After my recent experience re-sawing a 6 inch board, I thought to put all the references I used in one place for those who might consider the same job.
1. You can safely joint boards more than 4 inches wide on the Shopsmith Jointer. I was comfortable doing so with a cherry board that was 8 inches wide by 2 ½ inches thick by 50 inches long. DO NOT REMOVE THE FENCE (Safety check: without it the board may go off the Jointer since you do not have much lateral control). You will have to remove the Feather Guide and any other items that stick up above the Infeed and Outfeed Tables. Use the technique that Matthias Wandel demonstrates at You Tube url
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvakUFUrOXA
2. Once one side is ‘approximately’ flat run it through the Shopsmith Mounted Planer with that side down first. Flatten the far side and then turn the board over to get rid of the step left by the jointing process.
3. Once the two sides are parallel joint one edge perpendicular and mark that. Rip the board to the desired width. Mine was ripped to 6 ¼ inches since that was just within my Shopsmith Bandsaw throat height. The reference face and that jointed edge will be on your bandsaw fence and Bandsaw Table, respectively, when re-sawing.
4. I modified my Shopsmith Bandsaw in two ways to increase the throat height from around 5 ¾ inches tall with a Carter Guide installed as the upper Guide Block Bracket to 6 3/8 inches tall with the original Shopsmith Guide Block Bracket (Cool Blocks were used) and the Carter Guide as the lower Guide Block Bracket. The effort started after watching Drew Ackerman increase the throat height in a Shopsmith Hands Online post at url
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2muM2mgnSZM
The Shopsmith Forum post of my modification is in the post at
http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... =5&t=15932
5. A modification of Nick’ setup in a Shop Tip to expand the Bandsaw Table at url
http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Tips_Ar ... Tables.htm
was used to setup the Bandsaw for re-sawing this large board. The basic of my setup is in the post at
http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewt ... =5&t=15943
Two Floating Tables were installed on 5 foot Connector Tubes (which were run through the Main Worktable) behind the Bandsaw Table and supported beyond that with Telescoping Table Support Legs.
My bandsaw fence was 30 inches long and 6 inches high with a Melamine face. I installed a Shopsmith Featherboard in the Bandsaw Table slot and a larger wood featherboard on the first Floating Table.
I was advised by Dusty to use Stop Collars to better lock the tables at height and later found that the Floating Tables need to be firmly attached to the Bandsaw Table or they can move sideways which will cause (actually, did cause) the blade to go off track. Fortunately, I had drawn a red line down the desired cut path so I recognized the drift before damage was done to the integrity of the cut. I re-arrange my bandsaw fence so that it could be clamped to the Bandsaw Table and adjacent Floating Table. I also installed a clamp from the front of the Bandsaw Table to the rear of the second Floating Table.
I took a video of re-sawing the 6 ¼ inch board which I posted on YouTube and with help from JPG the video is in that same post. Based on my experience re-sawing a 5 inch wide heavy board, I prepared long wedges to periodically keep the cut from pinching the blade.
Another thing that I will do the next time I re-saw a large board will be to add additional fences on the Main Worktable. At the very end of this re-saw I noticed a very slight deflection of the cut and I think it was due to the heavy off-cut portion moving to the right and torqueing the uncut portion away from my bandsaw fence. A similar result would happen should the off-cut move to the left.
Edit 3/15/2015: After watching a free bandsaw video on Craftsy from Woodcraft, the instructor says to only extend your re-saw fence 3 inches or so beyond the blade. That allows the wood to splay out and not put force on the board that could (in my case did) cause the cut to 'stray.'
I have already taken care of my desire to be able to tie the Auxiliary Table into the setup by purchasing two 1 inch OD by .065 wall by 10 foot length DOM steel tubes.
Forrest
Edit 2/21/2015: corrected my planer is a Mounted Planer, not a Pro Planer
Re-sawing a large board - Lessons Learned
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