What are the safest ways to make these cuts…?

[LarryG]

Maybe at that point it’s just too big for the table saw?

Or you increase the saw's capacity with a wide-table kit, either store-bought or home-brewed (if the latter, the one factory piece you will need for certain is a second set of rails, either full-length or partial. Everything else you can build ... see all the mobile base articles and threads for examples).

I often stand to the right of the rip fence myself, but usually only when working with narrow pieces. I'm a lefty, and although I'm semi-ambidextrous my left arm and hand give me the most control despite being physically weaker than my right. When working with narrow pieces, standing to the right of the rip fence is where I feel like I have the most control.

And that's the main thing, right there: control. I'm not in the "never stand behind the blade" camp. Not standing behind the blade is generally good advice, but it's not an absolute. You need to stand where you have the most control over the cut, and sometimes that may well be directly behind the blade. (In my opinion. I know there are some who will disagree, and I respect that.)

[WEG]

Hi Jon;

I would recommend a trip to the library or your local bookstore and find a nice tablesaw book or two. Read up on what you are planning on doing, think it through, and if it doesn't feel right, don't do it... stop and rethink it again or get some help. Fingers are real important in this hobby! (well, most of them anyway ) Hope this helps out a bit. And welcome.
Be safe...
Oh, one more. Look into purchasing a "Grripper". Great safety item IMHO of course.
WEG

[mdutch]

Regarding your question about what rails to use -- here's some general pix of some. You can find them on-the-cheap at Home Depot, Lowes, and Harbor Freight. If you have too much money, you can buy them from Rockler.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10537
or
http://www.nesales.com/tools/roller_stands.htm

And, if you want to invest the money, I recommend the ball-bearing roller type instead of the fixed "wide" roller. You don't have to be as "perfect" with your alignment as the ball bearings will slide your stock any way you want.

When ripping sheet goods (like your 2x5' piece), always try to start with the "factory edge" against the fence. If you've cut with your circular saw, there's going to probably be some variation in the true-ness of the cut, so it won't track well against the fence.

Note to file away: If you don't have a factory edge, esp. if it's obviously wavy, then you need to make your first jig!! There are several threads here on the board on how to use a 4-6" wide piece of MDF and its factory edge with clamps or double-stick tape and turn your BT3K into a half-fast jointer. Maybe one of the folks here has a quick link to it -- I can't put my finger on it at the moment.

[davidtu]

The GRRRipper looks cool, but doesn't it require doing away with a) the blade guard, b) the riving blades, c) the pawls.

Is the theory that this items renders those unnecessary? Does everyone buy that theory?

[agent511]

I think the theory is that most people remove the blade guard, splitter and pawls the very first thing.

You never see anybody use those items on TV. Even on the home make-over shows, yet alone Wood works, and Tools and Techniques.

They always have a disclaimer saying they have removed the guard to allow better visualization by the camera. Yeah, and I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell!

[LarryG]

Is the theory that this items renders those unnecessary?

Not exactly. Generally, the type of cuts on which you'd most need the GRR-Ripper are the type of cuts for which the blade guard would have to be removed anyway, because the workpiece is so narrow. Conversely, on cuts for which the guard can be left in place, you generally wouldn't need the GRR-Ripper.

The riving knife is a separate problem. If you have one that is cut down so it's a hair short of the top of the blade, ala the Shark Splitter, it can be left in place while the GRR-Ripper is used.

I have a GRR-Ripper and regard it as the single best safety device I've ever purchased. I would not want to make narrow cuts on the TS without it.

[jackellis]

I'm a bit of a newbie myself but here are some of the things I do:

1) No gloves. They get in the way and they can be a safety hazard.

2) I Use the blade guard and the riving knife and the pawls, though I really need to get rid of the pawls because they tend to scratch the wood. I'm scared to death of using a table saw or a miter saw without a blade guard because I need all my fingers for the other stuff I do.

3) Keep the larger piece between the fence and the blade.

4) Perhaps I should worry about the SMT moving when I rip wide stock but I don't usually lock it in place. However I *never* use the SMT fence and the rip fence at the same time. That's just begging for a kickback.

5) Best way to hold stock against the fence is with a featherboard that touches your stock just ahead of the front of the blade. Never have a featherboard pusing stock against the blade itself. I need to make myself a tall fence with a featherboard that keeps stock flat against the table.

6) Roller stands are great, but Ridgid makes a tilting stand without rollers on top that also works pretty well. I have one roller and one Ridgid and they make all the difference when trying to work with large stock. Not using roller stands when you're cutting large stock is an invitation to disaster IMHO.

7) For cutting large stock down to size, some folks use a piece of MDF or a 1x4 that's clamped where it needs to be. There are some bar clamps machined out of aluminum like these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013

that I found very helpful in making accurate cuts with a circular saw.

By all means read everything you can about table saw safety. They are very dangerous machines and you need to treat them with great respect because they can maim or kill you.

[davidtu]

I think the theory is that most people remove the blade guard, splitter and pawls the very first thing.

You never see anybody use those items on TV. Even on the home make-over shows, yet alone Wood works, and Tools and Techniques.

Is that true for most of you, have you removed these items generally? My inclination is to go the other way, if I could find a 2nd blade guard to put over the first one, I'd do that! :-)

That saw blade with its little head sticking out over the cut torments me like a siren, it says, "come on over, just touch me, you'll see, I'll be your friend..."

In fact, I've been thinking the best safety device might be a pair of handcuffs, but I can't yet figure out how to push the wood through with my hands behind my back, I'm working on it though.

But seriously, do most folks do away with the BT3100 safety devices?

(disclaimer: safety is no joke ... joking about it can only be done wryly, as here)

[JonW]

Hey Folks,

I did a little woodworking over the weekend. Didn't have nearly as much time to play as I wanted, but...

The two HUGE things that helped were:
-Maximizing control of the wood
-Not looking at the blade

When I arranged and positioned things to really be able to control the wood, everything went better. Rather than being afraid of the saw and letting it dictate things, I allowed myself more control. Everything went much, much better.

Also, looking at the rip fence, rather than the blade, helped make for cleaner cuts. I'm still not 100% as straight as a factory edge. But it's an improvement. And only some practice is now needed. I just need to, somehow, find more time to actually use the saw.

Thanks!

-Jon