The care & feeding of a resaw

by Ken Haigh Ace Saw & Supply Co. Los Alamitos. Ca.

the back edge of the blade. Rotate the resaw blade two full revolutions by running the blade in the opposite direction of its normal cutting direction. Then measure the distance from the back edge of the blade to the back edge of the wheel. This distance should not vary more than rlrc" . lf it does, an experienced mill-wright should be called to correct this problem.

cut. The blade will first drift, then try to correct itself: then it will drift afain, correct itself, etc. Depending on how far out of alignment your in line feed bar is, will determine the amount of drift. The proper alignment of the bar to blade depends primarily on the length of the bar; 11rc" per foot is common.

p ROFITS, from resawing can be I increased by making certain your machine and blades are in top performance. We cannot go into miirute detail; however, there are some common problems we will point out that could save on your resawing expenses. The three major categories: machine, materials. and blades. should cover 95Vo of the problems encountered while resawine.

MACHIN;RY- wheel alignment is essential to sood blade maintenance. To check i,heel alignment, run the resaw a couple of minutes; then shut off. Measure the distance from the back edge of the wheel to

Sfory at a Glance

Resaw profits can be increased by careful attention to three catego- ries: machine, materials and blades. resale expenses can be cut by caref ul attention to proper operation.

Blade tensioning is often overlooked; be certain your sawyer is following the recommended amount of tensioning for your machine. Blades can run out of the cut if the fulcrum point is not proper.

Guide distances in relationship to the blade is the most common machine problem we know of. Too much distance allows wood slivers and sawdust to accumulate between the blade and guide resulting in the blades overheating and losing tension. The guides set too close to the blade will sive the same result. A good guide ilistance on most machines is .003", from the resaw blade or about the thickness of a business card. On some larger resaws, the guide will act as a pressure guide. These guides are designed to be set into the blade for a given distance. This is a critical measurement. Refer to the manufacturer if in doubt about the proper Dressure to applv. '

Poor whee'l^ cbndition is a problem that tends to creep up on a resaw machine. Resaw wheels should be perfectlv flat across. We no lonser recomniend chamfering the fron-t edge. A slight radius to the edges is acceptable for the purpose of removing any sharpness. If the wheel has a crown, or is concave, then it should be resurfaced. Poor resaw wheels result in blade cracking problems.

Bearings should be checked periodically. Bad bearings set up a vibration which may result in cracked blades.

Line feed bars not properly aligned to the blade will create a drift in the

Misting the blade is a must, if at all possible. Water, diesel, soapy water, or some other solution should be used; a cooler blade lasts longer. We prefer diesel as it tends not to rust blades.

Scrapers and felt pads allow the wheels to run free of sawdust buildup. The scraper should be firm'against the total width of the wheel. Improper scraping will cause center cracking on the r-esaw blades.

Knot guards must be constantly checked.

Feed speed depends on many factors: size of machine, material being cut, size of material, tooth width, gullet depth, and so on. Remember, if your blade will cut a2 x 6, the blade has more than likely been sharpened properly. When a problem is encountered cutting timber, and your machine is of sufficient size, check the feed speed.

Feed rollers are often an overlooked problem. Feed rollers must always run the same speed. Broken teeth on feed rollers can cause an erratic action in one roller while the rest are running smoothly. Air driven rollers sometimes lose power in one set of rollers and not the other. Sawdust and pitch will build up on one or two rollers causing problems by not allowing the wood to run true to the blade. Constantly maintain the rollers and keep them free of waste material and pitch. A touch of diesel or water will help a great deal.

MATERIALWet wood will dull blades quicker. Knots though,

(Please turn to page 60)