Safe to Rip From Both Ends?

[bobc4383]

I had a similar issue recently (a board 57" long and ripping one inch off a 2x4). I ran it halfway, held it down, walked around to the out feed side and pulled it through. It seemed to work OK, but I did not have a cantilever issue.

[bobc4383]

I was using feather boards so it was pretty stable.

[dusty]

OKAY, so some say it is unsafe but it works. Every thing that we do as an individual in the shop is "unsafe" to some degree.

The only downside to this method is the likelihood of saw marks in the edge of the "work piece".

As Always, you must control the work piece and the cut off.

[robinson46176]

OKAY, so some say it is unsafe but it works. Every thing that we do as an individual in the shop is "unsafe" to some degree.

That is a good statement Dusty...
I do dangerous stuff everyday. "DANGER is my business"!!!
Surely I'm not the only farmer on this forum? The only valid approach to doing dangerous work is to do it carefully. Most jobs on most days is a juggling act trying to balance safety with being productive. It's hard to get much done if you are wrapped in 20 layers of bubble wrap and a suit of armor when its 97 degrees out. It's also hard to get much done if you have gotten too careless and lost or seriously mangled body parts. It all has to be balanced. On many days I am out in the horse lots walking through a tight group of horses all competing for attention. It's probably one of the more dangerous and least controllable situations I place myself in but there is no way I will stop doing it as long as I can. I love those guys. The important thing there is just staying very aware of the changing situation. Maybe more dangerous than hugging our little herd is dealing with client horses when they come new to the farm and they are often pretty flighty thoroughbreds. There is nothing quite like hanging on to a lead rope attached to a panicky 1,000 pound horse that is doing a full fledged "Lone Ranger" rear-up to get things circulating in your body... Hopefully nothing embarrassing.
Surely someone else here has rode a bale wagon carefully stacking about 100 bales as the wagon bounced along across a field that was usually rougher than you wanted it to be. When we still baled hay here I used put my wife to driving the tractor we baled with so I could stack. She did well but sometimes her clutch foot could have been a little smoother.
I hope some of you guys will forgive me for chuckling when you speak of a 5' board being a long board. 8' to 12' is really common in my shop and I always work alone. The larger band-saw sawmill I had bought new many years ago would cut a log 30" in diameter and 24' long. The little Woodmizer LT-10 I bought for my retirement will cut a log about 2' in diameter and about 18' long. I expect to spend much of the reasonably mild parts of this winter sawing up Emerald Ash Borer killed ash trees, many of which will become horse lot gates and shelter framing. I like 12' gates for lot gates but a 4' walk gate is handier for feeding etc.

My current woodshop layout has my table saw in an open area and my 510 against a post off behind and to the right side of it. I can grab the 510 by the headstock end and swing it over behind the table saw as an out-feed support. It's working well for me. Now if I could just enough time to spend more time there...
Why am I so freaking busy? Retirement has not been what I anticipated. I think I had more free time when I was "working"...

Some of you guys should see my wife of 56 years climbing scaffolds and painting.

I think you are all correct to question this particular sawing practice. I tend to take a lot of risk most days but it is all carefully calculated and hopefully well managed. On something like this you should err on the side of caution. Use a feather board and the splitter and out-feed support if needed. I just don't see any gain in this method.
We are training a young recently acquired used dog who has a little trouble with excess exuberance. Diana suffered a slight injury last week when she had him on a leash and got sloppy. He saw a cat and exploded, hurting her with the leash. She simply was not ready... I really believe that is what happens in many shop injuries. I believe that too many get too "loose" at the saw. I have a very good grip and when at the saw I use it. You just can't get sloppy. You absolutely must stay in charge of the board.


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[Gene Howe]

I've done it but, I don't like it.

[bainin]

They should put a second saw as an outfeed table and just push through both saws

[sehast]

I have done it too but always use featherboards/board buddies to hold the board down and against the fence. The hardest part is that last 6 to 12 inches of the cut where it has the tendency to pull away from the fence. The wider the board the easier it is to keep straight and the board buddies work much better for you.
If you have a bandsaw that is a ripping alternative but you will have to clean up the edge on the jointer, planer, conical disk sander or table router. That would be a safer but more time consuming route.

[dusty]

Again I say, there are some risks in ripping a long board in this manner but I fail to see how it is any riskier than pushing that long board all the way through the rip. The only thing I do different than the OP described is turn off the saw and only then turn the work piece end for end to complete the rip (do keep the same edge against the fence).

The hazard (if there is one) comes during the moments right after the cut is completed. Again I say, CONTROL the work piece and the cut off. Now---move the cutoff away from the blade and turn off the saw.

Doing this sort of thing I would have finger boards installed thus the work piece will be tight against the fence and cannot be pulled back (kick back).

Just don't allow that cutoff to form any sort of union with the blade (CONTROL).