Cutting thin strips on table saw

[Kevin Ladenheim]

Hello,

When I cut thin strips on the table saw of 1/16th or 1/8th for
example out of 2x4 stock the strips turn into rockets and shoot
out of the saw at the end of each cut. This even happens when
the 2x4 is freshly jointed. I'm talking about strips that are
then trapped between the blade and fence.

This doesn't happen with wider stock since I can push the stock
past the back of the blade.

I do have a splitter installed.

I use push sticks to do this and stand on the side of the saw so the wood bullets don't come near me but I still don't like it.

The fence is very close to being parallel to the blade. I can't seem
to get the Bies to be out a tiny bit at the back of the blade to
stop the pinching after trying many times.

I saw that there are jigs for controlling stock through the entire
cut but they freak me out since my hand would pass over the blade.

Is this normal?

Thanks a lot.

[Jacob Reverb]

If you want to cut thin strips out of a 2x4, the 2x4 -- and not the 1/16" strip -- should be between the blade and the fence.

When the 1/16" strip is between the blade and fence, you're pretty much guaranteed a kickback. Watch out ... those puppies are MOVING...the blade circumference is running about 133 mph! I heard about a guy who was cutting long thin strips, and the saw launched one, and it went right though his tailgate. Imagine if that was your belly! :eek:

[John Keeton]

Kevin, it probably has nothing to do with your saw setup. The "draft" from the moving blade sucks the light weight strip into the blade and the kickback is, as Jacob said, a near guarantee.

[Greg Funk]

If I want thin strips I cut them on the left side of the blade and move the fence for each cut. The blade is 1/8" so if I want 1/8" strips I just move the fence 1/4" after each cut. Or use the bandsaw and planer.

Greg

[David DeCristoforo]

The only "safe" way I have found of doing this is to attach a "short fence" to the table saw fence.

85812

Then the strips cannot easily get "trapped". You have to be careful at the end of the cut because there is not much "stock to fence contact".

YM (DD)

[Dave Verstraete]

There was another thread recently on this with pics. I'll see if I can find it.

http://70.169.135.35/showthread.php?t=81167

I'm not sure how to do that link

[Greg Cuetara]

I saw an article recently or read a thread about ripping thin strips. If you clamp down a piece of wood outside of the blade but only at the bottom of the saw then you push your piece of wood up to the piece which you have clamped down and run through with the big piece between the saw and the fence...then re-adjust your fence so that the narrower piece now slides back up the clamped piece and run through the saw again. You can then get multiple thin strips safely. Not sure If i have explained that well enough so let me know if you want a diagram or picture.
Greg

[richard poitras]

http://lumberjocks.com/assets/pictures/projects/12121.jpg



http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/36833-02-500.jpg

http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/36833-03-500.jpg


http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/36833-01-500.jpg

[Kevin Ladenheim]

Well I was about to say that I knew I could cut a single strip to the left of the blade but that cutting multiple strips that are identical would be really hard.

Then I figured out what Richard's jig is all about. You keep moving the fence to the left after each cut and the jig is a stop. You get identical strips and no kickback, correct?

Thanks

[Eric Fuller]

I just use a rectaungular block of 3/4 mdf with a piece of scrap glued to the bottom as a push stick. Cut it about 4" high by 10" long and you have plenty of down pressure on the board and the scrap pushes it though from the rear. Never have kickback cutting strips...guess I'm confused how it could happen with a decent size pushblock :confused:

[Bob Feeser]

Richards Rockler jig set up is ingenious.
I know this sounds like a gloat, but I didn't make the fence I just bought one. The Incra TSIII-32 table saw fence that is. The sawtooth meshing teeth that are built into the fence, guarantee .001 of an inch accuracy on every cut. So when cutting 1/8th inch strips, you make an originating cut, then take a blade like a Forrest WWII, which is exactly 1/8th of an inch wide, and move the fence over exactly 1/4" after each cut. You instantly turn out perfect 1/8th inch strips that fall to the outside of the blade, so they are not trapped between the fence, and create flying bullets.
No matter what size blade you use, you can adjust the Incra fence to compensate for it anywhere within 1/32nd increments. Every strip will be exact to within 1/1000th of an inch accurate. This is just one of the many amazing things you can do with this fence.
With the interlocking saw tooth pattern to the mesh strips that when locking the fence is force drawn into one of those teeth either to the left or right of one of the peaks. If your eyeball is right on, it will slide right down into the proper dip and adjust it perfectly when it hits bottom for you. It is common to see the hairline move slightly when tightening down.
The more you realize how it works, the more you want one.