Is this 55° table saw cut safe?

[Jan Bianchi]

I am putting a 50° bevel on the edge of plywood. I have a right tilting saw. I have the fence to the left of the blade and a sled running over the fence to which I have attached a tall board to clamp the the plywood against. (boards are 20" x 16") The tall board is parallel to the fence and the blade and 90° from the table. The blade is set at 40°. The waste will fall to the right of the blade but under the angle of the blade. Is this safe or is the waste potentially trapped under the saw blade? If I could draw pictures I would.

If it is not safe, doesn't running the plywood flat, in the same configuration, except raising the fence side of the board enough to result in 50 degree cut create the same problem?

If so, what's the best way to do this?

[peter gagliardi]

If your only concern is the waste, then it is safe. Just make sure your premium piece can't move in the cut.

[Jan Bianchi]

I will clamp the board I am cutting to the tall board, so I don't think it will be able to move.

Thanks. I know trapping is usually a concern between the blade and the fence, but I don't know about angles.

[Myk Rian]

You're doing it the correct way.

[Jan Bianchi]

Thanks all.

[Sam Murdoch]

You don't say if you will end up with a narrow, or even a knife edge, on the bottom of your cut piece - in any case be prepared so that your cut edge doesn't drop into the slot. That would be :eek:.

[Jan Bianchi]

Yes, I will end up with a knife edge, but apparently my real problem is the math. When I cut the bevel with the plywood on edge and the blade set at 40 degrees I am left with a 40 degree angle where I want a 50 degree angle. The off cut is 50 degrees. I can't set the saw for a 50 degree cut vertically.

So I guess I need to do this flat rather than on edge. It makes me uncomfortable to do this cut with the blade to the right of the fence since it seems like it would be so easy for it to slide up the blade. But the other way seems hazardous as well. Where is my Tolpin Table Saw Handbook when I need it?

[scott vroom]

Jan, it would be helpful for some of us if you could post several pictures of your setup....thanks.

[Lee Schierer]

Take a look at how I do raised panels on my table saw. Raised panels (http://home.earthlink.net/~us71na/raisedpanel.html) As others have noted be sure you have a zero clearance insert in your saw to prevent the cut offs from dropping into the saw. I use the feather boards to hold the stock tight to the fence at all times and they also prevent the cutoff from coming back at you. Note that the second feather board pushes against the stock above the blade. Just make sure your feather boards don't push the cut off into the blade where the blade is cutting.

[Kent A Bathurst]

You are fine. The waste cannot get trapped between the blade and the fence - that is where safety concerns come up.

My version, derived from input from guys here.

The bolts tipped with acorn nuts were intended as clamps against the primary fence to let me align the accessory fence to 90* and to tighten it against the primary fence. Good idea, poor execution. I need to use a bigger footprint, because the acorn nuts dimpled the primary fence. No big deal, though.

The quick clamp is there just to show the orientation. I held it against the fence by hand as I moved it through the saw. A tall side at ~12" and a short side at ~5".

3/4" birch BORG ply. Dado & tenon, with gussets. Heavy.

Table top about 15/16" thick, with a residual edge at about 3/8".

32" x 60" curly maple table top. Expensive stuff, a few deep breaths required before the cuts.


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