Ripping a large hard wood timber

myoung44708 · Post by **myoung44708** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:38 am

I am a new SS owner, having just purchased 2 machines...a Mark V from 1983 from the serial number and a Mark VII that has a Manga on the tag. Got them both for $750 with a lot of extra goodies so I'm very happy.

My question is this:

How thick of a board can you rip with the table saw?

I have a dozen or so 4X4 oak and hard maple timbers that were free from my brother-in-law, He is a truck driver and gets this wood from pipe loads. This wood is generally in excess of 4 inches on all sides and very hard.

So can you set the table saw so the blade height is in excess of 4 inches with the standard 10" blade?

I cut one the other day and had to 2 pass the timber through the saw. One of the saw tables does have an extra slot. Is this for getting the table lower and exposing more blade height?

I do have a band saw, but it did not want to cut the hard maple strait...or I do not have the correct technique...which gets my vote.

michaeltoc · Post by **michaeltoc** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:16 am

myoung44708 wrote:I am a new SS owner, having just purchased 2 machines...a Mark V from 1983 from the serial number and a Mark VII that has a Manga on the tag. Got them both for $750 with a lot of extra goodies so I'm very happy.

My question is this:

How thick of a board can you rip with the table saw?

I have a dozen or so 4X4 oak and hard maple timbers that were free from my brother-in-law, He is a truck driver and gets this wood from pipe loads. This wood is generally in excess of 4 inches on all sides and very hard.

So can you set the table saw so the blade height is in excess of 4 inches with the standard 10" blade?

I cut one the other day and had to 2 pass the timber through the saw. One of the saw tables does have an extra slot. Is this for getting the table lower and exposing more blade height?

I do have a band saw, but it did not want to cut the hard maple strait...or I do not have the correct technique...which gets my vote.

Maximum cut is about 3-1/4" with the table saw - anything more is unsafe.

Your best tool for this is the bandsaw, but you seem to be having some blade issues. There are many factors that can spoil a bandsaw cut: improper blade tension, dull blade, feeding the stock too fast are a few that come to mind. Search the forums as there have been many posts about bandsaw technique and bandsaw adjustment and tune-up. For years, I never liked the bandsaw because I just couldn't get a decent cut out of it - especially when resawing or ripping thick stock. After following the advice and tips on the forums, I now have a bandsaw that works great!

Welcome to the forums and the wonderful world of Shopsmith. No matter what your issue, at least one person here has seen it, done it, broke it, and fixed it.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 7:18 am

Maximum depth of cut on a Mark V is 3 1/2" but depth of cut is not going to be the major issue. Cutting that deep the motor may not have the umph to do the job.

Get a sharp thin kerf blade, lub the machine (if not done already), proper power source (no extension cords), 20 amp breaker and go for it while maintaining a slow feed rate.

If you have to make two passes to get the job done, lower the depth of cut to just a little bit over half way. While cutting concentrate on keeping the stock against the rip fence. Listen carefully - it will tell you if feed rate is too fast.

I think safety in the shop is as dependent on hearing what is happening as it is on seeing what is happening.

myoung44708 · Post by **myoung44708** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 9:03 am

3-1/4 to 3-1/2" it is then. Thank you gentlemen.

Here is another one. Can you mount a 12" blade safely?

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 9:36 am

Here is another one. Can you mount a 12" blade safely?

NO, it's not safe!

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 10:43 am

pennview wrote:NO, it's not safe!

I'm not sure that I would agree that it is NOT SAFE but I would not do it.

Does it take more power to turn a 12" blade than it does a 10" or 8" blade?

Would you have proper clearance in the saw guards?

Can you get the job done using the blade that was intended to be used?

If you use a 12" blade and something goes wrong - are you going to sue?:rolleyes:

paulmcohen · Post by **paulmcohen** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:09 pm

dusty wrote:I'm not sure that I would agree that it is NOT SAFE but I would not do it.

Does it take more power to turn a 12" blade than it does a 10" or 8" blade?

Would you have proper clearance in the saw guards?

Can you get the job done using the blade that was intended to be used?

If you use a 12" blade and something goes wrong - are you going to sue?:rolleyes:

There 12" saws operate with smaller motors then the Shopsmith for crosscutting where the operation is short, also the PowerPro at 220 would have no issues even for long cuts.

None of the guards would fit. The table insert also would be an issue and maybe even the main table would have issues.

I don't know where you would be a 12" blade with the correct arbor hole size and if you could you would have to figure out the correct blade speed because the FPM would be much faster on a 12" blade.

Bottom line I would not consider it.

8iowa · Post by **8iowa** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 1:13 pm

Actually, the much maligned saw mode on the Shopsmith does have a couple of advantages over many other saws. With variable speed you can dial down to to "M" or "N" and gain the necessary torque in order to rip heavy stock. Many other constant speed saws that are designed to operate on standard 15 amp circuits fall short in this type of cut. Since you are not gaining HP you must of course reduce your feed rate, taking maybe 30 seconds instead of 15 to make the cut - hardly noticeable. Using a thin kerf rip blade will further enhance the operation. The slower speed is also useful on cherry and maple, to avoid burning.

That said, I often draw a straight line down rough stock, and with the 5/8" wide blade on the bandsaw it is surprising at just how straight a cut you can make with hand feeding. Certainly straight enough to take to the table saw or the jointer. For long boards I put roller stands on both infeed and outfeed sides of the bandsaw's table for additional support. Many times I have done boards as long as 8 feet in this manner.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:45 pm

To my thinking, if you need to ask whether something is safe to do on a tablesaw, then it's not safe for you to do without direct supervision from an experienced woodworker.

swampgator · Post by **swampgator** » Sat Oct 08, 2011 6:07 pm

Make the cuts of thick stock in two or more passes. If on the first pass, you get near or over the half way mark, flip the stock end-over-end to set it up against the fence again and your cut will match with the other side dead on. This second pass will then render the desired board.

Like others, I much prefer the 5/8" blade on the bandsaw. A bit slower, but good results. Then set up the sanding disk and smooth down the cut. I true many of my milled work with the sanding disk and fence. It takes a few minutes and passes, but the results are great.