Can I use a band saw to make a cutting board?

Question

I don't really want a table saw because I think I could use the bandsaw/band saw for more things like resawing and curves. Is it feasible to use a bandsaw for a cutting board (and kind, on grain, strips, or just a cutout single piece of Maple)? Looking at the big box kind or a used 9" or 10" band-saw.

Answer 1

I've done that: duplicate an old pig-shaped board with a fresh scrap of hardwood. Trace the outline, cut out with a bandsaw, finish up the curves with files, and then use a router table to round over the top.

A bandsaw would not be good for making strips to glue up into a butcherblock style piece. It's not precise and straignt enough; though if you follow up on the jointer you can make it work, albeit with a lot more waste and possibly non-parallel sides to the strip.

If you make a real butcher-block, where the strips are turned sideways so the end-grain is the cutting surface, then the board's original top/bottom are the edges to glue up, and the cut sides are the new face. A jointer won't work on the endgrain, and the bandsaw is probably great for cutting slices from a large chunk of maple: it's what I would have used if I had one. The table saw blade was not tall enough to go through so I had to flip the piece and cut from both faces, and this produced a less-than-smooth cut that took more work (and more waste) to clean up.

So, it depends on what you're doing. It could be a second choice or a primary choice, depending on the nature of the cutting board you're making.

Answer 2

A Bandsaw will certainly cut the wood, but the edges will require additional work since the cut will have more surface striations and the overall surface would be less flat where the table saw cut will be much smoother and flatter. I recommend using a hand plane or planner to prepare the surfaces for gluing.

Answer 3

A bandsaw would be more that adequate for this job. In fact it would almost be required it you intended to make a cutting board that was shaped different than a standard rectangle. However it likely won't be the only tool you use.

In this video by Scott Lewis you can see him cutting the stock that is to be laminated with the bandsaw (This happens around 39 seconds into the video). The video appears to show all tools that were used. He is pretty good about using cabinet scapers, custom sanding blocks and regular sandpaper. You could conclude that he only used a jointer and a bandsaw for the main cutting board.

Lamination can be a rather involved subject but lamination succeeds best when the faces being glued are perfectly mated to each other i.e smooth. You need to get a high tooth count blade in order to get near finish ready.

I would still take a pass with a scraper just in case. When cutting wood with tools like table saws and band saws etc. you should never expect to get a finish ready cut.

If you actually watched the video you will really see the bandsaw in action is it is used to create intricate details into the board. So not only is the bandsaw a valid tool for this job it can do some amazing things.

Answer 4

A bandsaw will work but you have to consider the blades. They will full faster and the size makes a big difference so you will be changing then all the time. They dull faster you will be buying more and it's hard to get perfect cuts. You can do most things with the tablesaw that a bandsaw can do like cutting chives and relaxing on a tablesaw as well but it won't be as easy as it is on a bandsaw. Bandsaw are cheap used I would get that first and then you'll see and want a tablesaw as well.