resawing on a band saw--adapting a metal cutting band saw.

[Highdesertww]

I want to resaw up to eight inch wide hardwood on one of my band saws.

I have a 14" wood cutting band saw. I will need a riser block to resaw wider than 6 inches.  rated at 1 HP.

I have a small stationary metal cutting band saw which could allow me to re-saw up to nine inch wide stock when it is set up at the vertical position, in theory. The motor is 10 amp at 120 v (one HP). My biggest concern is that even with changing out the stock pulleys, the fastest I can it it to run will be about 500-600 feet per minutes. Do I have  good chance of re-sawing with a 6TPI blade 3/8 wide  blade with such a setup? 

I could recruit a 2 hp motor from my contractor table saw if necessary. I can use a longer v-belt and use this 2hp motor. The speed will still be 500-600 fpm.

[barryvabeach]

I don't think the fpm will be the problem, it will be lack of HP, and a blade with too many teeth.  If you had a 3 tpi blade, even with a low power saw, you could eventually make your way through it, but with low power saw, and 6 tpi, that would really be pushing it.   I you want to do a number of cuts to make it into veneer, it will be a long road.

[Steve N]

Speed could be problematic, but back when we tried using the Doall, and found that the guides just weren't made to support a woodworking toothed blade worth a darn. We could buy Starrett blade stock cheap enough, and the annealer (blade welder) could make some fairly decent blades for other saws, but we never had the best resaws from the Doall itself. I suppose depending on the tools blade guides, and if it had variable speed there may be some that could work, but it's an apples to bowling balls kind of comparison. Yep they are both band saws, and that is about as close as we could get

[ez-duzit]

Get the riser block for the wood bandsaw. Or buy a proper wood bandsaw.

[K. L. McReynolds]

If that metal cutting bandsaw is the kind that cuts metal by lowering the running blade on the metal stock in the vise horizontally, how will you control drift with the blade in the vertical? And what will the wood rest on as it is being cut?

I shade tree a lot of jobs, but I am not sure that one is worth the work to make it reliable and safe.

[jteneyck]

Forget the metal bandsaw; just too many issues.  Buy a riser block for the 14", and use a 1/2"x 3 tpi blade.  More HP would be good, too, but what you have will work, with patience. 

John