Resawing Logs to Lumber

Even in a modest workshop like mine, getting valuable lumber from downed trees is possible.

Let's say a tree comes down in a storm, and it is one of your favorite trees. As a woodworker, I've always wanted to make something special from that tree. Well, that happened. I rent workshop space in a group of buildings that, at one time, was the General Mills research and development complex (read about us in an online article linked here). Within is a secluded outdoor space we call the grotto. Two years ago, several hackberry trees had to be taken down. Because the grotto is a special place to me, I saved some smaller logs before they went into the chipper, hoping to resaw them into boards later on.

After considering several methods for resawing logs, I bought a Grizzly Industrial bandsaw sled this past summer. I used my 12" bandsaw with a Timber Wolf 3/8" 4TPI blade to resaw the logs into boards approximately 3/8" to 1/2" thick, breaking two blades in the process by tasking the bandsaw beyond their limit.

Since the grotto is a special place, I'd like to use the wood for something meaningful.