A Sawmill for EVERY Bandsaw

Have you ever wished you could own a sawmill?  If you're a bandsaw owner, now you can!   Any bandsaw, with the addition of our Little Ripper Sawmill package can be milling logs up to 8'.  The best part?  When working with a friend, cutting 8" diameter logs, 6' long it would only take 2-3 hours to pay for the unit!  This tool will practically be paying you to use it.

The original Little Ripper was introduced over 10 years ago and it was revolutionary for allowing the average woodworker to re-saw their own lumber but it was limited to cut a log 8" x 24".  Over the years we continually heard how great The Little Ripper was, but we were always getting questions like "Can it cut anything bigger?"   Those questions ate away at Paul, so off fishing he went. ( that's where he goes to solves the woodworking world's problems)  Through trial and error, Paul re-designed The Little Ripper and introduced the Sliding Track system.  The Sliding Track system is made up of a main 28" track and  clamping mechanism.  The Track and clamps attach together to create a "table" which slides back and forth on top of the existing bandsaw table.

The bottom of The Little Ripper is lined with 3 plastic guides which allow the Ripper to sit into the track.   The Ripper is then able to slide back and forth in the track, slicing the wood.  The biggest advantage of the Sliding Track System (besides being so easy to use) is that multiple tracks can easily be attached together for cutting larger pieces.   As long as you have enough track with enough support you can cut any length up to 8'.  The Little Ripper has always been a great tool, but  when we reconfigured it to be able to handle longer pieces, that's when it REALLY took off.  The current standard kit includes a Little Ripper & Sliding track, allowing you to cut logs 14" around by 30" long.  By adding a second Little Ripper & more track you can cut 14" around up to 8' long.

With the Little Ripper you literally have the opportunity to make a product from the log to the finished product - how amazing is that?

The Little Ripper can be purchased alone or in conjunction with it's sister product, The Round Ripper.

Woodturning Design magazine featured The Little Ripper & it's sister product, The Round Ripper in it's June 2013 issue.  For plans on this unit please click HERE.

This piece was sliced using a Little Ripper and then the middle was cut using a scroll saw.  Made by recent "Customer of the Week" Bobby Roy.

Cutting Circles on Your Bandsaw...Safely

In my last post I mentioned the newest tool the Stockroom Supply line - The Round Ripper.  As with all of our unique, innovative tools The Round Ripper came about when Paul saw a need in the industry.  He found himself watching videos featuring professional woodworkers and realized that every time they would cut a circle on a bandsaw that their hands were placed in an entirely dangerous situation.  Compelled by these videos and the need to always be redefining the woodworking industry, Paul began tinkering in the shop, ultimately coming up with this game changing tool.

 The Round Ripper holds the wood in a perfectly safe and secure position while keeping the users hands far away from the dangers of the bandsaw blade.  The unique 2-point holder (much like holding wood between two centers on a lathe) keeps the blade from getting bound, protecting the blade from heating up and damaging it's set.

As you can imagine The Round Ripper has found a place in the hearts of many turners who use it to make turning blanks, lazy susans, trophy bases & so much more!  Paul's popular seminar "Turning a Bowl with Your Bandsaw" uses "ditchwood" to create a bowl with the help of a Round Ripper.
Several prominent woodworking magazines, including Woodturning Design and Canadian Woodworking have featured The Round Ripper as an up and coming new product.  This is certainly a product to keep on your radar - and a must-have for any woodturner!

The Round Ripper has a cousin tool, The Little Ripper, also designed for use on a bandsaw and which can share the same sliding track base.  The Round Ripper can be purchased alone or in conjunction with The Little Ripper.  You can see the Round Ripper in person at wood shows across North America.  Click HERE for plans.

Bandsaw Problems Vented. Ah ... Feels Good!

This is my understanding of how a bandsaw works.

Constants:

• Teeth are almost always on the front of the blade
• Teeth are almost always facing down on upright bandsaws (unless your vision is bad)
• From factory they come equipped with plenty of power

Differences:

• Capacity of blade width
• Guides
• Tension capabilities
• Throat and height differences
• Colors
• Motor sizes

When we demonstrate at Woodworking Shows, we have all kinds of customers ask relatively the same questions:

• what about tension?
• what about blade drift adjustments?
• should I use 3 or 4 tooth blades?
• why isn't your bandsaw stalling out and burning the wood like mine?
• why is your saw cutting so quiet
• why are you using such a narrow blade to resaw

So here is my answer to these questions and, as controversial as they may sound, sit back and think about how a bandsaw mill works.

First of all, a bandsaw mill has no adjustment for blade drift because it doesn't need one. The blade only goes off course when the blade is dull or if you hit  foreign material other than wood. The same holds true for an upright bandsaw. The blade will never drift unless it is dull. Blades that are manufactured in North America are extemely good quality, and do not come out of the package with built in blade drift, at least in the approx. 1000 blades that I have used.

Unfortunately, most users of upright bandsaws damage their new blade within the first few inches of cutting by pinching or putting side pressure on the blade. If you pinch the blade on a bandsaw or put side pressure on the blade, the set will change from one side of the blade to the other side. Example: if your blade is .025", the most set the blade could have is .00125" per side. More than likely the set would be .0010". If you put side pressure on a blade just for a few seconds, you could easily lose .0001" of set. This is not much when you consider a human hair is .0003". However, if you do lose .0001", that's 10% of the initial .0010". Therefore the blade will cut better or drift in the opposite direction. The more it drifts the more pinching occurs, especially when using a fence, the problem compounds itself with usage. The more you use it, the more it drifts.

How do you know if you're pinching the blade or putting side pressure on it? Simple. If you make a cut, shut of the machine and wait until the blade stops, you should be able to hold onto the blade with your hand just barely feeling warmth. It should not be hot. In my opinion, if it's hot then the blade is damaged. Also when you are cutting if you can see the blade deflection, or see that the blade is rubbing on one side of the guides, you can be assured your blade is getting hot.

All of this information pertains to resawing, or cutting straight. Just a coincidence, the Little Ripper converts your bandsaw to a sawmill and your saw, no matter what brand, will cut perfectly straight, whether resawing or cutting logs.

Now the question of cutting circles. The sawmill principle applies: if you pinch or put side pressure on the blade it will not cut where you want. Take the conventional circle cutter, pin on bottom.  When you rotate the wood through the blade on a single pin, the wood can rock. If it rocks,  it has pinched the blade and then the blade drifts. Blade damage has occurred.  If the wood is supported top and bottom, like it is in the Round Ripper, the wood is held stable and the blade won't get pinched. Therefore all pressure, all power, in your bandsaw can be exerted on the teeth and your saw will cut like it was meant to cut.

Now back to the differences in bandsaws - my opinion:

Guides: doesn't really matter as long as you're cutting with the teeth and not pushing on the side of the blade. I personally like Cool Blocks. They seem to keep my blade clean when I'm resawing, Especially on a upright saw, when the dust is falling directly on the guides. Many saws are equiped with roller guides.  They work fine. Just remember, bandsaw mills usually only run a guide on one side of the band.

Tension: Doesn't really matter as long as you're feed according to the size of your teeth. If pressure is put on the front of the blade, tension is not really a big deal. The tension gauge that comes on your saw is not always reliable but it gets you close enough.

Number of Teeth:  Don't feed faster than what the teeth can remove. Less teeth means a faster feed rate and a rougher cut.  More teeth means a slower feed rate and a smoother cut.

I've been using bandsaws for years and we have our own small sawmill operation. These are just some things I have learned through experience.

I realize that this goes against much of the current information, but I can say this from what I hear from many woodworkers.  The problems woodworkers are having with bandsaws are consistent across the country. Almost all problems are to do with premature blade damage caused by pinching or putting side pressure on the blade. I believe most woodworkers don't change their blades often enough, and blame their bandsaw, when they should be blaming the blade

Fences are the main culprit of blade damage. Fences cause problems because if the wood stresses when cutting and opens or closes, pushing or pulling you against the fence, it puts side pressure on the blade. Also, unlike a table saw, a bandsaw has no splitter.

I  hope this info helps.