How to Cut a Board in Half Thickness

In woodworking, the ability to customize your materials is a fundamental skill. Sometimes, a project requires lumber that is thinner than what’s commercially available. Instead of searching for specialty wood or compromising your design, you can create the perfect piece yourself.

This process, known as resawing, involves cutting a board along its thickness to produce two or more thinner boards. It’s a technique that opens up a world of possibilities, from creating book-matched panels to milling your own veneers. This guide will provide a clear, step-by-step tutorial on how to cut a board in half thickness, empowering you to take control of your materials and elevate your projects.

Why This Skill Matters

Learning to resaw a board is a game-changing skill for any woodworker. It allows you to maximize your materials, turning one thick board into two thinner ones, effectively doubling your usable lumber for certain applications. This is especially cost-effective when working with expensive or exotic woods.

Furthermore, this technique is essential for creating beautiful book-matched panels, where the two halves of a resawn board are opened like a book to create a stunning symmetrical grain pattern. It also gives you the ability to create custom thicknesses for projects like box-making, inlays, or fine furniture, where standard dimensions just won’t do. Mastering this skill gives you greater creative freedom and precision.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Cut a Board in Half Thickness

Step 1: Prioritize Safety and Prepare Your Workspace

Before you make any cuts, safety must be your top priority. You will be working with a powerful saw, so it’s essential to wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from sawdust and debris. A dust mask or respirator is also highly recommended to avoid inhaling fine wood particles. Ensure your workspace is clean, well-lit, and free of any clutter that could cause you to trip or interfere with the saw’s operation.

Make sure your saw is equipped with all its safety features, including the blade guard. Lastly, use a push stick to guide the wood through the final part of the cut, keeping your hands safely away from the spinning blade.

Step 2: Select the Right Blade for Resawing

The success of your resaw depends heavily on using the correct saw blade. A standard combination blade is not ideal for this task. You need a dedicated resawing blade, which is designed with a specific tooth geometry for ripping through thick stock. These blades typically have fewer teeth (a lower tooth count) and deep gullets between the teeth.

The deep gullets are crucial for efficiently clearing sawdust from the cut, which prevents the blade from getting bogged down and overheating. A blade with a “hook angle” around 10 degrees is often recommended for a good balance between cutting speed and a smooth finish.

Step 3: Measure and Mark the Board for an Accurate Cut

Precision starts with accurate marking. Begin by ensuring the faces and edges of your board are flat and square. Use a reliable measuring tape or a combination square to find the exact center of the board’s thickness. Mark this centerline clearly on both ends of the board. Then, use a straightedge or a marking gauge to connect these two points with a crisp, continuous line across the top edge of the board. This line will be your guide, so take your time to make it as accurate as possible. A precise reference line is fundamental to achieving two boards of equal thickness.

Step 4: Set Up Your Bandsaw or Table Saw

The bandsaw is the preferred tool for resawing due to its thin blade and ability to handle tall stock. Adjust the blade guides and thrust bearings so they are just behind the blade’s gullets, providing maximum support without touching the teeth. Set the fence to align perfectly with your marked centerline. If using a table saw, you’ll need to make two passes.

Raise the blade to just over half the width of the board. Set the fence so the blade will cut directly on your marked line. For both tools, a featherboard is highly recommended to press the stock firmly against the fence, ensuring a straight and consistent cut. This setup is crucial for learning how to cut a board in half thickness.

Step 5: Perform the First Cut Carefully

With your saw set up, it’s time to make the first cut. Turn on the saw and let it get to full speed. Begin feeding the board into the blade using a smooth, steady, and consistent motion. Do not force the wood; let the saw do the work. If you are using a table saw, you will cut through one side, stopping when you reach the end. If you are using a bandsaw, you will push the board all the way through. Pay close attention to your marked line, making micro-adjustments as needed to stay on track. The key is a constant feed rate to avoid blade marks or burning.

Step 6: Complete the Second Cut (for Table Saw)

If you are using a table saw, the process isn’t finished yet. After the first pass, turn the saw off. Carefully flip the board end-for-end, keeping the same face against the fence. This ensures that your second cut will be perfectly aligned with the first. Turn the saw back on and make the second pass, feeding the board through just as you did before. As the two cuts meet in the middle, the board will separate into two thinner pieces. Using a push stick for the end of this cut is especially important for safety as the pieces separate.

Step 7: Mill the Resawn Boards to Their Final Thickness

After resawing, the new faces of your two boards will likely be a bit rough from the saw blade. The final step is to clean them up and bring them to their final, desired thickness. The best tool for this is a thickness planer. Send each board through the planer, taking very light passes, until the sawn face is smooth and flat.

Alternate between the two boards to ensure they end up with an identical final thickness. If you don’t have a planer, you can achieve a similar result with a hand plane or by carefully sanding the surface, though this will require more time and effort. This completes the process of how to cut a board in half thickness.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Is the Best Tool to Cut a Board in Half Thickness?

The best and safest tool for this job is a bandsaw. Its thin blade removes less material (a smaller kerf) and it can typically handle wider boards than a table saw. The downward cutting action of a bandsaw also makes it a bit more stable for this type of vertical cut. While a table saw can be used, it requires two passes and the blade height limits the width of the board you can resaw.

Why Is My Cut Drifting or Bowing on the Bandsaw?

Blade drift is a common issue and is usually caused by one of three things:

• Improper Blade Tension: The blade may be too loose. Ensure it is tensioned according to your saw’s manual.
• Dull Blade: A dull blade will wander because it follows the path of least resistance.
• Incorrect Guide Setup: The blade guides or thrust bearings may not be set close enough to support the blade properly.
  Addressing these setup issues should solve most drift problems.

Can I Resaw Wood Without a Bandsaw or Table Saw?

Yes, it is possible to resaw a board by hand, though it requires significant skill, patience, and physical effort. The traditional tool for this is a handsaw called a frame saw or a large ripsaw. You would secure the board vertically in a vise and carefully saw along your marked line. This method is much slower and less precise than using a power tool, but it is how woodworking was done for centuries.

What Is a “Book-Matched” Panel?

Book-matching is a beautiful technique made possible by resawing. After you cut a board in half thickness, you take the two new pieces and open them up like a book. When you join these two pieces edge-to-edge, the grain pattern creates a near-perfect mirror image, resulting in a stunning symmetrical panel that is often used for tabletops, cabinet doors, and decorative boxes.

How Thin Can I Resaw a Board?

The minimum thickness depends on your skill, your equipment, and the stability of the wood. With a well-tuned bandsaw, it’s possible to cut veneers as thin as 1/16 of an inch. For most practical purposes and without specialized equipment, resawing down to 1/8 or 1/4 of an inch is a more achievable goal for beginners. The key is to take your time and ensure your equipment is perfectly set up.

Conclusion

Cutting a board to a custom thickness is a skill that dramatically expands your woodworking capabilities. While it may seem daunting at first, the process is straightforward with careful preparation and the right technique. By prioritizing safety, using the correct blade, marking accurately, and using a steady feed rate, you can transform a single thick board into two perfectly matched thinner pieces.

This technique not only saves money and material but also unlocks advanced design possibilities like book-matched panels. We encourage you to try this rewarding process. Now that you know how to cut a board in half thickness, you are one step closer to achieving a new level of craftsmanship in your projects.