Shopsmith Forums

I need to cut a number of deep notches in the edges of a couple of eight-foot-plus 2x4's. Those would be pretty unwieldy to cross-cut in table-saw mode. And unfortunately, I don't have my RAS or even my vintage Stanley miter box in service yet. Nor do I have a decent dovetail-style saw. After scratching my head for a bit, I remembered that you are supposed to be able to offset the Shopsmith bandsaw blade angle enough to crosscut 2x4's.

That seemed like a reasonable solution, so I gave it a try. I started with a 1/2" blade, but the twisting force of the blade against the cool blocks would usually stall my Power Station on startup. So I consulted the bandsaw manual, and it said that offsetting only works with a 3/8" blade when using a Power Station. Not having one of those, I tried a 1/4" blade, but it bound up even worse.

So far I'm not very impressed with the blade-offset feature. Has anyone here had success with it?

I have not used it much, but extended use will create considerable heating of the blades and guides.

OK for infrequent use, but long use time is IMHO not practical.

Gotta be hard on blade!!!!

Like I said, not used it much.

Also the width/length is still quite limited even with the angle.

I've seen it done at a demo but I have never tried it. I could see that it could be a nice feature but then I also see it as a feature I could get by never having. I am interested in hearing what others have to say.

Ed

I tried it once and it was a complete failure.

Dennis,
May I offer some completely unsolicited advise? You asked for advise on making the system work, not an alternative.

If no, ignore this.

I've found that my oscillating tool is perfect for what you describe.

Just a thought.

Be well,
Ben

Do you have a cross cut sled. This is one of the tasks that a sled makes simple and safe.

If I was doing this, I'd do multiple cuts (on the sled) to create the dimensions of the notch and clean it up with a chisel

Two issues. First, as for twisting the blade, I experimented with this once. Try a little less tension on the blade. I think the twist increases tension and thus bogging down.

Second, how to make these cuts. You say you think it would be unwieldy to make these cuts on the table saw. Fair enough, but I can't imagine anything more unwieldy than trying to make these cuts on the band saw with its much smaller table.

Without knowing the length of the 2x4 or where along the length these cuts go, I am inclined to recommend forgetting using a stationary power tool. Got a hand held circular saw? Clamp the 2x4s together, mark your notches and define them with a cut on each end of the notch. Then make a series of closely spaced cuts in the waste area in between. Knock out the waste with a hammer (you try to tip over the pieces in the waste area) and clean up with a chisel.

Thanks for all the input, guys.

Here's a little more background. I'm framing a couple of low wall sections under a sloping ceiling -- about 40" tall, that will be finished with vertical beadboard. The beadboard will be 3/4" T&G. It would probably handle that vertical span just fine, but I'm not sure that the building inspector would agree. So I'm adding a stringer midway up the wall to support the center of the beadboard. The beadboard will be nailed on with old-fashioned cut nails, so the framing must be able to "take a beating", literally. I thought about simply adding blocking between studs, but didn't trust nails or pocket screws to withstand the hammering. So I'm using edge-wise half-lap joints to mount the stringer flush with the studs. I'm putting 1.5" deep notches in the front of the studs, and 2" deep notches in the back of the stringers.

Ben, I love my oscillating tool for plunge-cutting trim boards that are already installed and need to be modified. It never occurred to me to use it for new construction. But 2" deep notches are beyond the capacity of my tool anyway.

Dusty, I set out to build a cross-cut sled a while back. The pieces are all made, but I put assembly on hold when I realized that using it for my immediate need -- grooving with a dado blade, would ruin the zero-clearance aspect for regular cross-cutting. Maybe I'll convert it to a sliding-insert design like the one Shipwright just posted. As for the studs, I nibbled away the notches using a miter-gauge extension. Cleanup with a chisel was quick and easy.

Algale, the stringers are 103" long, and I have rollers stands for support at each end. I did consider using the Mark V in tablesaw mode. The bandsaw just seemed safer, because if the workpiece skews a bit, there's no kickback hazard. Plus, with my bandsaw on a Power Station, it's easier to get into the center of my shop for working on long pieces.

For the stringers, I wound up cutting the edges of the notches using my 4-decade old Black & Decker handheld jigsaw. ( It was my very first power tool. I bought it at age 14, at the local True Value hardware store. I still remember the proprietor saying that it was the most powerful tool he was willing to sell me.) At a whopping 1/7 hp, it took a while to chew through all that 2x4, but it did get the job done. Then I flipped the stringers on edge, and used the Mark V with a 1.5" Forstner bit in drill-press mode to clear out most of the waste and to get a precise depth. Again, a bit of cleanup with a chisel finished the job.

The irony of all this is that I already own the perfect tool for the job. Sitting in my garage, awaiting shop rearrangement and a 220V drop, is a 3hp, 14" DeWalt industrial RAS with a 24" crosscut capacity. It will take a 10" dado stack up to 1-3/4" wide. If that saw was in service, I could have gang-cut all 14 studs in about 30 seconds. Of course, a 1.5" dado stack would cost about as much as I paid for the saw!

But I'm still curious. Has anyone successfully used their SS bandsaw with the blade offset?