Table Saw Technique

[sainty]

OK, I've got a Scheppach TS2500 with sliding carriage and rh extension table. Previously I've used my Festool gear to cut up sheet materials however I've got a bit more space around the saw at the moment and have started to use it.

Where should I be standing/applying pressure when trying to rip sheets of 18mm MDF into 40m strips? I have been cutting the sheets in half length ways and standing at the opposite corner to the one that rides next to the fence a applying a kind of diagonal pressure to try and keep it straight. I've had mixed results, especially when I reach then end of the cut.

Obviously, as soon as things start to wander, I'm left with a non-straight edge which leads to its own problems on the next rip.. No accidents as yet and I'd like to keep it that way so any tips?

Sainty

[Stree]

I have the same tablesaw and I don't often cut a full 8x4 of anything on it because the sliding table is not really adequate for the purpose and with the sliding table removed there is very little support surface left for a cuuting operation of this size. Do you have ancillary side table/s for support on the left ( as you face it)?
I think your technique is fine, starting diagonal but not for the whole rip. about halfway you should be about equalising the thrust force on both sides of the cutting line and keep it like this until the piece is cut right through but try to keep a left hand pressure to keep against the fence whilst the right hand is mainly pushing parallel to the fence.
Even so I don`t feel this particular machine is made for or can guarantee a good cut in one go at this dimension and if I have to cut something this size I try to make the first cut a sizing cut and then take a finish cut where there is only a minimal amount to trim from the waste side .
Other than that I really like this machine and at least it can be set perfectly square and retain its setting and has adequate power.

[sainty]

Thanks stree,

I have rigged up some extended "saw horses" that can be placed strategically to carry the sheets so that the material is supported throughout the cut. I get reasonably good results but every now and again I get this wandering. I tend to stay at the corner of the sheet for the whole rip so I will try and move across to the fence side as i complete the cut.

thanks again

sainty

[rich]

Hi Sainty, Iv'e been watching Norm's table saw 101 lesson, there he shows a workbench about 1m in front of the table and exactly the same height, he has a homemade outfeed table immediately behind the table and when he's ripping an 8x4 he stresses that he is watching the edge against the fence as he rips, his fence is on the right of the blade and he stands to the left of the table whilst he is feeding the sheet through, he stops feeding as soon as the sheet is through the back of the blade and the sheet is fully supported by the outfeed table, it takes about 10 secs, I wish I was techie enough to download the episode and show you, but I'm NOT . HTH
rICH.

[dom]

Stree is right, this saw is not an ideal tool for this operation.
But needs must etc.
Infeed and outfeed tables are preferable to saw horses as these are unlikely to allow for free and smooth movement of the board.
Correctly set rollers, parallel and dead level , I have found are better.
It's important that the support is for the full length of the board to avoid tipping so the infeed/outfeed table is the best method.
When you reach a point of equilibrium and the board is safely balanced push from the side, i.e. the left of the blade, against the fence ensuring the pressure is on the infeed side of the blade, as pushing against the blade will cause binding and kickback.
In conclusion, the more level, steady, smooth, support you have, the safer and better the cut.

[engineerone]

whilst i agree about the saw sizes, it is important to have the cut level, and whilst positioning is important, the set of the fence is important too.

if you follow the advice of scrit, then your fence does not go past the centre line of the blade, to stop knock back etc.

so based on my problems with cutting 4x4 boards on my dewalt
744. my advice is to stand to the side and put your pressure at the blade front with one hand and use some kind of pulling stick to hold the back square as you move it forward.

you definately need an outfeed table at the correct height since it stops the board tipping which is what is the real worry.

also a proper blade is important.
paul

[Stree]

Just another quick note. Roller stands can be a nightmare for table saw outfeeds if not precisely parallel and plum level as Dom says, reason being that they will "guide" the material along the alignment of the roller regardless of your efforts to keep the material flush with the fence. The roller ball types are supposed to be better but not tried them I now use outfeed tables for any oversized work.
The roller stands are fine for out and even in feed of a thicknesser though.

[sainty]

I don't like to use roller stands for that reason. When I've got some time I might make another outfeed table for use as an infeed table if that makes sense.
How about a longer fence? Would this help? Probably not as it seems to be at the end of the rip that I have problems.

As for the saw set up, I think that its ok. The sliding carriage works like a dream with the 5 cut set up procedure. I have a little toe out (?) on the fence to prevent binding for rip cuts. Is this really necessary if the fence only goes to about halfway through the blade?

[dom]

Agree with the above, but I did see proper tables are the best.
If you have trouble parallelising the rollers use a' rod 'to make sure they are set square.

[Sgian Dubh]

sainty said:

Where should I be standing/applying pressure when trying to rip sheets of 18mm MDF into 40m strips? I have been cutting the sheets in half length ways and standing at the opposite corner to the one that rides next to the fence a applying a kind of diagonal pressure to try and keep it straight. I've had mixed results, especially when I reach then end of the cut. Sainty

Your technique sounds about right. For ripping 8' X 4' boards approximately in half lengthways start by standing near the board corner diagonally opposite the other corner against the rip fence. Place your right hand at about the mid-point of the end of the board; your left hand a couple or three feet extended along the left hand edge.

Then feed the board through. It's at the point where you need to transfer your weight and body position to the end of the board that gets most people. It takes some practice to do that smoothly and adjust the forward force but reduce the sideways force all at the same time. If the rip is narrow you'll also have to pick up a push stick to finish off the cut. There's a lot of things going on and it takes practice to develop the skill.

It's a bit like driving. After enough practice the tasks of changing gear, steering, using the clutch, accelerator and brake become unconscious skills and you concentrate on the road, other road users, the signage, etc. When you started you had to concentrate on every blasted operation in isolation and it was very tricky.

Here's a link to an article I co-authored with Barb Siddiqui some years back now. The main reason for pointing you towards it is there's some discussion and pictures of offcut tables you might find useful. It's towards the end. Also note how the rip fence is set up in the last two pictures and the offcut table attached to the saw. Even though the pictures illustrate ripping solid wood, the principle for ripping sheet goods is generally much the same. Slainte.

www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/readarticle.pl?dir=powertools&file=articles_108.shtml

[Keith]

I have the Scheppach and find the sliding carriage rail gets in the way and is a damn pain when trying to cut large sheets. I never use it for full sheets any more, I prefer to use a Festool saw and guide rail.

As for the setting of the fence, I set the end forward of the centre of the blade when ripping timber, but find it better to have it it project to the back of the table when cutting sheet material, but I'm not sure if this is contrary to perceived wisdom??