Shopsmith Forums

BuckeyeDennis wrote: Wed Aug 06, 2025 8:41 am

algale wrote: Tue Aug 05, 2025 9:46 pm YMMV but I know I could rip that easily on my Shopsmith bandsaw with a sharp 5/8 blade and proper tension and probably not even have to sand them. I ripped huge long boards into 1/4" strips for my cedar strip canoe on my bandsaw with no drift (or more accurately I had set the fence to correct for the drift). That little piece of wood would be a piece of cake on a bandsaw!

Al, what brand/type of 5/8" bandsaw blade do you use? Whatever it is, I need to try one, as my blades leave a fairly rough finish.

It was a woodslicer or timberwolf, most likely.

Just curious, are you planning to rip multiple 3/8 pieces from this piece of stock or just ripping it down by 3/8 and the cut off is waste? In your second picture I would move the featherboard back to be inline with front edge of the stock. Seems like that last long finger would push the cutoff into the blade.
If you’re making a bunch of 3/8 pieces I would setup the fence for a 3/8 cut and use the fence straddler because I don’t want to move the fence every time for the next cut.

Larry-

Thanks. I'll be doing multiple 3/8s..slowly shortening the width of that 2x4...so I do prefer (as you said) to keep the fence/blade gap the same.

b

RFGuy wrote: Tue Aug 05, 2025 1:54 pm By the way, lots of jig designs out there for thin rips. Scott showed a good one, but I like this one even better, but I would use a push stick in my left hand with it to keep fingers away from blade.

I like Colin’s jig too, but the one thing that his doesn’t do that mine accomplishes is that mine can be used with rips of literally any length. If you can support the stock, you can rip thin strips with my jig that are 20 feet long. My jig is stationary until the very end of the cut, at which point it pushes the remainder of the stock through the cut. If you feel like your hand is too close, make sure to use a feather board on the left and if you’d like, make the jig wider and/or mount a handle that better guards your hand. Scott

thedovetailjoint wrote: Fri Aug 08, 2025 1:34 pm I like Colin’s jig too, but the one thing that his doesn’t do that mine accomplishes is that mine can be used with rips of literally any length. If you can support the stock, you can rip thin strips with my jig that are 20 feet long. My jig is stationary until the very end of the cut, at which point it pushes the remainder of the stock through the cut. If you feel like your hand is too close, make sure to use a feather board on the left and if you’d like, make the jig wider and/or mount a handle that better guards your hand. Scott

Scott,

Thanks. Like I said before, I like your jig. I just wanted to urge caution about bringing fingers so close to the sawblade. A grip on your jig or a good structure that a push stick could engage would ensure a more safe operation IMHO. I see so many YT vids with woodworkers pushing a board through a cut with their fingers too close to the sawblade when a push stick would give them significantly more safety margin.

Here is the approach I am going for. Kind of a Frankenstein of the various jigs shown on this thread.


It uses a fence-straddler approach with top mounted handle. The straddler is 3/4 ply.

The hold down for the front of the board is a printed t-slot adapter using components I had laying about.

All the white parts, my son designed and printed for me with very little input...too bad he's headed off to college this week


The slotted plate needs one further redesign today and then I will give it a try.

Thanks everyone for you input !

b

Looks good! Let us know it works out for you.

Interesting 'extra' hardware!

It worked well, here is some frame stock I started with.

Upon review-I think more important than the jig design was the idea of having the narrow part of the cut next to the fence. This reduces the tendency
for the piece to draw away from the fence.

b

I have used a Rockler jig similar to the Woodpecker one shown by RF Guy. I have made hundreds of cuts with this jig to make roofing tiles and siding for the bird houses I have built.
The Rockler jig is not as fancy as the Woodpecker one but does the job. If I had the money, I would buy the Woodpecker one for its easier adjustment a double guide wheels.

Have Fun

John