Ripping on a slider

[Dan T Jones]

As a relatively newbe to sliders I followed with interest the Sliding Table Saw thread. At this point I am sticking with conventional ripping using the rip fence (I did replace the Hammer fence with a Delta Unifence). I have a 49" slider.

I cannot see how you are going to rip consistent widths with the slider as well as with a rip fence. I know about the Best attachment but it is $500. For those of you that advocate ripping with the slider how are you doing it???
Have you the Best attachment or do you have another method?

Thanks for the help.

Dan

[Matt Day]

Don’t rip on sliders, they’re good saws!

Sorry, had to do it!

[scott vroom]

The only ripping I do on my slider is straight lining. All other ripping is done conventionally using the rip fence.

[Mike Wilkins]

I have been ripping on my slider using the sliding wagon with hold-downs in the slots. I rigged up a jig using plywood with some toggle clamps attached to hold the board, and just push the slider through the blade. I also use the edging 'shoe' that is usually provided with new sliders, but only for rough cutting or removing a crooked edge.
Ripping using the rip fence on a slider is cumbersome at best, since you have to reach over the sliding wagon to hold the board against the fence.
That is why I also have a conventional table saw in my shop, used mainly for ripping and molding cuts.

[Jim Becker]

I only do narrower rips using the fence in most cases. Otherwise, I parallel rip using the wagon, using a Fritz and Franz jig or other jig. In that manner, with the workpiece clamped down, I get glue-line ready edges and pretty much never edge joint at the J/P. It's been about, oh, two years since I last edge jointed something if my memory serves correctly. Yes, using a jig slows things down a little, but I consider that an advantage since it controls pace and reduces errors and safety issues. And again, I'm cutting out that extra jointing step.

[Dan T Jones]

Jim,
I like the sound of getting glue ready edges and the increased safety but when ripping multiple boards how do you get consistently parallel and equal width boards?
Dan

[David Kumm]

With a short stroke slider, I do much, maybe most ripping using the fence. My longer sliders use the slider methods but anything longer than the crosscut of the slider are just easier for me to use the traditional fence. In my world, the short sliders can be locked flush with the fixed table so the table and under carriage don't hinder the traditional rip/ Dave

[scott vroom]

Ripping using the rip fence on a slider is cumbersome at best, since you have to reach over the sliding wagon to hold the board against the fence.

What's nice about the 49" Hammer is that the slider locks into position flush with the in-feed side of the table....ergonomically the same as on a traditional TS. It's for that reason I chose the K3 over the SC2.

[Dan T Jones]

I think I'm starting to see some light. So Mike's response is because he must have a longer slider than 49"??
"Ripping using the rip fence on a slider is cumbersome at best, since you have to reach over the sliding wagon to hold the board against the fence."

I still don't see how you would get parallel edges and consistent widths equal to ripping with the fence. With the Best attachment is the uncut board on the right of the blade? The "good" is between the blade and the F&F or Best jig?

Dan

[Dave Cav]

I still don't see how you would get parallel edges and consistent widths equal to ripping with the fence. With the Best attachment is the uncut board on the right of the blade? The "good" is between the blade and the F&F or Best jig?

Dan

Look for the Extreme Woodworker series of Ripping on a Slider videos on Youtube. Three or four videos with great info. I particularly liked his using the rip fence as a stop and the wagon for holding his stock.

[Jim Becker]

Jim,
I like the sound of getting glue ready edges and the increased safety but when ripping multiple boards how do you get consistently parallel and equal width boards?
Dan
You straight-line rip one side of the boards and then you support the board with a parallel jig or "Fritz and Franz" jig on both ends to rip them all exactly the same width. The boards must be flat and of even thickness, obviously, for this to work and have that edge perfectly perpendicular to both faces.

One other nice advantage of this...your first straight-line rip doesn't have to be related to the original sawn edge of the board. You can adjust that first line to manage grain direction and end up with optimized boards. Little things like this can take a project to "the next level" visually.

And I agree you should watch the videos that Dave mentions...here's a link for your convenience to the Extreme Woodworker's YouTube Page:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmE9bhjfyhepnFlyXFkWwsQ

[Glen Gunderson]

Different ripping jobs will require different methods. If you're making furniture and doing a few pieces at a time then any of the methods mentioned above will work and the ability of sliders to do easy straight line rips or tapers is very valuable. If you need to rip 150 rails and stiles for a kitchen on the other hand, using the carriage or jigs is far from ideal. If I had a slider and found myself needing to do the latter with any kind of regularity, I'd probably invest in a power feeder which would make things less awkward and safer when using the rip fence.

[James Zhu]

Pull the rip fence to clear the blade, use the "Fritz and Franz" jig, you will get consistent ripping width using the slider, it is safer and faster. This technique is clearly demonstrated in the original F&F video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=DqzVglze9Nk .

Since the rip fence is a little toe out, you will want to do something like what David Best described in this https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidpbest/albums/72157686155149385 post.

James

[Warren Lake]

david you said you can lock the slider so it doesnt inhibit ripping on the fence. is it not more that the small sliders simply dont have the bulky slider support extending out back. I never stood behind one large slider that felt comfortable to me after a lifetime of ripping on cabinet saws The small slider ill get up soon standing behind it the slider rides on a bar, it doesnt extend out far at all, while I havent ripped on it yet its not set up seemed that it will be good for ripping from the fence. This one an SCM I noticed another model of their small slider is different may or may not extend out a bit more but certainly not like the big ones. Already thought if it is as good as it seems then id keep this when I get a full size.

[Mike Kreinhop]

What's nice about the 49" Hammer is that the slider locks into position flush with the in-feed side of the table....ergonomically the same as on a traditional TS. It's for that reason I chose the K3 over the SC2.

I noticed that on my SC2. However, there is a gib under the slider that can be moved so the main part of the slider stops flush with the in-feed side of the table. It doesn't prevent the slider from moving in the other direction, but I haven't found this to be a problem when pushing stock through the blade.

[Jim Andrew]

The Hammer sales people told me to build an outfeed table, and make it close enough to the slider so I could make a stop to allow the sliding table to move farther back, to give me better access to the blade on my 79" slider. Went with the 79 so I could cut longer pieces, but the 49 does give you better access to the blade. I also kept my Unisaw, and do use it a lot.

[Jim Becker]

is it not more that the small sliders simply dont have the bulky slider support extending out back. I never stood behind one large slider that felt comfortable to me after a lifetime of ripping on cabinet saws
Yes, the smaller/shorter sliders don't have as much bulk behind the blade because that structure (and weight) isn't necessary to balance and support the shorter throw wagon. For a larger slider, it's not really practical to stand behind the blade for any ripping unless, for some strange reason, one is ripping a panel using the fence that's wide enough to permit your body to fit in the space between the blade line and the rip fence. That negates the whole reason for having a slider. For doing narrow rips, you stand parallel to the blade and fence, not behind the cut line like you would with a cabinet saw. This can be uncomfortable at first, but it becomes the "new normal" after a bit and being out of the line of the cut also means you're out of the line for a kickback in most respects. It's a different way of working and yes, it requires getting used to...

[Dan T Jones]

Thank you all for the help. I think the key part I was missing was using the shortened fence as a stop to control width. The videos were great.
Dan

[Mike Wilkins]

I have a short stroke slider (5 feet) and the sliding wagon can be locked in place. I sometimes rip using the rip fence, locking the slider. And I do have an outfeed table bolted to the main table. But ripping this way requires the removal of the short cross-cut fence, which has to be aligned to the blade upon replacement. That is why I still have a conventional table saw that I turn to for ripping. I use a glue line ripping blade that gives me glue-ready edges without firing up the jointer. In my small shop, this is a plus.

[Travis Porter]

I have an 8 1/2 foot slider, and at the moment, I exclusively rip with the fence. I do straight line with the carriage as I find it faster and easier than the jointer, but I just have not made a fritz/franz jig or bought parallel guides. I had never heard of the Fritz/Franz jigs until a couple of months ago.

[lowell holmes]

For those of us that don't have a slider, what is a wagon?

[Travis Porter]

The platform that attaches to the sliding mechanism to support material to be cut, normally crosscut. At least that is what I think it is....

[Jim Becker]

For those of us that don't have a slider, what is a wagon?

That's an excellent question The "slider" part that you place the material on for the cut (sometimes clamped down and sometimes just hand-held) is generally referred to as the 'wagon' on a sliding table saw. The edge of the slider/wagon is somewhat close to the blade and elevated "a proverbial hair" higher than the cast iron table that surrounds the blade so that the material doesn't drag on that surface as you push the material on the wagon through the cut. But it's so close to even that it doesn't affect cutting along the traditional rip fence when you choose to do that.