Working from the Side

[docrowan]

Since this thread got bumped and is somewhat of a safety thread, I'd like to ask my question again. If one is making a long bevel rip, since the blade tilts to the right the safest course is to set the fence to the left side of the blade to avoid trapping the off cut between the fence and the blade. However, how do you mount a feather board to keep the stock tight to the fence? Will a vertically mounted feather board keep the stock tight horizontally as well as vertically?

[cabinetman]

Since this thread got bumped and is somewhat of a safety thread, I'd like to ask my question again. If one is making a long bevel rip, since the blade tilts to the right the safest course is to set the fence to the left side of the blade to avoid trapping the off cut between the fence and the blade. However, how do you mount a feather board to keep the stock tight to the fence? Will a vertically mounted feather board keep the stock tight horizontally as well as vertically?

The stock should be featherboarded in both directions. If there is a miter slot to the right, to use that for structuring a featherboard. A jig can be clamped to the right to the table enabling a featherboard to work horizontally. A vertical one can be fixed to the fence.
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[LarryG]

However, how do you mount a feather board to keep the stock tight to the fence?

You do it the exact same way you do for a cut with the blade vertical. Since a properly-located featherboard is ALWAYS forward of the blade, the fact the blade happens to be tilted because you're making a cut that is beveled is irrelevant. That is, the direction the blade is tilted and whether the workpiece will or will not be trapped beneath the tilted blade does not technically come into play until after the cut has already been made.

[docrowan]

Agreed, the featherboard must always mount in front of the blade. The reference to trapping the offcut was to having the fence to the right of a right tilting blade such as the BT3100. In such a situation, if the board bows up it will have nowhere to go but into the blade, causing a kickback. Therefore you must have the fence on the left side when making a bevel rip. What I'm having trouble with is I have no good way to mount a featherboard to the right (and in front) of the blade on a standard BT3100. I wound up using the SMT locked into position, but it was kind of a morphidite solution. (Morphidite is a good Southern word, look it up in any redneck dictionary.)

[Russianwolf]

Doc, in the BT3 manual there are instructions for using the SMT to mount a featherboard. Move the SMT to the right of the blade and use those instructions.

If you need something on the left of the blade for support, move the accessory table. That's one of the big benefits of the Bt3 saws. Everything can be moved around as needed, something most other saws are severly lacking in.

As to the other aspect of the thread. I can say that the only times that I have been hurt while working on a tablesaw was when my body was in front of the saw. Not always in direct line of the blade. I don't think that standing to the side effectively increases the chances of being hurt, and I stand wher I am most comfortable for every cut. Sometimes that places me in direct line of fire, but for me it's what the cut requires.

C'man, the toe out doesn't cause a wedge cut as the piece is moving parralel to the fence. To get a wedge the piece would have to move at an angel to the fence (how a taper jig works).

[LarryG]

Ah, I see now ... you were asking how to physically attach the featherboard on a BT3x00 in particular, as opposed to what is the proper theoretical setup.

When I was still using my BT, I solved this problem (and others) via a shop-built miter slot table to the right of the blade. (Actually, far more often than not, I sidestepped the problem by doing almost all of my bevel cuts -- for French cleats, usually -- on my bandsaw.)

For those with no miter slot on the right side, it might be possible to somehow attach a featherboard to the accessory table and slide it into the correct position and lock it down. Or remove the accessory table, clamp a wide board across the rails, and then clamp a featherboard to that. Or move the SMT to that side, assuming you don't have something in the way (like a router wing) that would preclude this. Obviously, no matter how you do it, getting the featherboard properly adjusted and then properly secured, so it cannot move unexpectedly, is paramount.

[docrowan]

I think I'm going to have to build a homemade miter slot table. I was considering purchasing an accessory table for the 21829 that has the miter slots built in. I like the adjustability of being able to pop the thing on and off quickly. But $60 for just the accessory table from Sears seems pricey to me. I'm also considering purchasing the 21829 recently posted here and being done with the whole thing, but there are some logistics issues to work out.

Edit: Just saw Russianwolf's post. I'll be looking at the manual tonight. Thanks for the responses everyone.

[crokett]

What's wrong with having the featherboard mounted to the SMT in a locked position? I do this all the time with my saw and it works just fine. Actually I like having the SMT there - I have more options for adjusting the position of the featherboard than I would with a mitre slot table.

As for making bevel cuts, I leave my rip fence on the right side of the blade and plan the cut so the offcut is on the left of the blade. I figure the featherboards, push sticks, etc are all beariing on the work piece and the uncontrolled offcut is really what I need to worry about in regards to kickback. Whever the fence is, there is always one piece that is moving between the blade and fence. I'd rather it be the one I am controlling.

[Ed62]

As for making bevel cuts, I leave my rip fence on the right side of the blade and plan the cut so the offcut is on the left of the blade. I figure the featherboards, push sticks, etc are all beariing on the work piece and the uncontrolled offcut is really what I need to worry about in regards to kickback. Whever the fence is, there is always one piece that is moving between the blade and fence. I'd rather it be the one I am controlling.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me the fence should be to the left side to be safer. If something should go wrong the way you describe, you would not only have a lifting of the workpiece, but also a pinch, which seems like it would make for a more violent kickback when the fence is on the right side. Anyone else want to comment? I'm certainly open to other's ideas.

Ed

[dkerfoot]

I like the adjustability of being able to pop the thing on and off quickly. But $60 for just the accessory table from Sears seems pricey to me. I'm also considering purchasing the 21829 recently posted here and being done with the whole thing, but there are some logistics issues to work out.

I mentioned this elsewhere, but the accessory tables for the 21829 can not be adjusted to parallel with the blade. It is useful for featherboards but not a whole lot else.

I got around it by using the base of an old broken SMT and some plywood and flooring scraps to make a miter table that can be adjusted parallel to the blade.

The front overhang is also sometimes very handy to help stabilize larger boards.

[docrowan]

That's looks like what I'm wanting. Easy on, easy off. Some of the plans I've seen for miter slot attachments look more like permanent mounts.

[pelligrini]

If they're attached to the saw frame rather than the rails being permanant is ok, you can move the rails without having to undo the miter table.

Doug's solution is pretty slick too. The same idea could be executed without a smt base, just use the same premise for alignment that the smt uses.