Cutting small pieces of timber and resin to size using bandsaw

[Brian Deakin]

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

 

[Brian Gustin]

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

Me, if I wanted to use 4 inches out of a 5" piece 3/4 inch square, I'd chuck it up on the lathe and turn what I need and part off the rest , couldn't bother cutting off an inch .. just as an example...

 

[John K Jordan]

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

 

[hockenbery]

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

I’d be sure I have squared the table to the blade and set the fence true to tge blade with sone test cuts.

To get the 3/4 square I would use the fence and a push stick.
If I don’t have a nice square edge I’ll set the fence a bit wider and cut a square edge in 2 passes then set the fence to 3/4 and cut my square in two passes starting with my cut squad edge against the fence and table.

To cut the length if it has to be semi-accurate I would use a homemade sled with a stop block set to 4”
This sled is great for cutting lots of 4” pieces.

If it just has to be close I mark the piece and push the piece against the blade at the mark just enough to score it
Turn the score line up and cut on the line. So freehand with a score cut line made on a mark
This I would hold the 4” side with fingers at least an inch from the blade.

This last part - if I’m cutting off small bits that might get through the throat plate
I hold the piece on the left side of the blade. So the small bits are of the right side.

If a small bit should fall through on the left side and get between the blade and the wheel it can break the weld or damage the tire.

 

[Brian Deakin]

I am a member of a woodturning club and the method that concerns me most is

Using only the bandsaw fence and blade to crosscut timber and increased risk of accident if the person uses their finger to push the timber due to the proximity to the blade particularly with short pieces of timber

My thoughts are it is likley to be the least safe method of the 4 I have listed

Within the setting of any woodworking club all members must use the safest method to accomplish tasks Club members who do not follow this rule put others at risk by not using the best method and there is the risk other members will copy their behaviour
I would also have concerns with lager pieces in a club setting Example cross cutting a 10 inch bowl blank The blank could bind and pinch between blade and fence because of drift and the piece wood could stall

The reasons for not using a fence and blade only
I have asked this question in 14 different ways on the internet The general view is the post below

• Can a bandsaw blade and fence be used for crosscutting
  Short answer: You can do it, but you generally shouldn’t — at least not in the same way you would on a table saw.
  
  Using a bandsaw blade and the rip fence to crosscuta board can be unsafe and produce poor results because:
  • The workpiece can pinch between the fence and the blade, causing the blade to bind or wander.
  • Bandsaw blades typically have narrow kerfs, which makes them easy to deflect sideways.
  • Crosscutting against a fence encourages the wood to rotate into the blade, especially on shorter pieces.
  • The cut surface will often be rough and inaccurate.
  Unlike a table saw, a bandsaw is designed so the blade pulls the work down onto the table, not back at you — that’s good — but the lateral stability when crosscutting is still not great.
  
  Use a miter gauge or a crosscut sled, not the rip fence.
  
  These hold the workpiece at a fixed 90° angle to the blade without trapping it. You can even clamp the workpiece to the miter gauge for repeatable and safer cuts.
  
  Only use the fence as a stop block, not as a guide for the actual cut.
  
  Example:
  • Clamp a block to the fence well in front of the blade (before the cut line).
  • Slide the board up to the block to set length.
  • Then pull the board away from the block and make the cut along the miter gauge.
  This prevents the wood from being trapped between the fence and the blade.
  • Don’t use the fence as a guide for crosscuts on a bandsaw.
  • Do use a miter gauge, sled, or stop block method.

 

[John K Jordan]

I have asked this question in 14 different ways on the internet

The actual intent behind what you asked in your first post was not clear.
So you were taking a poll based on a question about cutting an inch off a 3/4"x5" piece of wood?

Big surprise: Ask ANY question 14 different ways on the internet and you will get dozens of opinions.
Some opinions will be from people with exerience, some will be based on ignorance. But you'll never know.

There are many safe ways to end up with a 3/4"x4" piece of wood. The most common is ripping the 3/4" piece from larger stock. But that question wasn't asked.
Some of the points given above are not significant to the scenario of shortening a 3/4x5" piece of wood given the incomplete information.

Some make NO sense to me, for example the deflection of a thin blade, rotation of a crosscut piece into the blade, or trapping the piece. There is much missing in this equation about about the alignment of the saw, proper guide adjustment, the blade: width, thickness and TPI, the set of the teeth and sharpness, and the important thing most just guess at, proper tension for that blade.

Forget the well known person who teaches otherwise - do not guess - measure with a good tension gauge. I use a Starrett but there are cheaper gauges (our club bought a Lenox for members to borrow - I'll drive to member's shops and help if needed). It's even easy to make a tension gauge. Note that the tension gauge marks built into most bandsaws are often worthless.

Perhaps your club would benefit from having an experienced person come for a demo and teaching session. That person could evaluate and adjust your saw then talk about safe and unsafe practices. There are certain safety things that many don't know but are very important and easily taught. Just a few month ago someone I know visited the hospital ER due to an unsafe cut from taking a shortcut. Other factors: alertness, distractions, lighting, footing.

All I have to back up these statements is almost 50 years of bandsaw use - I started in 1969 in a woodworking industry on a bandsaw with a 2" wide blade.. I have taught a number bandsaw classes to groups and individuals. The classes in my shop cater to woodturners and are usually take about 4 hours. Saftety is stressed at every step - without fingers it's hard to do any woodturning. One of my favorite hobbies: processing green log sections into turning blanks for drying. (I made a video on that for a pandemic zoom meeting.)

There are, in fact, many things that can go wrong - but ALL of them are preventable with the proper knowledge. If you haven't done so, instead of taking a poll perhaps study a good book or two. One of my favorites is by Mark Duginski:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Band-Revised-Expanded/dp/1497104904

and for additional perspective, one by Lonnie Bird:

Amazon.com

Perhaps the club could buy these books and pass it around to club members.

JKJ

 

[robo hippy]

I would do it on a table saw. Easier for me to control. Getting a table saw set up to cut square and parallel isn't too difficult. If I was going to make a habit of it, I would use a sled like Malcolm Tibbits made. On his usual cross cut sled, he made a 2 level table. About a 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick piece of plywood on one side of the blade, and on the other, another piece that ramped away from the blade so the off cuts slid down the ramp rather than stay close to the blade where they might get flung back at you. Stop blocks of course. That makes it easy for getting all the pieces exactly the same size.

robo hippy