Resawing with a frame saw

Making and using a frame saw has been something I have been curious about for a while. This board gave me a good excuse to give it a go. I thought the saw cut reasonable well on the wide board were it not for the binding.
It has been a few days since I cut the board now and one half has a little less cup and the other has more. Chances are good that there was a lot of case hardening in that board and it isn't just the humidity.
Cheers!

[@robertbrunston5406]

I like the way you mounted your blade! Very practical, thank you.

[@nobilismaximus]

Fasten a bungee to the far end, then fix to the wall this will help pull the saw forward. Nice video!

[@TomLeg]

I suppose if it's a fixed distance from your vise, it would be OK, but different length and width boards would get different amounts of pull-back.

[@nobilismaximus]

@@TomLeg true, but worth a try?

[@louisvictor3473]

@@TomLeg Not too significant. The vice is in the same location, unless you move your table. If the width of the board is making too much of a difference from the center of the vice to the edge of a longer board vs a shorter board, the entire thing is already way too tight. Alternatively, you can make it so you can adjust the length of the elastic rope/band

[@essextwo]

Now we cookin with gas! ⛽️

[@roysnider3456]

I like the design of your frame, very nice.

[@teagreentree66]

Великолепный инструмент! поражает простота изготовления и одновременная точность пропила, отличная производительность относительно работы ручной пилой. Важно ещё то, что мастер делится способом точной разметки ещё одним точным приспособлением! Для некоторых людей это станет чудесным решением в необходимости точно и быстро распилить доску по плоскости! Спасибо!

[@wemike]

Thanks. As it turns out all of that cupping came from the case hardening when the board was dried. I guess I was being a bit too hopeful thinking that it was just humidity :)

[@ericgrim6849]

Very smart to make the saw frame narrow. Dunno why I hand't thought of doing that, I was just going to make it wide enough to break down big logs, like all the resawing frame saws I've seen. But I use my chainsaw to break down logs, and only need to resaw 12/4 or 16/4 balks. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@markbaker9459]

Aloha ! Your frame saw and kerfing saw for re-sawing both look fine . 'Simple is Good' says Murphy's Law . The other frame saws that one finds on-line are nice too , but for resawwing dimentional wood stock into the pieces needed without a 'bandsaw' ,these re-saws seem the most cost effective way to go

[@randyboden6087]

Excellent video! Thank you.

[@andrewcooper3845]

A friend was talking about frame saws, I had never heard of them.. thanks for a great demonstration and video!

[@Iranianjunkie]

this is awesome. i dint have a band saw and this with the kerfing tool is a perfect option.

[@lunaticprophet]

Just a couple of days ago I was thinking of an inexpensive alt for the blade-holding hardware. I thought I'd come up with a decent idea.. but your idea is so much easier. Can't wait to try this. Also.. great idea for a kerf saw! Thanx, Much appreciated!

[@buck890100]

Great Idea! I was looking at the kits for these online and the price was going to be too much. You just saved me a bunch of money. Thanks

[@TomLeg]

I got the metal tubes and plates online from the Metal Supermarket for $16 Canadian ... they wanted to charge me over $40 for shipping and handling, but I should be picking it up at the local store. On the other hand, if you need other metal, as well, they give free delivery for orders over $100. I'm making mine about 12" wide with plane totes (handles) sticking back on a 45 degree angle, in imitation of James Wright. MIke, I like your very narrow frame. I'm using a 2" high section of handsaw ... I got three rusty handsaws for $10.

[@FormerlyKnownAsAndrew]

So glad I found your video. This is genius.

[@dezelent]

oh! Thank you!! I need make about 14 planks 10x50 about1/4 from pine. and I don't have space for band saw and planner... you save me lot of money. thank you!.

[@CandidZulu]

Impressed, thanks for shearing!

[@stevewilliams7852]

The cupping happened because the wood was slab sawed. The humidity absorbed isn't equal on both sides. So expansion is greater on one side.

[@salimufari]

The grain structure also screams cupping on the top board and both will likely split unless treated correctly.

[@deliaguzman1138]

I think there was a lot of tension in the wood. Plus when you’re done resawing, don’t lay the wood flat; stand it on its edge to let it reacclimate to your shop. Someone told me if you leave it flat, even for a couple hours, it will cup.

[@cassgascoigne]

Great idea, I need to resaw some timber at the moment for instrument making. I have started a Bow saw but I mat change to your way. I'm thinking you cold make it with adjustable side widths in case you have wider boards. Thanks for sharing your idea. Also, I've had timber buckle & twist like this, If you wrap it in "Kitchen wrap, & weight it a bit the bends will come out>"Hopefully".

[@wyssmaster]

The one thing I noticed is that the saw seemed a bit unstable side-to-side during use, rocking back and forth a little bit. Widening the saw should reduce that, as you're increasing the radius and thus decreasing the...rotational shift for the same linear shift. That feels very unclear to me, so: moving the sides of the saw up or down a couple inches when you radius is only a couple inches will greatly exaggerate that movement on the blade in the center, while a larger radius will mean that the movement in the center will be greatly reduced when moving those same couple inches, as the circumference is much larger.

[@DundoMarinko]

I got some broken blade and this is awesome thing to tray to do, Thank you

[@battleminion]

Ohh great , wait a minute are you telling me that i have been waisting a lot of wood on the planner for not having a band saw for resawing and i could make this inexpensive tool time ago.This is a great video i wish i watched it two weeks ago when i make my doors.

[@wemike]

+battleminion Thanks! Resawing the board by hand was a neat thing to try out but it did take a while to get through such a wide board. If you do make one I'd be interested in how it turned out for you. :)

[@irishharpsnet7691]

nice and simple, very clear all the way, plenty of elbow grease but a great demo! well done .

[@earlystrings1]

The saw design is great. You'd get much better performance with a properly sharpened rip saw blade.

[@robertbrunston5406]

I like your frame saw design, very good 😊

[@wemike]

Thanks! Appreciate the comment.

[@LimitedGunnerGM]

I like the simplicity of the frame design and the use of a bandsaw blade. The kerf saw was a nice touch. Did you find it easier to cut on the pull or push stroke?

[@devoncyrus7708]

instablaster

[@twoweary]

I can see mounting that frame to a motor that just makes it move up and down. It could resaw boards a lot wider than a band saw I could afford. This could be the beginning of a great idea. Nice vid too.

[@wemike]

Thanks!

[@tonyennis3008]

Bandsaw prices go way up once the resaw capability begins to exceed 6". And this board is, what, 12"? If I had to resaw a bunch of boards like this, you can bet I'd put a motor on it. I've seen mediaeval woodcuts showing a frame with multiple blades in it and powered by water. One of those eye-opening experience I had in woodworking was when I resawed my first piece of wood and realized I was free of the tyranny of dimensional lumber.

[@sergio0711077]

Muy buen video. Gracias por compartirlo.

[@rogercarroll1663]

Thank you. very helpful.

[@blackswanprepping8827]

Well done. I'm going to build a kerfing plane and a frame saw as well. I am going to use an old backsaw blade for the plane and thought I about using a bandsaw blade for the saw as well. Sadly I don't have a bandsaw so I will have to make a little more effort. Great video!

[@wemike]

Dutchhorse Thanks! The back saw blade may work better. Having the matching kerf width by using the bandsaw blade was nice but it also made the kerfing plane really aggressive and more challenging to use. Good luck with your saws!

[@dfmackenzie]

Yeah the cupping was probably cause by a combination of, case hardening... the grain pattern... and maybe when you sawed the wood the heat created by friction caused even more moisture to evaporate out of the centre. Seems logical...

[@wemike]

+dfmackenzie I'm pretty sure this was almost all case hardening. I had the chance to watch the cut boards move as the shop humidity went from below 10%RH to 100% over many months and they retained that bow (which is also pretty symmetrical away from the cut.) What I found interesting was that other pieces of the board that were left whole remained flat and stable.

[@RobinLewisMakes]

Very interesting, never seen this kind of hand saw. Looks like a lot of work, must've been very satisfying when you broke through

[@TomLeg]

I have a bow saw I made, been thinking about making a frame saw, with the blad in the middle. Your design seems easier than most I've seen. Those are wide, as if you're going to resaw logs, while yours is more practical, won't see anything wide than 8/4 lumber. One design I've seen ( I think it was Tom Fidgen ) started off with a large board which became an end piece with two angled handles.

[@DiggaDiggaDug]

The advantage to the larger frame, even on thin stock, is that it acts like a built in winding stick. It helps your ability to keep the blade very straight allowing very thin veneer cuts. The traditional blade is also a lot taller than the band saw blade here. That also assists in following a straight cut.

[@MrCaesar2u]

These look good; I like the dimensions too!

[@frenstcht]

The cupping in normal for the kind of board you've re-sawn.

[@madmikemakes3056]

That's brilliant!!

[@bearshield7138]

very nice

[@JohnSmith-il4wi]

genius! liked and subscribed, thanks from Chicago

[@rebeccadonaldson1464]

Look at the grain on the ends of the boards. It couldn't be further from Quarter Sawn timber. It is bound to have stresses causing cupping which were released by your sawcut, just by the way it was cut out of the tree.. Take the same type of timber and make sure it is near quarter sawn with the end grain running directly accross the board instead of along it in the piece you used, then you won't have any problems. Case Hardening is when red hot wrought Iron is cooled in a sealed container containing an excess of Carbon, charcoal, This is absorbed into the surface of the Iron giving it a Casing of Steel. Steel being an alloy of Iron and Carbon. Hence the name of the process, Case Hardening. There is no such equivalent in wood. Forced drying will only accentuate the cupping tendencies compared with air drying over a longer time. If you want flat, thin boards then choose stock which is nearer quarter sawn. If a tree is sawn through and through these will be the 2 or 3 boards in the middle. To ask for quarter sawn stock puts the price up as the method is more wasteful for the sawyer. You can get round this by only buying the boards from the middle of the tree, but then you have the problem of the centre pith. It is a judgement thing to get as near the centre as possible without getting the actual centre board.

[@wemike]

It is indeed flat sawn as most boards that width are around here. Flat sawn board do have a tendency to warp as the expansion is different across the board as the moisture content changes. I do not believe that is the true cause of that cupping however as there was near even cupping on opposite sides of the cut. The humidity in my little shop swings pretty widely in the summer and after I let these pieces sit a couple days I could see them move some (as they aren't quartersawn) but never came close to flat. While the term case hardening is commonly used in metallurgy, it is also used in woodworking. Here I was referring to what we see when wood is dried a little too quickly. The exterior dries and the lignin sets while the interior is still wet. As the interior dries it wants to contract and so puts the exterior in compression while the interior is in tension. As I understand it, softwoods like this pine are more challenging to dry without incurring these stresses. Interestingly, the boards which were not resawn were some of the most dimensionally stable ones in my shop and stayed quite flat while many other boards moved. I suspect that the internal stresses actually helped the stability of the board while the exterior was in compression. Some references: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_drying www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Case_Hardening_Explained.html www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/how-to-test-for-case-hardened-lumber/

[@fredpierce6097]

You will probably have to saw both cupped panels in half and then plane them with their newly cut edges together and Re glue them back together……. Should work fine.

[@ldwithrow08]

It would seem to me you could make the sides adjustable in and out to the thickness of the board. That would guide the blade and you could set it to resaw at an accurate thickness.

[@Mile3500]

Imagine the friction. Also if your stock isn’t perfectly straight and true it would not be fun.

[@scottbrown3444]

cool. i'm going to try it too

[@Method_MOK]

very cool -- thanks for this

[@jakobhovman]

Hello Mike...Found your video today...Thank You for the video and idea...! I think you will "go" better by pulling the saw...Japanese style. There is more control in the end, when the arms are close to the body. I do it, with a frame saw and a special pull ripblade from Japan. Even my hacksaw goes better, when the blade is turned 180. Pull = straightening...! If you fix the panel, so the saw pulls / "falls" downward, you will benefit from gravity too...Try it. Another idea is to put on a straight japanese style handle, centered on the end. When the saw kerf has been established, you can grab and pull here...the other hand rests on top of the frame as guide. This way you can change hands while you work. I will certainly make a model and give it a try. Again, thank You for uploading. Greetings from Denmark...Jakob.

[@wemike]

Thanks Jakob! I like the idea of trying to pull the saw. I'm curious if it would track as expected and would be a neat experiment. Most of the binding was from the wood cupping of course. I'm kicking myself for not trying to use the kerfing plane with a pulling stroke though!

[@jakobhovman]

Hello hello Mike...Good of you to reply...! I know the video is from june 15, but the saw is still very interresting. If you decide to have a new go. you can choose wood with the grain perpendicular to to board...quartersawn I believe it is called. This is more stable and easier to "tame". = worth the effort. When I get a model of your saw working, I will message you. PS: A cupping board can be clamped with a opposite bow, whilst drying. A cupped dry board can be wetted on the concave side and then dried. PPS: There are lots of videos of japanese saws on the tube.

[@fat-hand]

Amazing!

[@tonyennis3008]

How difficult was the work?

[@wemike]

The blade was sharp and has an aggressive rake so it cut the wood fairly easily (the pine is pretty soft as well.) Rounding the corners where I hold it is the only change I'll make to it. What was challenging was all the binding on the blade. The fiddling around I needed to do with wedges was a huge pain.

[@strange-universe]

seems the tools you made were just fine!

[@thomasarussellsr]

Great kerfing plane and frame saw, I sure would have liked to see the inside of the cut to judge how much plane work would be involved. might have to cut those apart, joint them, and reglue them back together, just pay attention if you were planning on a book end effect. nicely done though.

[@wemike]

Thanks! I'd say it was pretty rough. A lot of that had to do with the way the wood was binding on the blade but basically think rough milled lumber. I think the final finished pieces were between 1/4" and 5/16" so I lost a fair bit (though the planing was quick as it is pine.)

[@thomasarussellsr]

Great, thanks for the response.

[@christopheleblanc9175]

cool , first time i seen that done

[@thebabylon2933]

Nice work

[@WoodByWright]

Interesting Design. how comfortable was that to hold?

[@wemike]

+Wood By Wright Thanks. It wasn't terrible but not great either. The main problem was that I didn't take any time to round the corners where I was holding it so they dug into my palms. I think it will be much better once I do that. I liked the hand position reasonably well though I doubt it would be as nice as what I've seen others like Tom Fidgen use. A huge advantage for me is that I have a tiny shop and this stores away on its side and takes up very little space.

[@ahikernamedgq]

Mike, could you add handles to the sides that maybe screw in or attach in some other way that might make it more comfortable to handle?

[@wemike]

I'm guessing that would make it more comfortable for sure. It is a super low usage tool in my shop though and I suspect giving the corners a decent rounding would go a long way. As it was I like the hand position for it and don't think I would change that too much anyway. :)

[@ahikernamedgq]

Sounds like rounding the corners would be perfect, then. I just bought a long blade to make a frame saw. I really appreciate your take on the design. Thanks for the video!

[@wemike]

You're quite welcome. Good luck with your saw!

[@mariehankdueck8125]

Did you also try this as a pull saw?

[@jlinkels]

I am impressed with the accuracy you achieved. And thank you for showing the construction details. How did you drill the holes in the bandsaw blade?

[@wemike]

Thanks. Drilling was much easier than I had expected... just high speed steel twist bits on the drill press with a bit of oil.

[@daddywoofdawg]

I'd really like to see a build of the frame saw,and the kerf saws those look like something I'd like to build much simpler than some I've seen,and they use Bandsaw blades!

[@wemike]

+James McGuire I would like to remake that kerf saw as it is really rough. I'll see if I can remember to break out the camera _while_ I'm making it. It'll have to wait till the weather warms up though. ;)

[@Mr_Rick]

I'd be interested in you showing how you made your kerfing saw at 0:40 Any chance?

[@wemike]

Pretty good chance... I took a whole bunch of video making a more refined version years ago... just never got around to editing it. I'll see if I can put that together soon

[@Mr_Rick]

@@wemike looking forward to it. Please give some dimensional details or plans if you can. I like your videos. Cheers! Thx.

[@kryptik0]

This was very cool. I wonder if it might be possible to make a smaller version of this frame saw to cut boards that are say 6 inches wide at most. I know bigger saw has greater leverage, but it might also be an overkill for a board that size.

[@Puponin_photo]

Awesome!!!

[@donesry2902]

Thanks for sharing your video. I have been considering making an affordable saw and your’s looks great. Are you still using it? I’m wondering if making the frame wider would make it easier to control and keep straight. Also, I appreciate you showing the cupping in the wood. I would find that discouraging.

[@crmusicproduction]

Hi brilliant video, a few questions, Did you build the saw yourself and how did you cut the bandsaw blade to size, This something I have been needing for a while. Thanks for sharing sir.

[@wemike]

Thanks Chris. I did build it myself. I didn't really cut the blade.. I ground a bit of a groove in it with the edge of my belt sander then bent it back and forth until it broke on the score. I've been making a video on a new kerfing plane and for that one I used the corner of a chisel to do the scoring. The drilling in the blade went easier than I expected as well. I used a bit of oil and a twist bit in the drill press.

[@ClintRoseCarving]

Mike this is great, I've had a blade sitting around for ages that I've wanted to make a frame saw from and this has given me some ideas. I like the compact design of your saw, was it easy enough to cut with? I wonder if having a bigger frame or generally more material on the saw gives it more weight and so helps it get through the cut faster? - Clint

[@wemike]

Thanks Clint. I found the sawing action was quite easy... It would have been more comfortable if the corners were rounded off but I was happy with the hand position. The board I was cutting had a lot of case hardening and most of the trouble I had with it went into dealing with the binding from that. I don't think I'd need more weight as the bandsaw blade is super aggressive with negative rake. I wanted it light enough so that I could take the weight off the cut to start. Other frame saw designs are likely better but this is super compact to tuck away, was quick to build and was quite cheap. Have fun!

[@ClintRoseCarving]

Cheers Mike, I think your design is great! Look forward to more videos.

[@GeoManTips]

Interesting

[@dave_ecclectic]

It looks like if it was wider would be a bit easier to use.

[@hiddenvaly]

I know this video is old and you by now have learned about “case hardened” lumber. If not, do a little research. It’s very interesting.

[@170166]

Very interesting - nice frame saw build too. Did the band saw blade come pre-cut or did you cut it down?

[@wemike]

+Paul .Austin Thanks. :) I cut the blade down from an off the shelf blade. It was a cheaper blade for a big saw as I wanted one that was about an inch wide to give me some purchase for the kerfing saw. I don't have a lot of experience with working metal (especially steel) but it drilled surprisingly well. I suspect I would have had a harder time if the blade was made of a better Sweedish steel.

[@Nichols_Santa]

You should try adding additional blades to make a "gang saw"... you can cut multiple boards at once. They do that in some old saw mills. Also this kind of saw would work attached to a flywheel for a reciprocating action, with the user guiding it and lowering it into the kerf. the box frame makes the saw safer to handle. You can probably set up a foot treadle to power the flywheel, and then a belt pully to reduce the speed. I may need to experiment with this. I've been wanting to play with resawing boards and bookmatching, and this looks like a great alternative to a band saw. I really like the kerf saw idea for guiding the cut... Was that your original idea?

[@wemike]

Those are some fun ideas to try with the saw arrangement though wouldn't really help me out with any projects I have lined up. The original idea spawned from me wanting to resaw those wide boards for a couple of drawer bottoms and I had seen the kerfing saw used in some other videos. I have only used the saw once or twice since but did make a new adjustable kerfing saw which I have used a bit more.

[@Nichols_Santa]

​@@wemike thanks for the reply. I have arthritis so it limits my use of the hand saws as it hurts after a while, but a reciprocating engine might make me able to get by without investing a couple thou in a big old bandsaw. Plus I fancy using hand tools where possible. Feels "closer to the wood" if you get my drift. So I may try it myself.

[@shughes599]

Did you do anything special to the fixed end of the blade? It looked like a block with a kerf but I never saw the pin etc. I like your tension block design.

[@wemike]

Thanks! :) I actually made both ends the same way. There is a saw kerf with a bolt going through it as a pin. It is just hard to see since the saw is narrow.

[@fatbackfitz]

Case hardened lumber

[@tonyennis3008]

That's great! Did the cup come out? Normally any similar cut can release stresses and produce a cup that will never come out. I would be surprised if I ever got more than two 1/4" boards from a 3/4" piece of lumber like that, once the boards had been planed to thickness.

[@wemike]

Thanks. :) The cup stayed so I'm pretty sure it was case hardened. I did get the drawer bottoms I wanted out of it but they were indeed only about 1/4" by the end.

[@wesleymorris9990]

Do you have a video on building your saw?

[@wemike]

Sadly no. I'm still struggling to find a reasonable way to grab decent video while working in my little shop. I made an attempt while making a replacement kerfing saw but never got around to editing the clips together. There wasn't much magic to this frame saw however... the joints were simply butt or lap.

[@mkamp]

Very cool. How did you cut the bandsaw blade?

[@wemike]

+Mariano Kamp Thanks... I ground a bit of a groove across the blade with the edge of my grinding belt (1" wide blue zirconia belt) and then bent it back and forth. The groove helped focus the bending to one spot and the strain hardening from bending it back and forth let it break relatively easily.

[@tarsiousmunalembohol]

How many teeth per inch of that band saw blade u are using?

[@campyper5299]

Looking from a body mechanics perspective this design requires more from the arms compared to the Roubo design, which allows for more of a full body utilization. What one gains in reducing the weight of the saw is perhaps overshadowed by restricted power delivery.

[@diy-chris1332]

A bandsaw blade is allways a "one-way" sawing blade.... thats Not the best kind of blade for resawing wood like that!

[@scor440]

DIY-Chris i did not know that what blade would be best for resaw?

[@ronin4711]

An interesting concept of a frame saw but, frame is a frame, regardless of size. At some point I noticed you gloved your hands, I'm guessing if you add a "radius" to the handle later, maybe you won't need the gloves... Thanks for sharing.

[@wemike]

+ronin4711 Well spotted! I wasn't sure if the corner would bother me or not but you're right, I will need to curve that corner so that it doesn't press into my palm as sharply. Outside of that though it was comfortable enough of a sawing position for the few times I expect to use it. :)

[@frankstover3444]

Nice maybe create a better hand hold?

[@hpgildwel]

Case hardening.

[@Iamwood1005]

No sir that piece of board thats curving and warping will not get back straight and square, doesnt matter the weather, the moisture, the temperature or the season. 🤣😬 That just what 1/2 inch piece of boards do. Doesn't matter what type of wood, what year old and what moisture content it has, any plank of wood irrespective of the length, it the thickness is 1/2 inch and width is more than 4 inches, they are going to curve and warp, they are the black sheep of all wood plank sizes. Come on sir, you know that already, woodworking 101.🤣😬🤣😬🤣

[@markewings7525]

Fucking hell

[@traceypotts9425]

Wrf