Resawing Oak 1x12 and 2x6 lumber; need help or guidance

[gstoch]

My wife and I are refurbishing a 101 year old house in the historic district in Sanford NC, and have been at it for the better part of a decade. Upcoming project is to redo the staircase, changing from pine to oak, repurposing oak railings/newels/balustrade Dad salvaged from a mansion that was going to be demolished in the 1960s when the interstate highway system was being built in Minnesota.

The challenge for which I am reaching out to this group: I want to resaw 1x12 and 2x6 oak to make bookmatched panels and rails/styles for the walls next to the staircase, as well as to craft replacement oak treads (plan is to keep/paint the pine risers, stain the oak treads).

Does anyone know if there is either (A) a reasonably priced bandsaw I could buy with a guide to be able to do the resawing myself, noting it needs to be able to resaw a board up to 12", or (B) someone in this group who can do this sort of work for me for a price that is fair to both you and me?

My 2x6s are eight feet long and 1x12s are apx 10 feet long. All are unpainted raw wood, no nails, screws, or other metal.

 

[Oka]

The Harvey Ambassador is about 1400-1800 depending what sale is going on. 3 hp saw that has a foot brake and is a decent saw. I would get a 1" blade to go with it. But new that is best priced. The 18" Laguna is a great saw, if you can find it used and priced well. There are others.

You might look around for a local mill who could do it and it may be worth going that way ............ unless of course, you need the cool bandsaw tool.

 

[Mike Davis]

I would contact Scott Smith.
He has a specialized resawing bandsaw mill that is very precise, used for making veneers
so can easily make these cuts with little to no waste.

Whispering Pines Farm / Quartersawnoak.com
Scott Smith (919) 291-0095
New Hill, NC (about half-way in-between Apex and Sanford)
Specilizing in milling and kiln drying oak, and custom milling of extremely long or large logs (up to 60" diameter, 58' long)
Kiln dried oak and eastern red cedar always in stock.
qsawnoak@gmail.com

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Definitely contact Scott Smith, as Mike said. He's right up the road from Sanford and has the equipment to do this quickly and efficiently. Better than buying a bandsaw you may never use again.

 

[creasman]

I agree with Mike and Bill. Contact a sawyer. Scott is conveniently located to you. The only issue is that some sawyers will not resaw reclaimed lumber due to the possibility of hitting nails, screws, etc. Another resource is Raleigh Reclaimed. They specialize in reclaimed lumber and definitely have the equipment to resaw these. Unless you want to purchase a hefty, high-end bandsaw (and have 220V outlet) it will be faster, easier and cheaper to pay someone else to do this.

 

[SabertoothBunny]

Yeah, go with the company who specializes in doing this with the wood you are talking about rather than experiementing and trying to do it yourself. Maybe get a bandsaw to learn with but for this project, sometimes it is better to have the experience pros do the work.

 

[gstoch]

My thanks for the suggestions about Scott Smith, everyone. I'll reach out to him and ask. @creasman , I'll look into Raleigh Reclaimed if Scott does not work out for some reason.

I know generally the provenance of the wood I have, have checked for metal in them all, and will recheck each board before carrying them to anyone. I had hoped there would be someone who could do this for me at a reasonable rate, was at a bit of a loss where to start and was willing to buy my own saw if that turned out to be the only option (and install a 22V jack if necessary) - I appreciate the assist.

 

[danmart77]

None better tlhan Scott. I have had him cut some special veneer in the past.