it in multiple passes. I also totally agree with Dennis as to ripping the wood into narrower strip and then glue them back together. The steel blades were much thinner than any carbide blade, so it saves you wood loss.

JMHO