Contributor
I'm almost always looking at the furthest part of the fence (well behind the blade) when I'm ripping. obviously, you have to pay attention to the blade to keep your fingers, but the board should be pressed firmly against the fence along the entire length. Focusing on doing that AND avoiding the blade works best. Also, don't stop moving the board forward if possible.
Edit: I don't push anything thru under ~ 4" wide with my bare hand. I use a pusher.
Last edited by andrew whicker; 03-20-2024 at 12:10 AM.
Yes, I have 3 phase!
Contributor
I use pusher even for 6" wideOriginally Posted by andrew whicker
"What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.
It also depends on what sort of person you are.”
To be fair, I clamp a fence on that is L shaped since most of my stuff is 1" thick or less. So my fence height is only 3/4 inches tall.
Much safer and it is much longer than the stock fence for more surface area to use as a straight edge
Yes, I have 3 phase!
Contributor
Wax the face of the fence as well as the tabletop.
Bill D
Contributor
To be sure, handling a full 5x5 or 4x8 sheet is a challenge on a cabinet saw. Extension tables or the like can help with the initial breakdown. Assuming the fence alignment is correct and the fence and table waxed, once the sheet is halved you should be able to get accurate rips in one pass. You do want an outfeed table or at least a roller stand to support the material beyond the saw table. Ripping each part oversize and re-ripping is a waste of time plus super dusty as the blade is not buried.
You need a decent edge to start with, you need to keep it tight to the fence and you need to keep it moving smoothly without hesitation to avoid divots and burning. If the initial edge is bad, straighten it out with a tracksaw or a router and straightedge. Push with both hands against the fence and forward into the blade, keeping your eye on the contact between fence and workpiece. Don't ignore the blade location but don't concentrate on it. With a reasonably wide rip, one you feel comfortable pushing through with your hand, you won't have to change hand positions right through the cut and it will be easy to keep the work feeding smoothly. If you need to switch to a push stick, keep it at hand on the fence and pick it up with your right hand as you keep the work moving with your left. Push the rip right through clear of the blade. Once the rip is separated from the falloff stop pushing toward the fence with your left hand.
It is possible to run the parts on edge through a planer with carbide cutters but may be subject to snipe. A better bet is a shaper or router table with an outboard fence and a power feeder or featherboards, or an accurate edge sander.
Last edited by Kevin Jenness; 03-20-2024 at 4:23 PM.
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks everyone for the replies!
To everyone saying alignment issues, minus having super expensive calibration tools, everything is parallel and in alignment. I've triple checked. It's my technique.
Had to rip some more through yesterday and they were much better just from another day of practicing.
Warren, 100%. I tried some moving around in my physical position, I was feeding from the left side with hand placement as you said. Just tried different ways of standing/ moving and got better results.
And yes, burn marks are definitely from slight movements in my stance or arms when feeding through and not alignment of blade or fence.
Gonna look into the JessEm stock guides. Thanks for the tip!
I was ripping down from the full sheet to smaller pieces, but I wasn't over cutting then running through a second time to the proper dimensions. This seems to be in my mind the best answer for me. Add in a feather board and I can see much better results.
Contributor
Yeah, big stock can be hard to handle on a table saw. Especially if you're by yourself. It's usually best to break it down into more manageable sizes, then attempt your final dimensions. Especially if you're having problems.
Less so with plywood and engineered wood products, but I'll often leave about 1/4-1/8" on long cuts to allow me to come back later and just shave off the edges to get me to the final dimensions. Often times long boards will warp when ripped, and that can cause issues. So having a little extra to let it warp, then straighten it back out, is a good habit. That, and sometimes the blade will want to follow the grain and pull the stock off the fence a hair, and you'll get those round marks on the edges where you had to readjust. But when you come back and shave a small amount, like less than the blade's width, you don't get those problems, since there's no wood on the other side of the blade. Engineered wood doesn't seem to do this, but it often comes in larger sheets, which means you can get a lot of sudden friction on the wrong spots that want to pull you around. And it can be difficult to control as the balance point shifts around during the cut. So working pieces with less weight and less surface area for friction helps with control.
It's a technique I picked up from hand tools, where you often leave it a little fat on purpose to creep up on your final dimension with a plane or chisel.
Contributor
I've gotten a lot better w/ sheet goods over time, but it comes from doing it over and over. After a while you'll do it pretty easily.
I do suggest building a simple L shaped fence you can clamp to whatever OEM fence you have. Make it longer than the OEM fence by two feet or so (one foot extra for infeed, one foot extra for outfeed). This lets you guide sheet goods so much easier. At the very least move your fence so that it overhangs the front of the saw a little bit to give you extra starting length. You should also build, if you haven't, a zero clearance insert.
Having an outfeed support is necessary (from a danger perspective. You only want to be pushing away from you, not trying to keep the sheet lifting up) and having huge left side support is helpful. If you don't have good left side support you can support the sheet on the right side and have the off cuts be the strips you want. More annoying from a set up perspective (moving the fence every cut), but not bad. You'll have to oversize on purpose w/ this method. I personally hate trimming off less than a blade width as the wood chips that get flung into my face and hands is quite annoying.
I have two basic ways of dealing with sheets as far as cutting:
1) Lean sheet against front edge of the saw w/ blade off and butted up against the fence. Turn saw on. Rock sheet onto table (in front of the blade obviously). Make sure sheet is back right corner is against the fence. Make sure rest of edge is against fence. Cut sheet. Turn blade off and move fence. Pick up sheet and start over.
2) Do all the same things, but lower and raise the blade instead of turning it off between cuts.
I will say that if I have all the support I want, I don't over size pieces after I get the initial good edge. I don't use any table saw add ons. You can make perfect pieces with no extra gear (besides a shop made pusher for narrow cuts). Practice makes perfect.
Last edited by andrew whicker; 03-21-2024 at 11:33 AM.
Yes, I have 3 phase!
[OP]
Contributor
All great tips. Thanks!
I do have a zero clearance insert in. Outfeed table has a little more drop than I'd like (a little more than 1/4") but had to make something quick for a project with a deadline at home. Already have plans for a weekend project of a proper outfeed table with a laminate top around 1/16" below the table.
Contributor
a) Don't buy accessories to make up for poor technique.
b) Don't expect great results handling full sheets.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Contributor
Last edited by Bill Dufour; 03-22-2024 at 11:39 PM.
Contributor
a) while I agree in principle, I have no problems accomplishing the tasks of the OP and I would still buy the stock guides.
b) true for 3/4 most of the time, but see (a) for 1/2 or 1/4. Makes it a breeze.
Contributor
Were you using that Gripper that's in the background?
When I got mine, I had some issues with it dragging the stock away from the fence as I picked it up to move it when I was feeding the stock through.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon
Contributor
I agree with those that say don't try to feed full sheets. Commercial shops may feed large sheets but they likely have extra support to the side and back of the saw and probably a second person. A guided saw/track saw for the initial cut sure makes it easier for a one man band like myself or most here.
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