I think I have been using the wrong side on my table saw all these years?

[Brian Runau]

I have more room to the left side of my saw and I just started using this side of the blade for all my crosscuts. I read somewhere today if my blade tilts to the left(it does) I should be using the right side of the blade for my cuts.

Is this right? I think so, so I don't trap the material between the blade and the top when doing an angle cut?

Thanks.

Brian

[Robert Engel]

No you haven't. This isn't a joke, is it?

[Brian Runau]

No you haven't. This isn't a joke, is it?

No joke, just questioning myself. I did read that somewhere today and it was the opposite of whati had been doing. Brian

[Doug Garson]

If you are doing angled cuts, yes you should do them on the side that the blade tilts away from so you don't trap the workpiece between the blade and the fence. Straight vertical cuts I don't think it matters, use whichever side you feel gives you the best control.

[Brian Runau]

If you are doing angled cuts, yes you should do them on the side that the blade tilts away from so you don't trap the workpiece between the blade and the fence. Straight vertical cuts I don't think it matters, use whichever side you feel gives you the best control.

Ok, so you question was correct. Thanks

[Kyle Iwamoto]

What kind of saw do you have with more room on the left? Just curious, most saws that I've seen have more room on the right.
The side with more room is the side I would use, unless doing the bevel cuts towards the fence......
I assume you adjusted the fence to 90 degrees so you can use either side. That's what I do. Some folks have it angled away from the blade/miter slot a tiny bit.

[Lee Schierer]

When I crosscut a bevel on the end of a board, I cut it on the left side of my left tilting saw. Since the piece is under control of the crosscut guide and not trapped by any fence there is no problem with kick back. If I want to do a rip cut bevel, I use the fence on the right side of my blade and the work piece is also to the right of the blade. This cutting is on top of the blade, so also no trapping of the piece. I have the same extensions on both sides of my saw so there is equal work surface on both sides of the blade.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Like Lee, I cross cut on the left side of my left tilting blade. I agree the problem arises from having a board trapped between the blade and fence.

[Matthew Hills]

My tablesaw is left-tilt; the fence stays to the right of the blade.
I don't bevel often.

Crosscuts are usually done on a sled, unless it is a very wide panel which can run stable against the fence.

You do always need to consider your cuts and how the blade/workpiece/fence interact.

Matt

[Matt Day]

My saws are right tilt, and cut on the left side of the fence.

[Brian Runau]

When I crosscut a bevel on the end of a board, I cut it on the left side of my left tilting saw. Since the piece is under control of the crosscut guide and not trapped by any fence there is no problem with kick back. If I want to do a rip cut bevel, I use the fence on the right side of my blade and the work piece is also to the right of the blade. This cutting is on top of the blade, so also no trapping of the piece. I have the same extensions on both sides of my saw so there is equal work surface on both sides of the blade.


this is what I have been doing, but I read something that made me question myself. Thanks. brian

[Jim Becker]

Non-beveled cuts, use whichever side provides the best support for the workpiece and fits in your available space. Beveled cuts...away from the bevel, so for a left-tilt, to the right; for a right-tilt, to the left. (With most sliders, the blade tilts to the right, but the nature of the machine already provides the support and operator position to the left for the same kind of safety consideration)

[glenn bradley]

No you haven't. This isn't a joke, is it?


I used to think that when I would read thees posts. There are folks out there who stand to the right of the fence while ripping, commonly use the miter gauge on the right, and so forth. To each their own but, I take the more often seen operator positions. Left tilt saws do well on bevel cuts with the offcut on the left of the saw so that it falls away from the blade and not on to it. Mention of this may start some people down this road, who knows.

There are some folks who do some awkward things to stay out of 'the line of fire'. While taking up a safe operator position is always a good idea, standing on one foot and reaching behind your back isn't really safe; I am exaggerating here of course. Stand where you like but above all . . . safety. Do your operations safely and I don't care how you do them :)

[Leigh Betsch]

Maybe off topic here but I'm wondering if people ever move the rip fence to the right of the blade while ripping? On my slider the rip fence tows out a bit so the wood never drags on the back side of the blade and cause a kick back. The rip fence is never moved to the left of the blade, and I use the wagon with a parallel guide if I need to rip on the left. It seems to me that on a standard table saw either you have to have the fence dead straight or only rip on the tow out side. Or let the blade drag on the back side and take the risk of kickbacks.

[Lee Schierer]

Maybe off topic here but I'm wondering if people ever move the rip fence to the right of the blade while ripping? On my slider the rip fence tows out a bit so the wood never drags on the back side of the blade and cause a kick back. The rip fence is never moved to the left of the blade, and I use the wagon with a parallel guide if I need to rip on the left. It seems to me that on a standard table saw either you have to have the fence dead straight or only rip on the tow out side. Or let the blade drag on the back side and take the risk of kickbacks.

On my contractor type saw, the fence when used is to the right side of the blade 99% of the time. I can only recall one or two times I have the fence on the left side of the table when ripping because I needed the extra few inches of table on the right side of the blade to support the plywood. My fence is set as close to straight as I can get it. I use fence mounted feather boards that pull the work piece against the fence as the piece is pushed through the cut.

[Jim Becker]

Maybe off topic here but I'm wondering if people ever move the rip fence to the right of the blade while ripping? On my slider the rip fence tows out a bit so the wood never drags on the back side of the blade and cause a kick back. The rip fence is never moved to the left of the blade, and I use the wagon with a parallel guide if I need to rip on the left. It seems to me that on a standard table saw either you have to have the fence dead straight or only rip on the tow out side. Or let the blade drag on the back side and take the risk of kickbacks.

On a slider, it would pretty much be impossible to move the rip fence to the left of the blade so yes, you'd use the wagon for that with a parallel guide, Fritz & Franz or for straight line ripping, just holding it down on the wagon with your hands and with the miter bar behind it to push it through.

On a cabinet saw, while you "can" move the fence to the left of the blade, you'd have to have it setup dead-nuts parallel to the blade which is not what most folks do...a little toe is normal at the back to insure the off-cut doesn't bind as you note and it would be in the opposite direction if you move to the other side of the blade. This brings up something I love about the slider with a high/low fence...being able to pull it back while ripping to just beyond the middle of the blade...that means exactly zero chance of binding beyond the blade unless the board does a vice clamp bend thing on the riving knife which is unlikely in that short space.

[Doug Garson]

Maybe off topic here but I'm wondering if people ever move the rip fence to the right of the blade while ripping? On my slider the rip fence tows out a bit so the wood never drags on the back side of the blade and cause a kick back. The rip fence is never moved to the left of the blade, and I use the wagon with a parallel guide if I need to rip on the left. It seems to me that on a standard table saw either you have to have the fence dead straight or only rip on the tow out side. Or let the blade drag on the back side and take the risk of kickbacks.
Did you mean to say the left side of the blade? Most, if not all, cabinet saws usually have the fence on the right side of the blade. I only move it to the left when ripping with the blade tilted. My fence is within a few thou of dead straight so I don't worry about the blade dragging on the back side or kickbacks when doing that.

[Phil Mueller]

Lee, I’d be interested in seeing/knowing more about the “fence mounted feather boards that pull the work against the fence”. Can you show a picture or give a link to it?
Thanks!

[David Buchhauser]

Lee, I’d be interested in seeing/knowing more about the “fence mounted feather boards that pull the work against the fence”. Can you show a picture or give a link to it?
Thanks!

Here is one version. I have some of these and they work pretty well.
David

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N92KeVWuE2c

467170 467171 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N92KeVWuE2c)

[Jim Becker]

I had something like that on the Jet cabinet saw I owned many years ago. It was called "board buddies" or something like that. I forget at this point.

[Matthew Hills]

Jessem clear-cut guides work fairly well, but aren't particularly cheap:

E.g., https://www.woodcraft.com/products/jessem-clear-cut-precision-stock-guides-for-table-saws-jessem-04301

Matt

[Lee Schierer]

Lee, I’d be interested in seeing/knowing more about the “fence mounted feather boards that pull the work against the fence”. Can you show a picture or give a link to it?
Thanks!

I have a pair of Grip-Tite magnetic feather boards with some rollers that they sold that bias the stock being ripped toward the fence as you push the stock through the cut. This photo shows one mounted on the table and one mounted on my removable fence cover. There is a steel plate on the fence cover so the magnets work.
467204
Unfortunately, Grip-Tite is no longer in business so your only chance would be to find some of their feather boards on the used tool market.

[Alan Lightstone]

Jessem clear-cut guides work fairly well, but aren't particularly cheap:

E.g., https://www.woodcraft.com/products/jessem-clear-cut-precision-stock-guides-for-table-saws-jessem-04301

Matt

+1. Don't use them on every cut, but they work very well.

[andrew whicker]

I wouldn't cut lumber with the board trapped between fence and angled blade (too many internal stress unknowns), but I will cut sheet goods like that (if they are wide enough to feel comfy).

Those bevel cuts are always a pain, no matter what. The nice thing about 'trapping' the sheet is that the pressure is downward and the cut measurements are easier, the downside is that you are creating a potential safety issue. I also have built a jig that holds the board vertical so that you can cut very shallow angle cuts, but you can also use this jig to simply make process feel safer and hopefully gain accuracy too (you will have to reference the side you are cutting though).

Another issue arises when trying make a board with miters on opposite edges... the first edge is easy, but referencing the mitered edge against a fence seems to never be easy. Another case for having a sliding saw (or shaper w/ power feeder or CNC) over a cabinet saw.

[Phil Mueller]

Thanks all, appreciate the input. Something like the Grizzly product, if it will fit on a contractor saw, would be very helpful for the occasional use it gets. The table is plastic, so magnetic doesn’t work, and frankly the table is so short, traditional screw down feather boards don’t always work either. Something for the Christmas wish list!