Why sacrificial fence on a Rabbet?

[Ken Baker]

Let says you have board that is 4" W x 12" L and you want to put a rabbet all the way around.

When you cross cut the 4" rabbet why do you use the sacrificial fence?

I always thought that using the rip fence and the miter at the same time was a big no no.

[Rob Wright]

Ken -

It is a big no-no on through cuts to use the miter and fence at the same time.

I use a sacrificial fence when rabbeting because I often have the dado blade setup for a 3/4" or 1/2" width, and by using the sacrificial fence,1) I do not have to remove and adjust 2) without it there is a possibility that the blade may cut into the fence since you are setting up a rabbet to be right at the edge of the material. Make sense?

- Rob

[John Lucas]

Let says you have board that is 4" W x 12" L and you want to put a rabbet all the way around.

When you cross cut the 4" rabbet why do you use the sacrificial fence?

I always thought that using the rip fence and the miter at the same time was a big no no.

Ken,
You need the sacrificial fence so that some of the dado blade set can be covered by the fence. Then you run your stock along the s. fence for the rabbet. On the long dimension you would not use the miter...simply run the stock as you would when ripping. You can use a miter gauge to hold your stock when "cross cutting" since the dado blades are not cutting the entire depth.

[Ken Baker]

My question isn't on the long cuts - I get that, when you are ripping you need to use the fence and therefore protect the fence. But on the short side, why the need to use the fence and the miter? Why not just the miter?

[Mike Gabbay]

Ken - I've been cutting rabbets all morning for a cabinet I'm putting together for my shop. I prefer to use a sacrificial fence and not use a miter gauge on end cuts of boards that are 6" or wider. For me it is easier. It keeps the piece from sliding into the cut and making a wider rabbet.

For smaller pieces of 6" or less then a miter guage would be my choice.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My question isn't on the long cuts - I get that, when you are ripping you need to use the fence and therefore protect the fence. But on the short side, why the need to use the fence and the miter? Why not just the miter?

As stated above......if you have your dado blade set up for say 3/4" and your rabbet is 1/4" ....with a sacrificial fence, you adjust the position of the fence to leave 1/4" of the 3/4" dado stack exposed. It's quicker than resetting the dado blade to 1/4"....

Using the miter gauge keeps the stock at the right angle to the dado blades.

[Cody Colston]

My question isn't on the long cuts - I get that, when you are ripping you need to use the fence and therefore protect the fence. But on the short side, why the need to use the fence and the miter? Why not just the miter?

The fence is a quick and accurate reference. Instead of squinting along the end of the stock and the dado set to get it perfectly aligned, just butt the stock against the fence and push it through with the miter gauge...perfect rabbet.

With a fence stop on the miter gauge you could also reference against that if all the stock were the same length. That's a benefit of using the rip fence as a reference, it matters not how long the stock.

[Ray Scheller]

On the 4" side you would only use the miter gauge ( the TS fence would only be use to reference the cut the proper distace distance). Let me explain. I would set the 12" side along the miter gauge and run it right up against the table saw fence right in front of the blade. Then holding the piece tight against the miter gauge I would move the TS fence away to the right and install a gauge block to the TS fence (making sure that this block is installed in front of the blade) to the fence. Then I would move the fence and gauge block right up against the work piece again and lock it. Now you can run the first 4" side throught the saw. The flip the piece over hold it against the miter gauge and run it up against the gauge block and run the second side through. I'd run all the pieces through that you have to cut so you get consistancy. There are any number of ways of doing it but I find this process gives me the same cut every time. Hope this makes sense.

[Greg Funk]

On the 4" side you would only use the miter gauge ( the TS fence would only be use to reference the cut the proper distace distance). Let me explain. I would set the 12" side along the miter gauge and run it right up against the table saw fence right in front of the blade. Then holding the piece tight against the miter gauge I would move the TS fence away to the right and install a gauge block to the TS fence (making sure that this block is installed in front of the blade) to the fence. Then I would move the fence and gauge block right up against the work piece again and lock it. Now you can run the first 4" side throught the saw. The flip the piece over hold it against the miter gauge and run it up against the gauge block and run the second side through. I'd run all the pieces through that you have to cut so you get consistancy. There are any number of ways of doing it but I find this process gives me the same cut every time. Hope this makes sense.
I see many people (including Norm) using the above method or a variant but I think it is unnecessary.

There is no safety risk that I can see using the miter gauge and rip fence combined for dado cuts. There is no opportunity for trapped wood or kickback. Leaving the rip fence in place ensures uniform rabbet width and using the miter gauge for narrow pieces ensures they stay square to the fence.

Greg

[John Newell]

My question isn't on the long cuts - I get that, when you are ripping you need to use the fence and therefore protect the fence. But on the short side, why the need to use the fence and the miter? Why not just the miter?

You can reduce blowout.