Tip #27
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Table Sawing (continued)
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Pg. 1-3, Pg 4-6, Pg 7-9, Pg 10-11

Ripping

Ripping is the act of cutting your workpiece with the grain of the wood - or “cutting to width”.

When making rip cuts, use a ripping or combination blade and ALWAYS guide your stock against a Rip Fence.

Start by adjusting the distance between your blade and the Rip Fence face to match the desired stock width. Be sure to measure this distance from a blade tooth that is “set” toward the Rip Fence face. Unplug your saw before taking this measurement. If your Rip Fence is properly aligned, you need only measure this distance at one point.

However, if you're not confident of this alignment - or you're working on a project where the width of your finished board is critical to within 1/32" or so, it's a good idea to measure this distance at two points. Here's how. Find a tooth that's set toward the Rip Fence. Rotate this tooth forward until it's just above the saw table surface near the infeed edge of the table. Measure the distance to the Fence face. Rotate this same tooth backwards until it's in the same relative position near the outfeed edge of the table. Measure the distance to the Fence face. If these two distances aren't equal, your Fence is not properly aligned and an adjustment needs to be made.

Begin your cut with one hand gripping your stock at the back edge in preparation for pushing it through the cut. If you're ripping short pieces of stock, position your other hand at the side of the stock (forward of the infeed side of the blade) and pressing in on your stock to hold it firmly against the Fence. This “pressing-in” hand should not be near the rotating blade or pressing the stock against the blade after the cut has been made. If pressure is applied at a point where it closes the freshly cut saw kerf on the blade, a dangerous kick-back will occur. If you're ripping longer pieces of stock where you need both of your hands to safely hold and guide the stock forward through the cut (and the width of your board and the set-up permits), use a Featherboard to hold your stock in against the Fence during the cut. Again, keep the Featherboard forward of the blade so it isn't pressing against the blade or closing the saw kerf after the cut has been made.

When the distance between your Rip Fence and the saw blade permits, use a Push Block or Push Stick to move the stock through the cut once your “pushing” hand begins to approach the moving blade. When this distance is 1-1/2" to 3", use a Fence Straddler as a safety aid.

Support Table

If you're ripping long pieces of stock, be sure you have plenty of workpiece support, both before and after you make your cut. A special Support Table will be an invaluable aid in these situations. It will extend your outboard support 32" on the outfeed end of the Worktable. For even more support, an adjustable Roller Support Stand is recommended.

Roller Support Stand

Rip Fence Mounted Featherboard

To keep your long or short workpiece from raising off the table surface while making your cut, use a Rip Fence Mounted Featherboard. It slides into the T-Slot groove in the top surface of your Rip Fence to exert downward pressure on your stock while cutting.

As with any sawing operation, always stand off to the side of your workpiece while cutting. Doing so will protect you from being struck by your workpiece or scrap in the event of a kickback.

Continue to Making Miter and Bevel Cuts
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