How to safely make this cut?

[Bob Falk]

I need to rip a 2x4 on the diagonal.......about a 2' long board. How best to cut this? Bandsaw would seem the safest, but was hoping for a cleaner surface finish. Any help would be appreciated. Bob

497111

[Cameron Wood]

I would set the blade tilt on the table saw, then make multiple passes starting with 1/2" and raising the blade each time. Flip the stock each pass until almost cut through.
Finish with a hand saw or just pull the pieces apart. Double-stick tape the pieces together face to face and run through jointer & planer or just a few swipes on the sawn faces with a hand plane.

Or you could spend hours making a special sled with toggle clamps and possibly magical thinking as others will suggest. (sorry)

[Lee Schierer]

That cut would be through 3.8 inches of wood. Your safest tool would be a band saw. I have made similar cuts using my band saw and they were pretty easy to do.

Making this cut on a table saw would require two passes at a minimum and the final cut would allow the wedge shaped piece to drop down and be pinched between the fence and the blade, most likely resulting in a kick back. A two (or more) pass cut could not be done with a riving knife in place for the blind cut(s) since they set up higher than the teeth of your blade.

[Edward Weber]

Sorry, I misunderstood the cut.
Bandsaw

[John Kananis]

After running through the bandsaw, you can clean up the face (diagonal) side on the jointer. If you're going to do it on the tablesaw, do it with a task-specific sled in multiple passes.

[Aaron Inami]

I would avoid the table saw for a cut like this. The table saw would work for "most" of the portion of the cut. Once you get to the final pass, there is incredible risk of kick-back and other injury once the second piece breaks loose at the end. The only way this would really work is if you have a complicated sled with TIGHT clamps that are holding each piece of this at the ends of the wood (2 feet is a long sled and you cannot really -safely- do a 2 foot cut like this on a traditional table saw).

Setup a bandsaw with table tilt and the blade almost touching the fence and it will likely give you the cleanest cut (then clean up with jointer or a hand planer like others have suggested).

[mike calabrese]

Check this out it may get just what you re looking for
calabrese55
https://www.lumberjocks.com/threads/cutting-safely-question.354103/page-2#post-2428370

[Jim Becker]

Bandsaw for sure...table tilted and work support clamped on to allow you to slowly push the workpiece through the cut and hopefully maintain as clean a finish as possible. Use a new band for the cut, too. You'll still need to clean it up, but the end result should work out and it's a lot safer than trying to do this at the table saw. If you absolutely wanted to cut those profiles on the table saw, you need to start with much wider (horisontal) stock so you're effectively ripping off the edge of a wider "board"...the same technique used to make fine moldings so you can route/shape the edges while they are still attached to more substantial material and then rip them off to use. (often using a sled, but for this piece, you'd need a really big saw to have the blade height necessary for that)

[mike stenson]

I'd use a handsaw, and follow it up with a plane. IMO, you'd have to clean it with a plane (or sand the snot out of it) after any cut.

[Prashun Patel]

How many?

Trying to rip symmetrical halves that clean up to a consistent size may be frustrating. The tips will also probably rip raggedy.


If you don't mind wasting some 2x4's, use the bandsaw to rip north of the line, then joint to final.

[Michael Burnside]

Just making one or the pair, I'd use a bandsaw. Multiples? I'd build a jig for my table saw that held the piece safely and securely. A jig would take time to build but if you ever do it again, it saves you on the second try.

[Bob Falk]

Thanks everyone! I will use the bandsaw and clean up with the jointer......my gut told me that using the tablesaw would be sketchy. Cheers, bob

[Michael Burnside]

Oh, yea NEVER would I attempt this on a tablesaw without a holding jig. I think this is where people get hurt. They don't want to spend 30-45 minutes making a jig and figure "I'll just hold it" and that's when accidents happen.

[William Hodge]

Buy another2 x 4. Run them through the planer.

497145

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Set the table saw to the correct angle, cut, flip, cut again. Easy Peasy. Clean up with a sander.

497146 497147
I used carefully selected push sticks and have a kill switch that I tap with my toe just before the off cut separates.

497163 497164

[Lee Schierer]

Set the table saw to the correct angle, cut, flip, cut again. Easy Peasy. Clean up with a sander.

497146 497147

Only if you have a right tilt table saw. You still have a piece trapped between the blade and the fence.

[Doug Garson]

Only if you have a right tilt table saw. You still have a piece trapped between the blade and the fence.
Or move the fence to the right side? I like the idea of cutting them from a 2 x 6 or 2 x 8, one angled cut, finish the angle cut with a hand saw if necessary and then one 90 degree cut.

[Bob Falk]

Buy another2 x 4. Run them through the planer.

497145

That is a clever idea. I love it!

[Ronald Blue]

Buy another2 x 4. Run them through the planer.

497145
+2

I actually think this might be easiest of all. I was thinking this before getting to William's comment. It wouldn't take long to make a jig to do this.

[Cameron Wood]

Set the table saw to the correct angle, cut, flip, cut again. Easy Peasy. Clean up with a sander.

497146 497147


OMG. You don't even have a sawstop. How many fingers do you have left?

[andrew whicker]

He did it in two passes. Seems reasonable.

I don't like trapping lumber btwn the angled blade and fence, but you could put the fence on the other side.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

OMG. You don't even have a sawstop. How many fingers do you have left?

9 and two thirds. Should I take the post down while I still can?

I nicked the tip of a finger on a miter saw in 1981. Some one had removed all of the guards. The saw was coasting to a stop. I have not had a power saw injury in 42 years. Sill, I do not want to be giving bad advice.

497160

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Only if you have a right tilt table saw. You still have a piece trapped between the blade and the fence.

If your blade tilts the other way you can place The fence can be placed on the other side.
I am having second thoughts about posting this.

[Jim Becker]

Beveling using the thickness planer does work well and I've used that for door thresholds, for example. It's probably a little harder to execute on a narrow workpiece like the OP is working with, however, especially with the "extreme" angle.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I will try the vacuum holder for the 2nd cut next time.

[Cameron Wood]

9 and two thirds. Should I take the post down while I still can?

I nicked the tip of a finger on a miter saw in 1981. Some had removed all of the guards. The saw was coasting to a stop. I have not had a power saw injury in 42 years. Sill, I do not want to be giving bad advice.

497160



I neglected to use the irony emoji. Your advice is fine. I was poking fun at the more cautious who would still be making a jig after you had cut the piece, had a nap, & eaten a sandwich.

[Derek Cohen]

I would have two ways to do this with machines:

1. sliding tablesaw using a taper jig. You may do this on a standard tablesaw.

2. Mark the diagonal and use a track saw on an MFT.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Carl Beckett]

I would probably make the planer jig. Cut on the bandsaw first then pass through the planer (seems more secure than the jointer to get even pressure on the tapered edge). Overkill maybe, but this cut makes me a bit nervous in a number of ways.

[Alan Lightstone]

How about the planer jig (left slightly thick) followed by a wide-belt sander with the board kept on the jig (or drum sander if it goes that high.

[Bob Falk]

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I ended up using the bandsaw and cut the 2x4 as shown in the attached picture. I used double sided tape to secure a wood block (red) against the fence (yellow) to keep the 2x4 from moving toward the fence. The 2x4 was much longer than indicated in the image.

Worked great, felt safe, and I ended up with a clean and accurate cut. Helped that I had a new Resaw King blade.....the 2x4 cut like butter. Cheers, bob

497218