I would be interested to hear how members would approach cuttting the followeing to length
Eg 3/4" square and 5 inches long piece of timber/or resin cut to 4 inches ( dimensions only as an example)
Do members
(1) Simply do it freehand
(2) Use a mitre gauge
(3) Use mitre gauge and stop block
(3) Attach timber/resin to a clamp eg Small Irwin quick grip bar clamp or similar and cut freehand
(4) Use the bandsaw fence and blade only
and which method is best practice
It's hard to guess the purpose of your question - have you had problems with such cuts? A safety thing, new to bandsaws? If so, or if something else, maybe give more details.
Help me understand - your square blank is 3/4"x5" and you want to end up with a square blank 3/4"x4" long, then maybe later mount it between centers on the lathe to turn? Or cut to length drill it for a tube for a pen or other kit? (For that I might cut the blank a little long and use a pen mill to get that right length.) Make a finial for an ornament.
There are different ways depending on some things such as the precision wanted for length and squareness.
The "best practice"? Depends! One really best practice is something that doesn't remove parts of any fingers.
If I have just a few and I need the end square I'll usually mark the length on the top of the blank and use the miter gauge (
IF the miter gauge on that saw extends close enough to the blade to give good support to the blank). If there's too much gap between the miter gauge and the blade, I might temporarily extend the miter gauge: hold a longer flat piece tight against the gauge and let it extend a bit to give more support to the blank (BTW, I always cover the front of the miter gauge with sandpaper to grip the wood better.) If I had a bunch of these to do I might clamp or screw an extension to the front of the miter gauge with a stop block built (cut) in. I have a sliding extension on my bandsaw miter gauge to get the end closer to the blade.
Also,
IF the miter gauge is close enough and I had a bunch to do a stop block could speed things up.
Another thing is put the fence 4" away from one side of the blade, butt one end of the blank against the fence, and slide a squared piece of wood against the fence to push the blank while holding it tight to the board - sort of making a custom miter gauge. Always watch the fingers, of course.
If I have a longer square blank, I also might the fence to 4" from the side of the blade and push the long blank with the miter gauge. I do this sometimes making pen blanks for others - start with a square blank maybe 20" long and a succession of shorter blanks until the long blank gets short.
If it's not important for the end to be square, mark and cut freehand.
If I needs to be precisely square I might still cut it freehand and square the end on the disk sander.
If it will be turned later between centers, I might mark and indent one end, hold the other in pin jaws in a chuck, support with the tailstock, and cut it to almost the right length with a parting tool, clean up square and flat and smooth with a skew.
One way I often cut arbitrary lengths on a bandsaw freehand but so they always come out reasonably square: mark the length, make a very shallow cut at the line, turn the blank 90 deg towards me so the shallow cut mark is up, follow that shallow cut mark(which will be square) with a freehand cut. Very quick.
All this assumes the bandsaw is set up properly with the table square to the blade (not angled up or down), the table and miter slot square with the blade (the saw and fenced ajusted for drift), the miter gauge set precisely square to the slot and everythng lese, the blade running on the crowns of both tires so it will be square with the table, the guides adjusted properly as well as the thrust bearing, and the blade tension right. Some of these don't matter much for such a small cut but the are, in general, good practice. A well adjust bandsaw with the right blade is a joy.
I never hold the wood in a clamp unless the wood is a cylinder.
If new to bandsaws, might enlist help and instruction (and safety instruction) from someone with experience.
JKJ
