Running Resawn Moulding

Tips on resawing wood and running it through the moulder. April 27, 2007

Question
We have a group of 7 lumberyards that would like us to run the 3/8" thick casing that you see in the big box stores. I know that we would need to run this at about a 15 degree angle through the resaw. What are the pros and cons of running this kind of trim? Looking at oak, alder, and soft maple as the spec. I've heard you can ruin a lot of wood quick in a resaw.

Forum Responses
(Solid Wood Machining Forum)
From contributor D:
Yes, you can ruin a lot of wood fast with even a good resaw. We ran a 356 pattern in poplar, resawing 6/4 at an angle, then molding with a Weinig with angled feedworks, 10k to 15k at a time. The resaw we used is a Wadkin/Bursgren, with a 3" blade and a power feeder. The table/feeder tilted to the angle we wanted. Buy good blades, change them as needed, and train the operator well. It would work all day and resaw for tenths of a cent per foot, with 2 operators. It worked fine for the five years I used it. I recently spotted one at Ex-factory or IRS. The larger, older resaws required a pit in the floor due to big wheels. The Wadkin was bolted to the floor, and about 8' tall.



From Dave Rankin, forum technical advisor:
When running resawn material through the moulder, there are a few things to consider:
1. Direction of feed. Many resawn profiles are run profile down so that any scant wood will be on the backout side of the profile.
2. Due to the limited amount of material, the use of urethane rollers is common.
3. Tilting holddowns may be required to properly control the work pieces.

Running resawn material may require the use of several cutterheads ground to profile compared to the top head only - this will vary with the type of machine.