Cutting out rounds

I sometimes hack them up with a chain saw - but I wouldn't call them "rounds." More like geometric anomalies. Starting slow on the lathe, it works.

Greg G.

What bandsaw do you have ? - might be horse power or simply the blade. Skip tooth and lots of clean out ability is what you need. If you can't get skip tooth - then get a very coarse tooth - 8 ot 10 tpi.

I use a Delta that I upgraded to be a 14" (Riser kit) and sometimes I wish I had a larger table. And other times a wider blade for re-saw.

Mart> Had to cut some rounds for turning out of maple today. My 9" bandsaw would

How often do you have to do it? Can you just use the senior center saw again? Maybe give them some stock in exchange?

You owe me some screen wipes :-)

Brilliant description!

Thanks. :) We'll be back each Friday, and don't forget to tip the waitresses. So it's not a morgue in here after all...

Greg G.

I've been lurking here for some months but as a newbie who has had one half hour lesson, has a set of chisels and no lathe yet set up, I have nothing to contribute.

What diameter rounds? How thick? Without info, I'd guess that whatever size they were, they were more than a 9" BS can handle... HP, blade, etc.. lots of factors involved..

Before I had a BS, I'd rough them with the chainsaw then trip what I could with a recip saw with a 7 or 8" blade..

mac

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If you can do a good job with a chainsaw in getting a flat bottom and maybe flat top on your blanks, then cutting on the band saw shouldn't be too much of a problem. However, you may need a bigger band saw. I would consider a 1 hp motor to be standard, and the proper blade makes a huge difference as well. For me, I turn green wood, and use a 1/2 inch, 3 tpi blade, and the teeth have a set to them. This is not a resawing blade for boards. If you are cutting blanks from dry wood, then one of these blades would work fine. As a production turner, having a big bandsaw (Laguna 16 HD) is a necessity as I find it easier to use than a chainsaw, and not as noisy. There are a number of bandsaw blade makers out there, and you can web search them. Call them up and talk to them about your saw and blades. It could make a big difference.

robo hippy

Why wouldn't your bandsaw work? Not enough throat? Not enough power? I have an ancient 10 inch delta bandsaw that only has a 1/4 hp motor. I can saw cherry blanks 6 inches thick. I use a 3-4 tooth/inch blade. I am amazed at how well it works.

Pete Stanaitis

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Dan Jeffers> Had to cut some rounds for turning out of maple today. My 9" bandsaw would

The blade would become jambed in the wood. I intend to try a new blade as has been suggested here.

Thanks to all who replied.....Dan

Make sure it's tensioned properly and that the top guides are as close to the piece your cutting as possible.

Make certain that the blade width is small enough to achieve the desired radius of cut, that there is "set" to the blade teeth, and use a blade in the 3-5 TPI range. If the motor bogs, feed material slower.

Greg G.

Before anyone asks, here is a brief generalization of blade width vs. minimum cut radius:

Blade Width 1/8" 3/16" 1/4" 3/8" 1/2" 3/4" 1" Min. Radius 3/16" 5/16" 5/8" 1 1/2" 2 1/2" 5 1/2" 7"

I doubt that you can get a blade over 1/2" for such a small saw, so cutting 6" diameter blanks should not be a problem. And remember the chart represents the absolute minimum radius - a bit of extra clearance is always appreciated. Cutting wood thicker than 2-3" is probably going to be a tough job with a 9" saw. Very dense hardwoods or tropicals like Ironwood or Ipe will be darned near impossible/slower than a glacier.

Also keep in mind that if you're not using a circle guide when cutting your blanks, your feed technique determines the actual cut radius as seen by the blade. Uneven, coarse path adjustments can result in a binding condition with even the best blade and saw.

Hope you get it resolved.

Greg G.

Jamming is almost always caused by movement of the wood.. either tilting because of an irregular bottom, trying to force the blade on a turn and twisting it in the kerf, of feeding the wood too fast..

If the wood is steady and the blade cutting freely, you need very little HP to cut whatever will fit in your saw..

Try drawing a hexagon over your circle and making straight cuts, then coming back and cleaning up the circle..

mac

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