Cutting long boards

[Forrest747]

Ok I have the plan of buying some cherry in the form of eight to ten foot boards to cut down into one to two inch strips to act as molding between the roof and side walls, and in the wall corners. I have a table saw and to be honest have not been successful in cutting strips like this in the past. So for those more skilled than I what is something i can do other than practice practice practice. (which I am sure is the key) I also plan on attempt some strips for the galleyto frame out the cabinets. still gong to use cargo nets instead of cabinet doors. Thank you all. feels good to build again!

[Zboom]

I use feather boards to keep mine straight when I rip boards. You can make them out of scrap in about 10minutes or you can buy them.

[Verna]

+1 on the featherboard(s). Be sure to use a sturdy push-stick, too. And, a sharp blade is an definite requirement.

Verna

[Dale M.]

Ditto, on featherboards...

Featherboards

Buy or make...

Dale

[rbeemer]

one thing that helps me with long boards is a set of roller stands that I use on the in feed and out-feed of the table to support the boards so that I am not trying to hold the board down at the beginning or end of the cut. Think Safety and you will always be successful

[Larry C]

Multiple feather boards are a must, including one attached (clamped) to the fence to hold the board down (anti kick back). In-feed and out-feed rollers are very helpful.

I have ripped miles of very thin strips for building boats. I have learned several things in the process.

My first suggestion is take the time to square your blade with the miter slot. Find your owners manual, and look-up how to square the blade. Once the blade is parallel with the miter slot, and square with table top, adjust your fence by checking the distance from the miter slot to the fence using a 12" machinists rule. Tap the fence with a rubber hammer to get the distance from the slot to the fence exactly the same at each end. Do this for each cut. This will prevent binding of the board.

Unless you have a Bessmer or similar high quality fence, don't trust the fence that came with the saw to be parallel with the slot when it's locked down. You can adjust the fence on most saws, but only the best ones will stay true. Measuring each time you move the fence as described above is the best way with cheaper saws.

I like using very thin carbide circular saw blades (7") on my 10" table saw. They are cheap, take very little power to rip because they are so thin, don't waste as much wood, and cut smooth. You may have to buy or make a new blade insert for the smaller blade.

Another trick I learned is to rip your wide boards (6" and over) to a couple narrower widths before cutting to the desired width. The narrower board will flex easier and allow the feather boards to hold he board against the fence easier.

Take your time and have a partner at the out-feed. Use some cheaper softwood boards to see how it goes before committing to ripping you good stuff.

Good luck,

Larry C

[afreegreek]

feather boards? ha ha ha, ho ho ho, he he he... that's funny.. feather boards are crap for ripping down stock on a TS.. don't even bother trying..

seriously, just use a skillsaw with a fence clamped to the plate.. cut a piece of wood to the width you want on the TS and use it as a spacer to align the fence parallel to the blade and cut your strips.. Freud makes a 7-1/4" x 40 tooth blade 'Diablo' that works great and only costs around $20..

to get your first straight cut make yourself one of these..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH5dW-QcgeI

[John Foote]

There's good reason why saw blades come in `rip', `crosscut' and `combination' iterations. Ripping and crosscutting are two totally different actions, attacking wood fibers in near-opposite ways. The saw teeth and kerf, which do the actual cutting, are different. The rip slices, the crosscut chops.

`Combination' blades are precisely named, a combination of rip teeth and crosscut teeth. Jack of all trades, master of none, designed for people who are too darn lazy to change their saw blade.

[Tumbleweed_Tex]

I have a can of old fashioned Johnson’s Paste Wax in the yellow can, complete with a semi-retired white cotton sock. I keep a light to medium coat of wax on the saw table, outfeed table, and inboard side of the fence. Not only does the wax keep the cast iron table from rusting, but it allows wood to move effortlessly across the blade.

[jstrubberg]

Featherboards help quite a bit. You also need to ask yourself if there si a reason you are ripping such a long piece of stock??

If you don't NEED a ten foot long piece of trim when you are done, do yourself a favor and cut your base stock down to a 4 of 5 fott length first, then chop it into trim. You may have to make an extra joint in your trim once in a while, but that beats ruingin expensive wood with difficult passes over the table saw.

I use a bandsaw instead of a table saw, myself. Less waste and no kickback. If you don't have one handy though, that's not a worthwhile option.

[CarlLaFong]

I'm a retired carpenter/cabinet maker. I have ripped a few board feet of lumber. Feather boards can be useful, but I only use them when working with smaller pieces, usually on my router table. The key to getting a good rip is to keep the board tight against the fence. All of your rips should be cut slightly oversized. The tablesaw shouldn't be considered a finish tool, at least when making long, awkward cuts. The saw is crucial as well. The small, lightweight saws that, I suspect, most home shops have, are difficult to make accurate cuts on large pieces with. They bobble about, the fences move and inaccurate cuts are a result. My saw weighs half a ton, 3 horse/220v. Any piece of stock that I can handle by hand can be cut pretty accurately on it.
The link to the masonite jig is a good one. We used jigs like that all the time in the field. The cuts are dead accurate, but you are limited by the length of the jig.

[Kevin A]

Here's something related to this topic. Useable tool or just the latest greatest gimmick? Check out the video.
http://www.incrementaltools.com/Micro_J ... gr-100.htm

[afreegreek]

Here's something related to this topic. Useable tool or just the latest greatest gimmick? Check out the video.
http://www.incrementaltools.com/Micro_J ... gr-100.htm

that and all those other things fall into the latter category.. gimmick.. I've been a professional furniture/cabinet maker for around 25 years and have worked in many different shops.. none of them use any of those things except for the occasional use of feather boards.. feather boards are primarily for router table use, not table saw use.. the exception is for final machining of thin, flexible or delicate pieces.. rebating the back of small moulding etc.. the idea is to limit vibration so the pieces don't blow out (tear-out) or blow apart.. the other thing pros don't use is those stupid push sticks.. the ones with a little V notch in the end.. those ARE dangerous and many shops do not allow them yet they come with every saw you buy.. a piece od 3/4 material about 3- 4 inches high and 12 inches long with a hook/tab on the back are much better and are actually safe..

[Moho]

A few basic things do to in my opinion before ripping long boards on your table saw. I do this everytime I make critical cuts due to my saw being a contractor grade Delta and not a professional model.

1. Make sure rip fence is secure and doesn't move. Adjust if needed.
2. Make sure rip fence is completely parallel to the blade. Adjust if needed.
3. Make sure blade is sharp and is a rip blade.
4. Make sure saw blade doesn't have side to side movement. Bearings on cheap saws tend to have a short ife span resulting in side to side movement of the blade.
5. Get a roller stand like THIS. If you plan on doing quite a bit of ripping of long stock or panels, I would get a better quality one. I have this one and it works just fine for the amount of usage mine gets.
6. Hold the stock tightly against the fence and table
7. Wax the table and fence with Johnson Paste Wax as Tex suggested.
7. Always leave a little extra if the dimension is critical. It can be planed, joined or belt sanded to exact dimension after the rough cut on the table saw.

[GuitarPhotog]

2. Make sure rip fence is completely perpendicular to the blade. Adjust if needed.

No, that's Parallel, not perpendicular.

<Chas>