Cross Cutting Long Boards

[spagington]

I am about to purchase several 10 ft boards for use with my next project. I was planning on rough cutting them to width with the miter saw, then clean them up on the table saw.

Is there a better approach?

Thanks,
Scott

[crokett]

Unless the end grain is going to show and you want a finer crosscut, why not just cut to finished length on the miter saw? There is no reason you can't make an accurate cut on your miter saw.

[Ed62]

Welcome to the boards. Not sure I understand the question. When you say you want to rough cut to width, don't you actually mean length, or were you going to have short boards to rip? If crosscutting, a good finishing blade should give you a nice finish crosscut on a miter saw. If you're thinking about ripping boards on the miter saw, that wouldn't be good. Just use the table saw for that.

Ed

[spagington]

Thanks for the quick responses.

I'm not sure why I didn't think of just using the CMS by itself. I'm obsessed with the TS I guess.

And, I did mean cut to length, not width. Not thinking clearly tonight.

Scott

[whitecobra]

I am with ED here
I don't' know how you can use a miter saw to cut to width unless you mean radial arm saw or unless you mean length

If it is length use a good blade and make FINAL cut don't cut it twice if you did mean width then use the BT only

Dr D

[drumpriest]

I would say that it depends. I can usually make better crosscuts on my table saw now-a-days. I used to use my SCMS for it all of the time. I had an extended fence on the SCMS to allow for accurate repeating of cut lengths. On the TS, I do the same by referencing off of the rip fence (with a 3/4" block , don't reference off of it and a cross cut device as you are making the cut). This allows for accurate repeatable cuts.

Keep in mind that many times, it's not even how exact the measurement is, but that all of your cuts are the same size (or relative to each other) that is important.

I do pretty much exactly what you originally suggest most times, cut to a more manageable size, and go from there.

[cabinetman]

If the width of the board can be cut on a MS, CMS, or a SCMS, and you have a "great" blade that you want to use for finishing, change the blade for the "rough" cuts. The condition of the board may have a lot to do with whether your cut will be the final cut. If the board has one straight edge, then you most likely can crosscut 90 degrees to that edge.

Just a reminder about crosscutting and having the stock fully supported, instead of falling off. Fully supported stock cuts much smoother and it takes less muscle.

[SARGE..g-47]

I'm going to add my $.02 worth a little late, but what I am going to say will not be too late, IMO! Unless.. unless you have adequate friction tables built around your TS... DO NOT use it to cross-cut long stock, especially long stock that has just been brought into the shop from the supplier in the rough!

If you use a BT-3 saw.. that slider that can be used for cross-cutting is not robust enought to abuse with that kind of wieght and friction it will be subjected too. It's great for smaller stuff, but it ain't no Felder slider that is designed to handle the "big stock".

I have done it.. I will never do it again. You are dealing with a ton of weight on a small table top. You are dealing with friction when moving the stock forward on a mitre fence. You are preforming a juggling act as at a circus that carries some of the risk as a high-wire act.

The first time I had a long piece of stock drag and twist into the blade pulling my hand toward the blade and literally lifting my body forward.. I found a better way. My hands were kept over 12" from the blade and I was not hurt fortunately, but a valuable lesson was learned.

I immediately shut off the saw and went and purchased a 12" x 12' piece of yellow pine that became my cutting board. I built an over-head fence in the center to guide both outer edges of my circular saw over-head. The stock to be cut was simply placed on that piece of cutting board an slid forward to the cut 90* cut point of the circular that rode overhead. The cut board sat on 2 portable saw-horses and could be taken down and the whole thing stored on a wall taking minimal space.

Latter I purchased a SCMS and found a way to make it take minimum space but be capable of long stock support for the 12'-14' stock I bring in to cut to working sizes. I also use it very accurately to do All cross-cutting leaving my TS to do what it was truly designed for.. to rip. A also do any angle cutting in the SCMS.

IMO.. cross-cutting long heavy stock should be done with a circular saw with support, RAS with support.. SCMS with support.. or a larger Euro slider and even then with proper support for long, heavy stock as you got your hands full and if you want to keep them.. and not over-tax your machine to the point it becomes very dangerous.. very dangerous indeed!

Regards...

[footprintsinconc]

sarge, nice scms and cabinet. i like the setup. did the cabinet (with the opening for shop vac) come with the scms?

the more i read posts on this site, the more i feel the need for a scms and bs!

[Russianwolf]

I will also put in that not all CMS are created equal. I wouldn't even think of using my cheapola chinese made SCMS for finish cuts. no matter what blade I used. Reason being, I know that no matter how well I adjust it, it will not cut a straight line due to the run out of the arbor. I use it for rough cutting to length, but do my finish cuts on the BT3.

[SARGE..g-47]

"sarge, nice scms and cabinet. i like the setup. did the cabinet (with the opening for shop vac) come with the scms"?... omar

Naw.. it came from the scrap bin of construction grade 2 x 4 yellow pine and scrap bin of 3/4" MDF. I prefer to design my cabinets and bases the way I want them to meet my and my machines needs instead of what someone else feels I need and goes to market with. In other words... I'm picky about my machinery and one cheap "mutha" to boot! ha.. ha...

The extention wings are the top a portable Wolfcraft portable mitre stand I bought at HD when they were dis-continued for $49. O threw the legs away as they took up too much space and they gave me no mobility. That is just a 2 1/2 HP Shop Vac on sale for $24 from Lowe's turned back-side to face the hose out the rear. Took off the bottom casters to reduce hieght and it it strapped in with a piece of Velcro for quick removal and emptying.

About $75 invested total.. but $75 well spent as I see it as I got exactly what I ask for from the git-go without having to mutter... "I wish they had thougth to put a .......... :>)

Regards...

[footprintsinconc]

COOL! the green paint and i couldnt see the thickness of the base trew me off

[Black wallnut]

I'm not sure what Sarge means by "friction table" but I do agree that without support long crosscuts can be unsafe. What I have done is use one roller stand placed just past halfway between the edge of the SMT and the end of the board and then just cut away with my BT3K. This has worked for everything from nominal 1"x 4" pine to 8/4 by 8" maple to 4" x 4" pressure trated posts. Never any problems. The key IMHO is stock support. I do not have a CMS or a SCMS so my BT is the best way for me to do this. However if I had a CMS with a good blade with the needed capacity for the cut that is what I'd use.

BTW Sarge that is a nice set-up!

[spagington]

Thanks for all the replies. I didn't expect to get so many responses for such an "easy" question. Thanks for the information.

Looks like I'll be spending part of the weekend making sure my CMS cuts accurately and putting on a new blade!

[SARGE..g-47]

Evenig Black wallnut...

The "friction tables" or surfaces I mentioned is a personal thing and I probably should have just used the term support in general. I was partially trained by some Euro boy's and they teach putting solid support around the saw if you do not have a big Euro type slider. You will generally either find the Euro sliders or built on extention tables in the larger cabinet shops. Not necessarily practical for most of us as we don't have the space, so we have to make compromises.

I used to have the roller stands and used them with confidence .. until one day things went "wrong" without warning. I was ripping some 14' stock by myself with the shop door open behind my TS. I built my work-bench and assembly talbe the same height as the TS to support stock on long rips on the front of the saw. Those would fall under friction support.

I had 5 rollers staged outside in the driveway on the out-bound side with a stop at the end roller for support on that end. Working alone and being very careful as I am.. somehow the stock got loose on one of the roller stands. Kind of like a ball bearing on top of a greased flag pole ball. I don't know what happened as when the intial jerk came I released the stock and dropped to the floor quicker than I ever did when I heard "incoming" in Viet Nam. :>)

The roller stands were given away at a local club and replace with the HD flip top stands (excellent stands BTW) which I personally find to be more stable. They do have friction tops which have less tendency to slde in an unwanted direction with any mistake on your feed. After that incident, I just personally prefer the friction and it's each of our decisions to use what we feel comfortable with.

I think that what you stated is sound advice... SUPPORT is the key word and spoken with accumulated experience and wisdom. Russianwolf added more wisdom with his comments that all SCMS or CMS are NOT created equal. Not so much a safety factor there, but wisdom for anyone thinking of purchasing one. Just depends what you intentions of using it for at the time of purchase and the future. Some cases getting more is paying more. Sometimes not..

Thanks for the comments on my SCMS set-up. Just part of a labor of 35 years love of this hobby and what has evolved in my case from day one to the present. If I could go back and start day 1 in 1972 with what I have learned along the way.. I could have possibly become a decent Wood-Worker instead of a "Wood Butcher". ha.. ha...

Regards...