Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Aug 01, 2007 05:26am | #1

   I like to set the fence for the size pieces I want. Strips less than 1/16" may require a different approach. I use a zero clearance insert so the strips don't fall through. I also have some plywood push sticks that hold down as well as push forward. I can cut through them and discard when they get too cut up. It's very difficult to get consistent results when the strips are on the waste side of the blade. Unfortunately, the blade guard needs to be removed when you are that close to the fence.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

   
2. 
   [email protected] | Aug 01, 2007 06:12am | #2

   Install a zero clearance insert and a good ripping blade. 

   With the fence on the right side of the blade,  set a stop on the left side of the blade (opposite the fence), with the distance from the stop to the left side of the blade equal to the width you want.  The stop needs to be about an inch in front of the blade. 

   Now, set the stock on the table saw, and use the fence to push it up against the block.  Make your cut, and you end up with a narrow strip.  Readjust the fence position and repeat. 

   There is an article on cutting thin strips in the latest shop notes, and they build a fancy jig to do it.  But, Dad did it years ago with a stop block in the miter slot kind of like a solid feather board. 

1. 
   forestgirl | Aug 01, 2007 05:37pm | #6

   Jigs and Peter:  I would like to hear from you on the reasons for ripping to the "off side" (non-fence) of the blade.  I know in general it's safer, but if the operator uses a push stick that pushes down and is designed to go over the blade and hold both the stock and the off-cut, do you still consider it flawed safety-wise??

   My fence is a pain to set, so my inclination is toward having the fence set for the width desired and using safety precautions to prevent possible problems, hence my question.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   [email protected] | Aug 01, 2007 06:26pm | #8

   FG, I mostly do it because that's the way Dad showed me, and it has worked well for all my life. 

   I've never stopped to think it through.  It worked well with the old Craftsman fence on Dad's saw, that locked in the back, and was a pita to keep true.  With the Accufence it just works really well, so I've never given it more consideration. 

2. 
   PeterDurand | Aug 03, 2007 01:45am | #14

   Depends how thin is thin. I use the Gripper push sticks and the thinest part is about 3/8s. Wider than that OK, but thinner I would only try with the fence on the right.Cheers,Peter 

3. 
   PeterDurand | Aug 01, 2007 06:18am | #3

   Here is a jig I made and it works well. Pics one and two are overviews. Pic 3 shows positioning to the thickness required and then you move the fence so that the wood touches the jig. Pic 4 shows lifting away the flap so you can cut in a safe manner.

   Those magnets are VERY strong and will not move. You turn them on and off by rotating the knob on top.

   Hope this helps.

   Cheers,

   Peter

   
   

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   Edited 8/2/2007 6:52 pm by PeterDurand

   
1. 
   Jfrostjr | Aug 01, 2007 03:08pm | #4

   PeterThat is a great idea, nicely explained and illustrated.Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922

2. 
   DustyGeorge | Aug 02, 2007 09:07pm | #13

   Peter,

   I like your jig.  Looks simple and effective with an "adjustment friendly" fence.  But I don't understand the purpose of the hinged section.  Looks like a single piece of plywood would be just as effective.

   GeorgeYou don't stop laughing because you grow old.  You grow old because you stop laughing. - Michael Pritchard<!----><!----><!---->

   <!----><!---->

1. 
   PeterDurand | Aug 03, 2007 01:51am | #16

   Just a gut feeling that I don't want any sort of wedged configuration for the piece to be cut. The possibility of binding and so on. Perhaps I am out to lunch on that one. Cheers,Peter 

4. 
   bones | Aug 01, 2007 05:11pm | #5

   I use the microjig gripp'r.  I have two of them  so I can walk the thin stock through without ever having to fully remove downward pressure on the stock. I would not think of cutting with out them now. 

   http://www.microjig.com/

    

   I also use the microjig splitter. With that, the gripp'r slides right over it. 

   Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:
   If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
   And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
   

   
   

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   Edited 8/1/2007 10:12 am by bones

5. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Aug 01, 2007 06:06pm | #7

   Morning Weelis...

   I use the method Jigs described and similar to what Peter described, but I extend the stop forward to the first 3-4 cutting teeth. Peter's method removes the stop before the cut. JIg's method uses the stop as a reference point in front of blade to get the size strip you need.

   By extending my stop to the last tooth that makes the cut, not only do I have a reference for correct size.. I have a feather-board working on the actual cut to the final point of severance of the stock to harness unwanted action before it it finally severed.

   I use the same jig for ripping thin stock as I use for ripping wide stock as with two twist of a few knobs, it can be used for reference to rip micro (1/16") or left of blade support for a maximum of 22". Very versatile and it's called a spring-board because of it's design and action.

   That is accomplished by use of an added miter slot at the outside of the left extension. I simply mounted a miter slot in laminated and poly'ed MDF and attached it to the outer left wing with 5/16" bolts in existing holes on that end of my extension on my Uni-saw. It gives my jig a wide range of travel to assist in thin to wide. 

   Regards...

   Sarge.. john thompson

    

   
   

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   Edited 8/1/2007 11:09 am ET by SARGEgrinder47

   
6. 
   jazzdogg | Aug 02, 2007 05:42am | #9

   I use the bandsaw, followed by the Performax sander. Safer, and less waste.

   -Jazzdogg-

   "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

7. 
   oldusty | Aug 02, 2007 07:14am | #10

   Hi weelis ,

                   you asked the best way to rip multiple same size strips from a wide piece , right ?

             You didn't say how thin the strips will be , I think mostly we all assumed you want to rip very thin strips .

         But in the case you really want to rip say 1/2" strips or other widths there are many ways , one is to pre slice into manageable size strips say a few inches or so and then rip the strips .

          Or simply use the fence and rip away .

   If the strips are thinnish you may want to try a short fence , add an auxiliary fence just past center of the blade , this allows the stock to freely pass without getting pinched between the fence and blade and will allow you to really slice thin , real thin .  Because the aux fence is very short maybe 18" or less give or take , it is very forgiving compared to a  full length fence and will usually produce even thickness  strips effortlessly .

              hope this helps                 dusty

   
   

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   Edited 8/2/2007 1:36 am ET by oldusty

8. 
   bladeburner | Aug 02, 2007 05:20pm | #11

   I've been using this jig for a long time. It's 4" wide, so I can use the fence indicator.

    

   
   

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   Edited 8/2/2007 10:22 am ET by bladeburner

   
1. 
   DustyGeorge | Aug 02, 2007 09:01pm | #12

   I've been using the jig in the attached photos for strips shorter than about 24 inches.  It is from a design in Jim Tolpin's "Tablesaw Magic."  Works great.  One fence setting - the width of the strip plus the jig from the blade.  The toe on the jig pushes the strip past the blade.  I imagine it would work down to about 1/8 inch strips.  Wouldn't trust it on anything thinner.

   GeorgeYou don't stop laughing because you grow old.  You grow old because you stop laughing. - Michael Pritchard<!----><!----><!---->

   <!----><!---->

   
1. 
   PeterDurand | Aug 03, 2007 01:48am | #15

   Cool! 

9. 
   Dunwright | Aug 03, 2007 07:05am | #17

   The best fixture I have seen was in Workbench magazine October 2005.

   What makes it head and shoulders above others is that once set, you never have to move the fence. The website had a video showing the jig in operation. Construction is not involved, watching the video a few times negates needing plans.

   Arlington, Texas (The dash in Dallas-Fort Worth)
   Practice...'till you can do it right the first time.
1. 
   Cowsine | Aug 03, 2007 10:07am | #18

   That looks like a good solution.
   The link is: http://www.workbenchmagazine.com/main/wb291-jig01.html#rip

2. 
   nazard | Aug 03, 2007 03:49pm | #19

   Dunwright & Cowsine:

   That is so good!

   Thanks to you both.

   -Nazard