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#1
04-30-2014, 06:00 PM
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Resawing Guitar Sets on the New Laguna
I admit it: I am obsessed with wood. I spend my days working with it, and I often dream about it at night. While I'm waiting for glue to dry, I often go to the computer and scan through the offerings of some of my favorite wood merchants. When I sell a guitar or get paid for a commission, the first thing I'm likely to do is convert my cash earnings into wood. It takes a real effort of willpower to keep my checking account from redlining, when I get in a wood-buying mood!
Of course, I'm most obsessed with woods that are good for making acoustic guitars. I just love the stuff. And I feel a deep reverence and appreciation for the trees that provide this marvelous material. I think a lot of us here on the Forum share this obsession. We certainly do see some of the most beautiful woods in the world, being made into some of the best guitars in the world, here at the AGF. I could never get tired of this. Recently, I sold a couple of my rainy day guitars, so I could buy more wood to add to my growing stockpile. And then, I had to invest in a new bandsaw so I could actually start processing some of this lumber into guitar sets. After doing quite a bit of research, I finally decided to get a Laguna 14 SUV machine. This is a 14-inch bandsaw, so it's not a huge beast; but it is a powerful one. The "SUV" stands for "Souped-up version", referring to the 3-HP motor. This saw also has a full 14" of resaw height, so it can handle anything wide enough to make a jumbo guitar, and then some. And yet, this saw occupies a small footprint. Perfect for my needs! Here's my new baby, after I got it all assembled and set up:  Because a lot of the lumber I've acquired is very hard and dense, and expensive, I decided to also invest in a proper blade for resawing these woods. I got the Laguna Resaw King, one-inch, which has carbide-family teeth and a high quality Swedish steel band. This blade is designed specifically for straight-line resawing. The teeth are not set, and the kerf is slightly less than 1/16", so you get maximum yield, as not so much of the wood is converted to dust. And you can accurately and consistently cut veneer-thin slices, with a minimum of sanding needed to remove saw marks. In a (over-used) word: AWESOME! I built a tall resaw fence that clamps onto the Laguna fence, to properly support wide stock. I also made this saw guide, with a ball bearing, to act sort of as a featherboard. It works well for accurately dimensioned billets, but in actual use, I preferred to just use my hands to control the feed.  After I was sure everything was safe, accurately set up, and ready to test, I made my first cuts on some beautiful, marbled-figure, iridescent Padouk that I bought last year from Cook Woods in Oregon.   The saw performed flawlessly. It runs surprisingly quiet, and even cutting through a ten-inch wide board of hard Padouk, it was smooth, quick, and clean as a whistle! Here are the first two sets of Padouk that came off the new Laguna: 
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Edwinson Last edited by theEdwinson; 04-30-2014 at 06:09 PM. 
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#3
04-30-2014, 06:36 PM
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Congratulations! One of my saws is a Laguna made by Meber in Italy. They have kept improving them.
Two questions: Why would you connect a 4" dust port to a 4" hose via a much smaller coupling? And why are you not wearing a dust mask on a job that produces lots of it? Not photogenic?
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"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon
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#4
04-30-2014, 07:28 PM
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I am using my Dad's old dust collector, which has a four inch hose with a step-down adapter hose-clamped onto it. Most of my other dust-producing machines have a 2 1/4" dust hose coupler on them; so, rather than having to take the step-down adapter off the 4" hose every time, I started out using an adapter on the bandsaw. Pretty quickly, though, I did away with that. As for the dust mask, yeah, I know...But the dust collector does such a good job with the smartly designed dust baffle inside the lower wheelhouse that I hardly noticed the dust- That is, until I started sawing through some Malaysian Blackwood, which I have a burning, itching sensitivity to:  I would never skip the dust mask for "photogenic" reasons! Mostly because I think I am more attractive wearing a dust mask than NOT wearing one!  So then- After the maiden voyage turned out so well, I decided to open up some more lumber. This is a fascinating pursuit to me. You run a billet through the saw, and open up a beautiful bookmatch. It's like you are exposing the soul of this noble tree, that gave its life to art and craft, and will soon be reborn in the form of a guitar. Here are some billets I've prepared. At left, a huge rifle blank of nicely figured Claro Walnut. Then, a couple Brazilian Ebony boards. And to the right, some spalt-figure Honduran Rosewood:   And here's how the sets look, fresh off the bandsaw, no sanding: Claro Walnut:  Brazilian Ebony-- This wood is as hard, dense, and heavy as Lignum Vitae, and rings like Brazilian rosewood. The Saw handled this wood like a charm.  ...And the first of about ten sets of the Honduran Rosewood I've got. The guy I bought this wood from says it was harvested in the late '80's, and has been air-drying ever since. 
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Edwinson
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#5
04-30-2014, 07:30 PM
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Yup...
http://www.leeimh.com/resources/engi...ws-GasFlow.htm And Yup... http://www.wood-database.com/wood-ar...-and-toxicity/ Very nice saw! Quote:
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A bunch of nice archtops, flattops, a gypsy & nylon strings… Last edited by iim7V7IM7; 04-30-2014 at 08:21 PM.
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#6
04-30-2014, 08:13 PM
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Congrats on the bandsaw! There really is something special about building with sets you've resawn yourself. I'm glad it's working so well for you!
Mark
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Mark Hatcher www.hatcherguitars.com “"A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking". Steven Wright
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#7
04-30-2014, 08:37 PM
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Another thing I wanted to bring up in this thread is, when you resaw your own guitar sets, it's a great way stock up on primo guitar wood-- because, maybe you are immodestly rich in some nice sets, but there may be something else you're lusting for... So you can either barter, sell, or trade your "extra" sets for something else, and everyone involved is richer for it... I've gotten some very fine sets of wood in trade from other luthiers, or from clients who went prospecting for their own sets. So it's great to have some material for barter, sale, or trade in your wood locker. And as all of us builders know, fine guitar woods are just about the safest, most cost-effective and value-appreciating investment you can make. I don't think I've ever seen wood go DOWN in price.
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Edwinson
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#8
04-30-2014, 08:38 PM
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I really like that set of Honduran Rosewood.
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Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi
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#9
04-30-2014, 09:04 PM
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Steve, you are getting some "chatter" patterns in the saw marks. I suggest more tension on the blade. It would be hard to overtension a 1" blade on that saw.
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"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon
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#10
04-30-2014, 09:09 PM
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What do you think is the best blade for resawing, I have a MiniMax 16.
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#11
04-30-2014, 09:44 PM
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to look at one choice. I've bought bandsaw blades here many times. In fact, I get ALL my bandsaw blades here. Except the Laguna Resaw King, which I bought with the saw at the Pelham, AL Woodcraft Store. Keepin' it local. Bandsaw blades direct has everything for the well-dressed bandsaw, full range of size and type, and you can have blades made to any custom length. That's important, if you have a Euro (metric) saw with a blade length that's not a common shelf item in the US. I half-owned a MiniMax 16 for awhile, and I always had bandsaw blades direct make custom, perfect-length 143" Lenox resaw blades. Look at the site and see a broad range of good ways to set up your saw with the right blade.
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Edwinson
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#12
04-30-2014, 09:59 PM
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I am beyond delighted by this thread!
I have my eye on that exact same saw for the exact same purpose. My shop isn't big enough for a 16" saw, so I though the 14 SUv would be a great compromise. I was worried that 3 hp wouldn't be enough for the job, but I'm delighted to see it work for you. You've cemented my decision to get that saw, and stat. For me, it's mostly about cost savings buying lumber instead of sets, though in the US you have a lot more resources than us Canucks. Congrats, we may just find ourselves bartering one day! PS we met briefly at Bluedog Guitars opening party. Are you going to the GAL convention?
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#13
04-30-2014, 10:02 PM
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Quote:
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Edwinson
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#14
04-30-2014, 10:19 PM
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You'll love this saw. It takes up about the same floor and air space as the classic Delta 14 Inch, but it's as solid as a granite obelisk, and about 160 kilos of box-beam welded steel. There is no torque in this saw frame. The blade guides on this saw are ceramic; no ball bearings or cool blocks. They keep the blade very accurately registered, and they're quick/ simple to adjust to perfect. It's interesting that the first few times you run the saw, you get sparks from the ceramic blade guides. The saw manual says this is normal, as the ceramic guides need to break in with a little use, and then no more sparks. Every feature of the 14 SUV is an example of good design and engineering. My saw was made in China. The fit and finish may be a nick or two below an Italian-made one, but it still falls within the parameters of an excellent machine. Advance congrats on getting your saw, Ed, and I hope we can work a copacetic trade of some unique sets. Wouldn't it be cool to have a page here on the Forum where we could swap guitar woods? ;-] Oh, and yeah, I am going to be at all five days of the GAL hoedown. With bells on, man! I'll be back on my home turf in Seattle/ Tacoma for a whole week! You know, the Healdsburg Festival is a lot of fun, but when you have to stand behind a table the whole time, you miss all the interesting other stuff going on. But the Guild of American Luthiers Convention is for us luthiers. This is OUR kids-in-a-toystore time. And I surely could use a long, sustained dose of that. How 'bout you, are you coming to the GAL? I'll bring a set of wood to swap!
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Edwinson Last edited by theEdwinson; 04-30-2014 at 10:25 PM.
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#15
04-30-2014, 10:37 PM
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I'm sure going to try. We just started doing this full time at the beginning of the year after the Larrivee plant closure and we're just beginning to get streamlined production wise, so to say we're on a shoestring budget would be an insult to shoestrings everywhere. Nevertheless, there's a few things going on there that I definitely want to see. If I go, I'll be bringing a four pack of the Halcyon line to put on a table. Probably won't spend the whole time behind it though. I'll know fairly soon... (Fingers crossed)
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