How do you cross cut on a tablesaw?
Wine-Cabinet-4-1.jpg
I thought this was a no no, far too easy to pinch the piece between the fence and blade.
Any thoughts?
[OP]
Contributor
How do you cross cut on a tablesaw?
Wine-Cabinet-4-1.jpg
I thought this was a no no, far too easy to pinch the piece between the fence and blade.
Any thoughts?
Contributor
Edward, YouTube and other video social media are filled with wannebes seeking fame. Talent and experience are not needed. 15 minutes of fame or click bait for revenue.
I watched in horror a "restoration" of a rare Stanley #51/52 shooting plane and board in which the new owner spray painted everything, including the chrome lever cap, and stained the handle. I conversed with him, and he admitted that he had not done any research. He was following the directions on another YouTube video, where the same methods were employed. His excuse was that he didn't know any differently. Neither did his audience, going by the raptuous comments.
If you are experienced enough to separate the good from the bad, then you are not the desired audience.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Contributor
Not even SawStop tech is good enough to fix stupid.
I love YouTube, great content a lot of the times, but like other social media platforms, you need to be good enough to catch a fraud.
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks Derek and Michael,
Of course that was a bit rhetorical.
This was not some YT content creator, that's part of the problem.
I asked because this was part of a "plan" for a small project, from Woodworkers Journal. It was sent to me as part of their Ezine. and authored by WWJ staff.
https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/p...-wine-cabinet/
I was quite surprised that this was an included photo, for many reasons.
I immediately emailed them about this, they're usually good about responding.
It's getting to where you can't even trust the trusted sources
Contributor
All they had to do was clamp a board to the fence behind the blade and they would be fine for repeated cuts.
It is dangerous. If the board sticks on the fence at all there is a good chance of kick back right into his stomach or slightly lower....Originally Posted by Edward Weber
I'm disappointed that Woodworkers Journal didn't catch that poor technique.
Lee Schierer
USNA '71
Go Navy!
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Contributor
More to this photo ..
It could be okay. He is guiding the main section along the fence with the support of his hands and mitre guide. It is likely not to pinch ... as long as the fence is parallel to the blade and the workpiece does not move. The waste will fall away to the left of the blade.
Regards from Perth
Derek
Contributor
A very experienced table saw operator MIGHT get away with this operation, but it's not the thing to be showing the typical begging woodworker which would be Woodworkers Journal prime audience. That left hand is undesirably close to the blade. I just don't like that method when there are better and safer ways to do it.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the decision." Ben Franklin
Contributor
WOW, who ever was responsible for that photo being included in the article should be looking for a new job, perhaps in a gardening or cooking magazine. Wait, on second thought there are sharp tools used in both of those fields. Seems to me every table saw safety video or article usually starts with don't use the miter gage and fence at the same time. It would have been so easy to show a spacer block before the blade, why be so negligent not to include it? Since it is a Sawstop maybe the lack of a blade guard could be ignored but not everyone has a Sawstop so showing the cut without one is another strike against them.
Contributor
That's not the way I was taught a zillion years ago. I'll leave it at that.
I have a slider on my tablesaw for crosscuts. I don't even like Miter gauges.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)
Contributor
A better means would be to use a miter saw for thisHowever this could be done this way, posting it where a new woodworker might try to follow and make a mistake is a disaster waiting to happen.
Distraction could lead to dismemberment!
Contributor
I agree. My first year woodworking, I visited a large cabinet shop and saw a guy making a cut this way. I remarked to the company owner about it, and he said something like "that guy has been working here for over 20 years, and he can do anything he wants because he understands the tools". What's especially dangerous is when someone does something like this with no understanding of what can go wrong.
With the technique shown, it would be considerably safer if the miter gauge fence went to within a smidgeon of the rip fence. Then, with a decent miter gauge, the kickback chance would be negligible. Of course block clamped to the fence before the blade is the preferred technique, and a stop block on the miter gauge fence the best.
Contributor
It would be safer to make that cut using a radial arm saw than the technique shown. I'll duck and cover now while the "radial arm saw is the most dangerous tool on the planet" crowd chimes in.
Contributor
Not a chance of my ever doing this. I don’t own a radial arm saw, so I do all my crosscuts on the table saw. I plop my crosscut sled on the saw, and if I want repeated length precision, I clamp a scrap to the front (near) end of the rip fence. Or a stop block onto the sled itself for shorter pieces. I can’t remember the last time I used the Delta miter gauge that came with my Unisaw. I found it hanging on a French cleat backing board a few weeks ago; I’d forgotten it was there.
I keep my saw table waxed and slippery, but I still prefer to take table friction out of the crosscut equation. I’d much rather have the work riding on a sled than pushing it over a table. Then, the only forces on the work come from the blade itself, not from (even a small) drag on the table. Crosscut? Crosscut sled.
But the bonehead move in question is the risk of turning the work due to a completely unnecessary friction source: the rip fence. As some of us seem to agree, it’s entirely avoidable.
Clever me: I only needed to run my left middle finger into a spinning blade once before I got wise. 2002. Turned out better than it sounds, but there’s still a vestige of the damage. Now I take pride in questioning the safety of every cut before proceeding, no matter the tool. I have that luxury because I’m a hobbyist, but I suspect I’d do that even if I was trying to feed myself with woodworking. In that case, however, I’d starve.
One more thought: I’m glad I’m not learning how to use my power tools in the age of YouTube. In my day, I had a handy little book called, aptly, Methods of Work, by Taunton Press. Those folks knew what they were doing.
Last edited by Bob Jones 5443; 01-17-2024 at 1:37 AM.
Member
Oof that's dangerous. Whoever approved that photo needs a safety lesson themselves. Basic table saw guidelines seem to have been thrown out the window.
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