Best method to straight-line long boards on a 10" cabinet saw

[scott vroom]

I have a 10" cabinet saw, but not a dedicated straight-line rip saw. I'm looking for tips/suggestions on how to straight-line rip on a 10" cab saw with a std length fence....and on boards 8' and longer. I'm envisioning extending the fence by clamping on a long, straight board.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge on how to best do this?

Thanks...

[Dell Littlefield]

I have ripped a lot of 18 ft boards into 1/4 inch strips for canoes on my ol' Craftsman contractor saw. I use a long infeed and outfeed support, featherboards and an extended auxiliary fence (about 18 inches) on the infeed side. Since I work alone, my outfeed support is a plank that provides support for most of the length of the strip. I lowered the end of the plank next to the saw by about four inches. This allowed each strip to drop off, clearing the way for the next one.

[scott vroom]

Thanks Dell.....sounds like a vote for an auxillary fence(s). Makes sense.

I could crosscut my longs to a more manageable length and then rip 'em straight, but starting out with short lengths makes it all the more difficult to optimize the cut layout (i.e., more scrap). Prolly not a huge deal and something I'm going to have to consider.

[Chris Rosenberger]

I use a track saw & rail to straight line my lumber. I have done 18ft boards by connecting rails. It is a lot easier & quicker than trying to cut those length boards on a table saw.

[Gary Kman]

I just did some the hard way but it worked. String lined with monofiliment fishing line, hand guided rip and planed to the line with a #7 jointer plane.

[Andrew Joiner]

I have a long straight 1x10 pine board. I tack it to the stock I want to straightline by screwing it to the top face. The screws only penetrate 1/4" at the rough ends of the stock so it gets cut off. The 1x10 rides the fence,held snug by a sprung rubber wheel on the end of a 4x4(like a feather board would).

Here's a photo of a similar set-up, but they use clamps not screws to hold the stock.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/attachments/f2/28107d1314405391t-straight-line-rip-jig-used-100_1835.jpg

[Van Huskey]

Proper feather boards and a little extra infeed support and you should be fine. I have ripped up to about 12 feet without a fence extension.

[scott vroom]

Proper feather boards and a little extra infeed support and you should be fine. I have ripped up to about 12 feet without a fence extension.

Van, my experience is that when the leading end of a long crooked board clears the end of the fence the cut also becomes curved.

[Peter Aeschliman]

Maybe I'm not following, but I don't see how adding a fence extension and infeed/outfeed support would solve the issue. If you have a roughsawn board with no straight edges, you need to do as Andrew suggests: either nail a straight board to the workpiece and let the straight board ride on the fence, or make a sled that holds the piece down while the sled rides on the fence.

The roughsawn workpiece shouldn't touch your fence... if it's crooked, it will bind... which is a perfect recipe for kickback.

[ian maybury]

Suspect it depends on how wide/stiff the long piece to be ripped is. If it's flexible and the offcut is too then a feather board or rollers should hold it to the fence as it passes the blade. With the result that it'll be of constant cross section. It won't be 'straight' as such, but in a long flexible piece that probably doesn't matter.

On the other hand a wider rigid piece needs ripping while clamped down on a slider or a sled to generate a straight edge - to avoid the risk of problems caused by how the way the the wavy edge bears on the fence changes as it passes through...

ian

[Larry Edgerton]

Absolutely agree with Peter, a fence extension is not a solution, unless of course you have a 20' or so extension. Too much danger of kickback.

I built a rig just like in Andrews picture with the same Destaco clamps and if a piece is too bowed for the jointer I pull it down. I used a 10' long piece of melamine, banded the edges, bolted on the clamps, and there you go......

Larry

[Mike Cutler]

Scott
If I'm understanding you, you're trying to joint an initial edge on a table saw. If so , then Andrew's solution is probably the most used technique if a person doesn't have, or want, to use a jointer. You will need to make an outfeed support "system". The "rough" board and the carrier board can get a little heavy.
If you're trying to rip a board that already has a joined edge, then you shouldn't need to extend your fence.

[scott vroom]

Thanks for the ideas. I think in my situation a sled might work best; I've got a 4' outfeed table extension on my saw beyond which I can add a roller stand to give me support for a long sled.

Any suggestions on best quality hold down clamps for the sled?

Thanks again to all for reading and responding to my post.

[Jamie Buxton]

Get a track saw. Or get/make a long straightedge to go with a skillsaw. The table saw is fundamentally the wrong tool for this. It really wants to make the cut edge parallel to the fence. You can make a fence that's as long as the workpiece, but even that doesn't work well if the rough edge is S-shaped. Furthemore, horsing a really long piece of wood through the saw is a chore, wheras running a skillsaw along that long piece is much more controllable.

[Todd Burch]

The table saw is fundamentally the wrong tool for this.

Ditto, Ditto, Ditto.

[Peter Aeschliman]

Get a track saw. Or get/make a long straightedge to go with a skillsaw. The table saw is fundamentally the wrong tool for this. It really wants to make the cut edge parallel to the fence. You can make a fence that's as long as the workpiece, but even that doesn't work well if the rough edge is S-shaped. Furthemore, horsing a really long piece of wood through the saw is a chore, wheras running a skillsaw along that long piece is much more controllable.

And of course there's that. I agree. My post assumed that you didn't want to buy a new tool, but a good track saw with a riving knife is the ultimate way to go.

[Todd Burch]

From the original post, which has now been edited out - the way to fix this issue is better communication with a supplier.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Scott, with a slider you use an edging shoe to hold one end, and your hand or a clamp to hold the other end of the wood, and you simply slide the sliding table along.

If you have a small sliding saw, you can't straight line long pieces, however a simple jig allows you to do that.

The jig would work on a cabinet saw as well.

http://www.hammerusa.com/us-us/video/hammer-c3-31.html

Please watch the above video from about 02:30 to about 04:10. It shows a simple jig that will slide in your mitre gauge track to straight line the rough lumber.

regards, Rod.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Scott - I [and everyone else] am assuming you are talking about ripping a board with rough edges. In that case, the simplest solution is one along the lines of that shown in the photo above...a piece of plywood with destaco clamps to avoid kickback. I have one that has a runner for the miter slot, and alum tee-track running right to left, and the clamps are on blocks that slide in the tee-track. To get even more carried away, I have the clamps on the blocks with everything adjusted for 4/4. Plus I have a bunch of U-shaped maple blocks in 1/4" thicknesses.....loosen the attachment bolt, lift the clamp above the block, and slip these shims in for 5/4, 6/4, etc. Adjusting the clamp itself is a pain.

The second issue is long boards. I have an aux fence that is 2 pcs of 3/4" ply, 4" - 6" x 8' . Screwed, glued, gusseted into an "ell". This gives me a 6" tall, 8' long fence. I don't use it often, but when I do, there isn't much of a substitute. It gives me almost 4' against the fence before the cut starts, and almost 4' against the fence after the cut ends. Helps a lot on long, long stuff.

What I really made it for, though..........33 inset leaded glass doors in the kitchen cabinets in the previous house. All doors, of course, came out of the shop dead-nuts square. The dumb fool that installed the carcasses and face frames in the 100+ year old house didn't get those openings dead-nuts square though. Shoulda fired him long ago. Anyway - using pocket change [dimes, nickels] I could determine the "out-of-squareness". Down to the TS. Blue-tape a dime to a corner of the door, and run it through the TS to get it out of square by the correct increment [decriment?] But, of course, the dime slips off the OEM fence before the cut is finished. Hence - the 8' aux fence.

[Kent A Bathurst]

The table saw is fundamentally the wrong tool for this. It really wants to make the cut edge parallel to the fence.

I disagree with that statement the way it is worded. I would agree with it if it said "using a rip fence, in direct contact with rough lumber, is fundamentally wrong from a safety standpoint." There are about 19.7 jillion jigs and fixtures in daily use by people on this forum. You simply need the correct one for the task. I do it all the time. I am halfway through about 300 bf of live-edge bookmatched 5/4 & 4/4 QSWO. Rough lengths 12' - 14', but most of it is cut to 8 - 10 before ripping. Me and my trusty Unisaw.

Although, I am getting better - with practice - at free-hand feeding it through the BS with a straight-enough edge to go directly to the jointer. Still hit-or-miss though, I gotta admit.

[Jim Summers]

The sled route is the way to go. I have a smaller version of the one pictured but the idea is the same.

[Steve Jenkins]

For hold-down clamps check out the new Bessys. They are self adjusting for different thicknesses. I haven't gotten any yet but they are on my short list.

[Curt Harms]

The sled route is the way to go. I have a smaller version of the one pictured but the idea is the same.

Yup, sled with T track embedded perpendicular to the miter slot. It can be used for cutting a straight edge or for cutting long shallow tapers. I made my own clamps by gluing up 3/4" ply, cutting it to a "C" shape then drilling holes to create a slot. Something like this only longer though saw board/track saw are good options too.
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