Getting Accustomed to the Table Saw

[dusty]

Thisworks in some applications in lieu of a t-nut.

note: 1st one on the page.

[charlese]

There is a very good article in the recent "Fine Woodworking" Magazine (June 2011, Issue #219) on easy changes to your crosscut sled to 1) restore Zero Clearance 2) make repeated crosscuts on very long boards and 3) easy set up to make very short repeated crosscuts.

Never any more need to fool with a rip fence when making cross cuts.

For a new ZC he put a piece of MDF or plywood on the base of the sled and sawed across it.

To crosscut very long boards, he clamped a long board to the back of the sled and put a hook on the bottom of that board. The repeated long cuts are made by simply sliding the work piece until it reaches the hook.

To make very short repeated cuts, he put a stop block on the opposite side of the blade and made a guide block (about 6' long) with a notch on the top. The guide block would just barely slide beneath the stop block, but the notch wouldn't. The stop block woud be placed so the guide block notch would rest on the stop while the length of the guide block would be short of the blade the desired distance. Then the guide block would be used to stop the workpiece and then removed. meanwhile the workpiece (now set) would be cut.

[swampgator]

This has be a super informational thread. Thank you for making me think of what I am and not doing and what I should do. This has given me many ideas. Basically for repeated lengths of crosscuting, I simply put a clamp on the table, bump the timber stock against it, clamp on the mitre and shove it across the table. Close enough for my kind of work, not precise enough for cabinet work. Again, thank you for all this great and thoughtful discussion.

[JPG]

This has be a super informational thread. Thank you for making me think of what I am and not doing and what I should do. This has given me many ideas. Basically for repeated lengths of crosscuting, I simply put a clamp on the table, bump the timber stock against it, clamp on the mitre and shove it across the table. Close enough for my kind of work, not precise enough for cabinet work. Again, thank you for all this great and thoughtful discussion.

Put a scrap with the edge square to the blade(assuming 90° cuts) under that clamp, and you be very accurate.

[ddvann79]

A gentleman uploaded this video to Youtube to sell his Shopsmith 510. Not altogether a horrible video but it's a prime example of several unsafe practices. Most noticeable are the loose sleeves, using the fence to crosscut and not using the upper guard.