Best method for lam making

[NYArrow]

Howdy Folks,

So I have thumbed through dozens of threads in regards to lam making. I realize there are many different methods out there....table saw w/ jig, drum sander, home made sled / sander, planer's and bandsaw resawing. Here is the dilemma for me......

I don't have room or the $ to buy all the tools my heart desires. So in your opinion what would be the best purchase if I wanted to cut my own lams? (right now I have a 12" craftsman bandsaw that has seen better days and a 10" Delta portable table saw - neither of which I trust for lam cutting)

Your thoughts?

Thanks!

[LittleBen]

Tough one.

Since you have a tablesaw and a bandsaw, I'd say the cheapest route is probably to roughly cut the lams with one of your saws, then finish the lams by grinding on some kind of sanding setup.

We don't know what your budget is, so that might be a small spindle sander or belt sander or it might be a nice new drum sander.

I would recommend running your stock through the saw on a taper sled, so your rough blanks are already tapered. It will make for much less sanding.

[Echatham]

im gonna buy me one of these in the next week or two.  i think its going to be incredibly handy and should work well for grinding lams i hope.  im thinking that the lams will need to be double sided taped to the sled due to the oscillation though.
 http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-Oscillating-Edge-Belt-Spindle-Sander-EB4424/100061671

[Bowjunkie]

For many years I rough sawed my lams and sent them to be ground by folks with the means to do so with precision. That way, I cut the tree, properly seasoned the wood, cut them to my preference as far as growth ring orientation, etc. I know guys who have done it this way for decades and many, many of bows... and they STILL do it this way. Perhaps this may be an option for you with what you have available until you get set up to do your own.

[LESKEN2011]

Been wanting that machine for a while, Eric. I just can't afford it, right now. I have seen several posts on various sites (including this one, I think) with guys using it as a lam grinder. You might google home made lam grinders. I have a folder set up on my computer full of pics to help me get started with mine.

[Inuumarue]

I use a bandsaw and a thickness sander.  The bandsaw was the big investment, which you've already made, and with a bandsaw it's fairly simple to build a thickness sander. I built mine from these plans:  http://woodgears.ca/sander/plans/index.html

You can build one for about 70-90 bucks, maybe less if you feel like making a smaller, more space friendly version.  I built mine full size thinking it could be a fun to build a guitar somewhere down the road, but if you're only making lams there isn't a reason to do so.

Adam

[D]

I have made the one with the rigid one ant its very hard to keep the lams from getting little dips in them and I mean very hard lol

[Troy D. Breeding]

The biggest problem you will have with any homemade drum sander is getting consistent thickness. Any deviation in the feed rate will give you a thickness difference. Stopping to get another grip will yield a dip in the surface due the drum having more time to cut material away in that spot.

I know there are several here using homemade sanders that will say different. Spending the $$$ for the factory sander is the only way to go IMHO.

[gene atkinson]

i agree with troy and bowjunkie .i would send em out till i got the money for the right tool.

[NYArrow]

Thanks for the tips! I have the $ for one good tool. I just cant decide....I really want a new grizzly bandsaw to replace my 10yr old craftsman but if the purpose is for lam making it may not be the best decision. It looks like some sort of sander is my best option at this point. A decent drum sander?????

[NYArrow]

btw -- Who would I send them out to?

[bamboo]

how many bows a year do you plan on making?
its addicting this bow building--I know!!
but just starting out --do yourself a favor-take the guess work out of it and order them!!
if you start out grinding--the dust collection [or lack of!]alone is way worse than you think!!
check out the sponsors here they will fix you right up!!they can grind to any thickness you need
and they want you succeed!!and they are tooled for lam grinding!!---good luck!!

[Bowjunkie]

You need a bandsaw first. Just a drum sander wont do you much good without a bandsaw. If you get a good bandsaw, you can resaw your own lams from boards and send them out to be ground while you save for a drum sander.

Is your current bamdsaw no good at all? Does it run? Perhaps it just needs gone over real good and tuned up?

How many bows do you think you'll make? I bought and made all this stuff to grind lams and now I hardly ever make glass bows  :(  I use it quite a bit for backed bows, tri-lams and such though. Wow, it really makes it nice for them..

[ChuckC]

Try making a tool yourself from scrap parts.  I used manual feed sleds early on and it worked well.  What was said is correct though and it is difficult.  I built a sort of device with incremental adjustment for the platform of my spindle sander and it worked.   Since then I spent the money and bought a thickness sander (self feed) and I can say, it is worth it. .  however. .  if you are making only a few bows, I wouldn't spend the money unless you can use it for other hobbies or projects.

ChuckC

[Zradix]

just throwing this out there....

Some horizontal drum sanders can have the hood easily removed and that will expose the drum.

I don't have a band saw..but i've used the top of a drum sander to do the majority of the wood removal when width tapering limbs.

Makes a heck of a mess ..and ya gotta watch your hands/sleeves.

[Zradix]

this isn't the one I use..just pulled the pic off the net...

..but it's similar..

Just hold the bow on it's side and at an angle so you use only one of the drums.

You can use the frame as a bit of a rest.

 

[Bowjunkie]

Yep, I have flipped open the lid on my delta and done the same thing. I have better line of sight and control though on the drum sander mounted in my drill press.

[JamesV]

Get yourself a planer and with the tools you already have, you are in business to cut lams.

[NYArrow]

I had considered a planer but in my experience they tend to be really rough on thins wood. Esp. Anything less than a 1/4" thick. Perhaps if I made very incremental adjustments it would work. I'll try this with my friends planer on some spare wood. Any tips for lams via planer?

[rmorris]

Planer and any thin wood with any character will result in heartache! The thin stuff needs to be ground down to size.