Laguna Tools 16HD Classic, Manual

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37
Before you cut any wood, read the safety rules at the front of this
manual
Using the bandsaw
Although the bandsaw is usually associated with cutting curves, a variety of
straight cuts are easily made with the saw. In fact, it is often used to rip wood
because it is much safer than a radial arm saw and also has a smaller saw cut,
so wastes less wood. This becomes very important when using expensive wood
where wastage must be kept to a minimum. The cut is safer because the force
of the cut is straight down on the table, the work cannot be pulled back or
kicked back which sometimes happens with table or radial arm saws.
The bandsaw can also cut very thick stock, which the radial arm, or table saw
cannot do. The disadvantage of cutting with the bandsaw is that the surface
finish of the cut is not as good as with the table or radial arm saw. This can be
overcome to a great degree by using the Resaw king blade from Laguna. The
blade has a lot of advantages such as superior surface finish to the cut, thin
kerf [low wood wastage], can be re-sharpened, will cut hard woods and a long
life.
Ripping
Ripping is a cut made with the grain of the wood. The four most common cuts
made with the grain of the wood are rip, bevel, taper and resaw cuts.
There are two frequently used techniques for making straight bandsaw cuts.
One technique is to use a single point to guide the work. The rational for using
a single point is that the saw may tend to cut at a slight angle. This is called
drift or lead. The single point allows the operator to compensate for the drift
and cut the wood straight. With a little practice, you will obtain satisfactory
results using this method. However, you own a real bandsaw, so this method is
not recommended.
Another method is to use the rip fence as a guide. Once set up, this takes the
guesswork out of cutting, reduces the stress on the operator and is a must for
volume work. Once you have mastered the setup procedure, you will tend to
use the single point method less and less.