Cutting bevels with Right tilt blade

[niki]

Good day

On another forum, there was a thread about "Right tilt or Left tilt blade"...

In EU, most of the TS's are right tilt (probably because of the sliders or the sliding table).

When the Left Vs Right "war" was "on" (some 2~3 weeks ago), I went to the TS and took the following pictures.

Phil Thien, saw them and asked me to post them for the BT3 friends as the BT3 has also right tilt.

As you'll see, I used the short fence and if the distance blade/fence was too small, I used sled...the same sled that I use for cutting thin strips.

Also, exceptionally, I removed the blade guard for clarity (and I'm not joking) but as you will understand from the pics, my hands were "far, far and away" from the "butcher".

I would recommend to try the "Short fence" and the "Low fence"...

The short fence is giving me a lot of confidence that a kickback will not occur...

The "Low fence" is so comfortable...just imagine that you set the fence to 1" from the blade...try and cut once with the 2" high "barrier" (I mean the fence) that you have to "squeeze" between the blade and the fence...Now, try it with "Low fence" I mean 1/2"~3/4" high...it's like you don't have nothing on the right side of the blade...just make some L of 2"~3" wide and clamp it to the fence.

Best Regards
niki

[mschrank]

I guess I'm missing something....

What is the advantage here vs. just putting the fence to the left of the blade?

[cgallery]

I guess I'm missing something....

What is the advantage here vs. just putting the fence to the left of the blade?

Sorry, I thought you guys would like it.

Advantage to me is that I don't have to adjust my rails and adjust my fence when I want to rip with the blade tilted. By making an auxiliary fence that extends short of the arbor, I can do my bevel rips w/o worry of trapping wood between the fence and the blade.

It is basically just an alternative to moving the fence to the other side of the blade, but one that offers some nice flexibility.

Also, it doesn't hurt to mention that having a short fence (in general) is recommended by some people that work with reactive woods that move once ripped.

[radhak]

Before I comment on the content of the OP, did Niki post this, or CGallery? Am a bit confused...or maybe you (Cgallery) also have a similar setup?

[cgallery]

Before I comment on the content of the OP, did Niki post this, or CGallery? Am a bit confused...or maybe you (Cgallery) also have a similar setup?

Niki posted it. I saw his post first at SMC, so I suggested he post it here because I thought others could benefit (after all, all the BT3K saws are right tilt).

I'm afraid it isn't being taken the right way. I thought you guys would find it helpful.

[niki]

I guess I'm missing something....

What is the advantage here vs. just putting the fence to the left of the blade?

Hi Mike

First, the distance to the left of the blade is very limited for me (I don't know how it is on the BT3)....and by the way, I love the fence on the left of the blade but they don't make it...

This was my homemade TS (13 years ago)



But let's take for example the 5th and 6th pictures and also the last two pics...it's an approximately, 2" x 2" stick that I'm cutting into two...I would not like to push the part that is over the blade...for me, it looks much more safe to push the part under the blade...

niki

[Bruce Cohen]

Mike,

The first (and only) time I tried to bevel rip with the fence on the left side of the blade, I think I set a new world's record for kick back distance. Luckily, the garage door was open and my car wasn't in the driveway. I think I made the 60' mark.

I'll never try that trick again.

Bruce

[radhak]

Oh - no question : that is an excellent solution to a potentially dangerous situation. Thanks for the great (as always) pictorial, and thanks Phil for recommending it! I wouldn't want to miss any of niki's brainwaves .

And not having any body part too close to the spinning blade is always welcome...

[mschrank]

Mike,

The first (and only) time I tried to bevel rip with the fence on the left side of the blade, I think I set a new world's record for kick back distance. Luckily, the garage door was open and my car wasn't in the driveway. I think I made the 60' mark.

I'll never try that trick again.

Bruce

Now I'm really confused

I can't speak from experience, since kickback has never happened to me (knocking on my wooden desk). I've been under the impression that the danger of kickback is more likely if the fence is to the right of a right-tilted blade.

I know some guys like to keep their fences "toed-out" to the right a bit to prevent kick back...which would require keeping to the right of the blade. Maybe that's why you got kickback?

Phil and Niki, I do appreciate the OP. I just wanted some further clarification.

[cgallery]

Now I'm really confused

I know some guys like to keep their fences "toed-out" to the right a bit to prevent kick back...which would require keeping to the right of the blade. Maybe that's why you got kickback?

Phil and Niki, I do appreciate the OP. I just wanted some further clarification.

Yep, I keep my fence toed-out, and so it is toed-in when I move it to the left of the blade. It isn't toed-out a lot (about .003" but it varies slightly with each clamp of the fence handle). So I have never tried cutting to the left of the blade because I think it would just be unsafe. Also, it wouldn't feel "natural" to me, I really prefer to work to the right of the blade.

So Niki's suggestion offered a way for me to perform bevel cuts, and I'm going to build an aux. fence to give it a shot next time.

[TB Roye]

Niki

Write a book with pictures of all your jigs and setups. There are a lot of people here would purchase them. Instead of a book how about a CD/DVD. Your creativity is amazing.

Tom

[OpaDC]

Niki

Write a book with pictures of all your jigs and setups. There are a lot of people here would purchase them. Instead of a book how about a CD/DVD. Your creativity is amazing.

Tom

Agree with this. Have looked at tons of books, but most feel like they have to fill up a bunch of pages to justify the high cost. Would be nice to to have a book that is not just rehash of the same thing. And DVD would be awesome. I learn best when either hands on, reverse engineering, or watching someone else. I'm an avid reader, but having written training manuals before, they should not be like the books I read.

p.s. My wife can't wait for me to figure out what I'm doing so I can build her a new cabinet for her Polish Pottery.

[Bruce Cohen]

Mike and everyone else,

As my late mother used to say "I don't know my right from my left.

I reversed the sides in trying to explain where the fense should be when ripping a bevel.

It should ahve read - Fense on the left side of the blade.

I take full responsibility for my inability to get it right.

Boy am I dumb

Bruce

[cgallery]

Mike and everyone else,

As my late mother used to say "I don't know my right from my left.

I reversed the sides in trying to explain where the fense should be when ripping a bevel.

It should ahve read - Fense on the left side of the blade.

I take full responsibility for my inability to get it right.

Boy am I dumb

Bruce

Wait, your original message DID say fence on left. Or at least that was my impression.

Care to state one more time what you were doing when you had kickback?

Sorry to belabor it, but I did have kickback once and it sent me to the hospital. So I like hearing all sorts of kickback stories so I can avoid 'em.

[Bruce Cohen]

Rudy,

Now I'm getting mixed up. So here it goes, one more time:

The first time I tried to bevel rip a board (2x4) for a "French Cleat", I had the fence on the RIGHT SIDE (normal position) of the blade. Now this was done before I got a Shark guard & Riving knife.
Meaning I did not have any safety guards on the saw. The piece of wood next to the saw blade was ejected from the saw table at some ungodly speed, landing approximately 60' away from the saw. Luckily, I was standing to the side of the stock, so I wasn't injured.

I now ALWAYS use Lee's riving knife and usually the Shark guard when ripping, and mostly when crosscutting. Additionally, the fence is ALWAYS on the LEFT side of the blade for this type of ripping. I also use two Grippers either attached together or "leap frogging" them when the stock is long.

Since I've been doing this, I've never had a problem when ripping at a beveled angle.

For a normal 90 deg. rip, the fence stays to the RIGHT of the blade.

Of course, I have made sure that the fence isn't toed into the blade, I either have it totally parallel to the blade or just a business card's away from the blade.

I hope this helps, and I'm pretty sure I now know my right from my left.

Sorry about the stupid infomation.

Bruce