HI,
having a bit of bad luck trying to rip some 45 degree edges on some QS white oak. I’m trying to make 44 inch tall posts that have all QS on the outside. I’ve spent a good deal of time selecting the right ones. My idea is to rip 45 degree edges perhaps spline them together and glue them up.
I’m ripping them on a brand new Delta 10″ Contarctors saw with a Biesmyer Fence and a Forrest WW2 blade. I’ve added a piece of wood to make it flush with the top so the sharp edge doesn’t dig under the fence. The auxilliary fence extends just a few inches past the blade. I’m pretty well convinced my saw is close to perfectly set up, I used a dial indicator to make sure the blade and fence and miter slots are all within .005. The fence falls away from the blade maybe .003.
My problem is on the end of the cut the board is tailing away from the fence binding the wood and actually cutting it on a curve. Actually kicking out a couple of inches at the end of the cut. Scary! I got it all close and am now just shaving about 1/32 off to make a perfect 45 degree cut. I’ve seen a product called Board Buddies that seem to hold the boards down and pull them into the fence. Anyone used them?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Warren
Replies
I haven't used board buddies or whatever they are called. I use feather boards a lot though, which you can easily make.
I generally take something like a pine 1x4 and cut an angled arc (slight) on one end using the band saw. I want to be able to set the finger board at about a 30 degree angle. I then use the band saw to cut a series of kerf into the curved end to a depth of about 2 to 3 inches spaced about 0.0625" inches apart (about the thickness of the saw kerf) across the entire width of the board.
I use feather boards for maintaining pressure against the fence and/or for maintaining pressure against the table. I clamp the feather board to the table with enough pressure against the stock to bend the fingers slightly. It generally requires two clamps. For holding stock to the table, the existing fence is generally not high enough so I use the openings in the fence to bolt (using threaded inserts) a scrap piece of plywood about 8 inches tall (wide) so that I have sufficient height to clamp the finger boards.
NOt only are fingerboards good for hold downs, they will prevent kick-back. They are pretty low tech and inexpensive but effective. And since they are wood, they will not screw up a saw blade if you need to get the pressure right at the blade. You also can cut angles on them so they match in-feed and out-feed profiles.
Edited 12/17/2002 8:08:31 PM ET by NIEMIEC1
First some of the wood has some strange stress inside of it that is holding it straight and as you remove part of the wood some of the stress is relived and it bows, twists.
Second is the guard system - the splitter is it in lined with the blade so it is not forcing the wood against the blade.
Ummmm....what splitter?
Just kidding sort of. One of my projects today was to cut down that huge Delta splitter it comes with and make a sort of fin like I've seen. I've NEVER used a saw with any saftey devices, sawed thousands of linear feet of wood ( I worked in a commercial shop for years) I think a splitter is a good idea though and will go and make one now.
The "splitter" I'm reffering to that the contractor saw comes with is only a strong 1/16th inch. My blades way closer to 1/8 if not exactly 1/8. I'll mount this splitter on the, I guess it's the trunion, where the huge guard is supposed to go, so it will pivot as I tilt the blade. Does it have to be exactly the width of the blade? Will being a little smaller cause more harm than good?
The wood is coming out quite straight, save the little cup on the end from the twisting-about 2 inches. I guess I'll try to fashion some feather boards that will go behind the blade. Those should work since ther is no cut off just a 1/32 shaving that's turned to dust.
Am I misssing somethinsg? I have never used a feather board BEHIND the blade-obviously it would be a problem ripping boards this way. That's why I inquired about the "Board Buddies" They come from the top and pull in as well as hold down. I still don't see how you can complete a cut with those things hanging over.
I'll keep you posted at to what happens.
thanks,
W
OK,
I just fashioned a pair of splitters using the stock Delta guard as the material. ( It's great to have a heavy duty plate shear!) One is a tall one with the drop down "teeth/fins/what ever the heck they're called" still attached. Looks like the Bisemeyer aftermarket one. Obviously too tall to cut 45 degree cuts on less than 3 inch boards as it hits the fence. I used the end part to make a little stub splitter that come up about 1/4" past the edge of a 4/4 board on a 45 degree cut. Both seeem like they will help. But using them prevents me from using the feather boards past the blade.
I'll try both and see what's easier/safest.
I hope any flaws in my logic will pointed out.
Thanks,
W
Unrelieved growth and/or drying stresses (read case hardening or reverse case hardening) due to improper or no conditioning during the dry kiln schedule are the cause of the bind/warp out of the saw.
This is a serious drying defect and you should complain loudly to your supplier.
I've used the board buddies a couple of times - liked 'em. Makes it a wee safer.
Warren,
When a board shifts away from the fence, one of the first things to check is the alignment of the splitter in relation to the blade. If you haven't checked this already, here's the best way to test for splitter alignment. Face and edge joint two boards 3" wide and ~22" long. With the saw unplugged, raise the blade to almost its full height and sandwich it between the two boards - edge joint on the table and face joint side against the blade. (The boards should be around the splitter too.) The splitter should be right in the middle of the two reference boards. If it's not, realign the splitter according to the user manual that came with the saw. Just as important is to check that the splitter is riding at 90 deg. to the table top. Use a machinist's square, and adjust as necessary. If your saw doesn't have an adjustment to correct for 90 deg., it's perfectly acceptable to carefully bend it with your hand after it's bolted in.
But - when you say that the shift happens towards the end of the cut it leads me to believe that the piece is unsupported on the outfeed side of the saw. If there is nothing there to catch or guide the wood, it will just fall any way it wants to. Set up a table, or rollers, etc.. to catch your work.
Regarding the Board Buddies, you don't need them. They offer average performance with one annoying caveat - with the units in place, you cannot use a push stick all the way through the cut. (See photo)
They hang too close to the saw blade no matter where you position them on the tracks.
Feather boards are the way to go. They're free when made out of shop scrap, and you can make them in any size you want. Mount two on the table saw's fence (in front and behind the blade) and one on the table surface, and the wood will be held rock solid to the table/fence.
Dan Kornfeld, President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
Warren, I'm having to buzz quickly through the threads tonight, so forgive me if I restate something from above.
First of all, did you check the alignment of the blade when it's titled at the 45-degree angle? Problems ripping bevels have been cussed and discussed quite a bit here in the past, but one factor I just recently found out about is the possibility that a contractor's saw, when tilted to 45 degrees, can come out of alignment due to the motor's weight on the stretchers and thereby the blade.
Wise use of featherboards or board buddies should help. Personally, I'm sold on the Grip-Tite magnetic featherboard system, but others certainly work well too. Dennis02 seems to have the most experience with the Grip-Tites.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Assuming you get the 45 degree problem tackled, you might want to look at the thread I started under "Joinery" titled Mission-style table legs. I came up with a way of ensuring that the joints are perfect. I doubt that you could get all of your 45 degree cuts absolutely perfect, and even if you do I don't think the four sides would be exactly the same width. The jig I made ensures that this is simple and accurate. If you try it and like it, post your results.
John
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