Never knew something so simple...

[milanuk]

could kick my a$$ so hard!!!

Ripping a straight line is about to drive me nutty. I'm working on trying to build my first 'big' project... the mobile wood storage rack/cart from ShopNotes... #55 or thereabouts. Big A-frame sucker.

I tried *once* the bit w/ moving everything around and using the full width of the stock rails... not something I'm inclined to do again w/ a wide piecee of plywood 8' long.

Even just the little bits, like ripping strips for the shelf support cleats and putting a 5* bevel on one side... if I try to make sure the board stays against the rip fence on the infeed side... it ends up off the fence, sometimes as much as 1/8", on the outfeed side, and vice versa. There doesn't seem to be much of a happy medium, and the **** board comes out looking like I cut it free hand w/ a jig saw instead of a table saw w/ a rip fence.

Cutting a sheet w/ one of those two-piece extruded aluminum guide isn't much better... even after going thru w/ the CS (PC 743K), I end up having to reset the guide rail and clean it up w/ a router...

This is getting frustrating enough I'm about ready to sell all the WW tools I have accumulated and call it quits.

Any hints or suggestions as to what the heck I can do to fix this disaster, short of buying a Festool ATK55, whih is starting to look like a bargain right about now.

Thanks,

Monte

[smc331]

Sounds like two issues - first of all I'd recommend a clamped on straight edge to cut sheet goods with your circular saw - get 'em down to manageable pieces to "final cut" on your table saw.

Second, are you using feather boards for your rips? Makes all the difference in the world in the quality of my rip cuts. A lot of the guys have made their own feather boards - I cheated and use these:

http://www.benchdog.com/Products/ProBuilder/FeatherLocSinglex.htm

Works great for me I have the miter slot table add-on from the accessory kit - but I've also seen mods to mount them to your MST.

HTH

[Brian G]

quote:. . . ... if I try to make sure the board stays against the rip fence on the infeed side... it ends up off the fence, sometimes as much as 1/8", on the outfeed side, and vice versa.

You may be trying too hard to keep it against the fence. Pushing the stock too hard against the fence on the infeed side causes the stock to drift toward the blade on the outfeed side. This is true especially when you're near the end of your stock on the infeed. A featherboard, as Scott suggests, provides even pressure. Use a pushstick to push the stock through the cut.

A sawboard works great for cutting big sheets to smaller pieces.

One link for a sawboard

[milanuk]

I might have to try the featherboard. I don't seem to have (too much) problem getting a straight rip when I am doing short pieces... short enough that I can hook a couple fingers around the head of the rip fence, and use the first couple fingers to push the board down/in against the fence... though occasionally things go to heck in a hand basket in that short space where I can no longer put my hands on the board as the finger/blade proximity alarm starts going off or while I'm using a push stick to finish the cut.

I'll look at the sawboard idea some more... I've tried making the shorter ones in the past, w/ the integrated T-square on them but they never ended up square, so ended up being moderately useless...

Thanks,

Monte

[leehljp]

1. Stable in feed and out feed tables with long fence attachment
or
2. Sawboard

I agree with Brian in that it sounds like you are trying too hard, and I also think that you are trying to do too much work yourself. It is nearly impossible to control a long sheet of plywood in three differet planes and feed it in a straight line. It can be done but that comes only through considerable experience.

Pushing a little too hard against the fence will cause the problems that you described. Not pushing hard enough will cause the same result.

[AAJIII]

Click the link below, easy to make and use sawboards. I made some last week and they are the cheapest, easiest way to go.

http://members.aol.com/woodmiser1/sawbd.htm

[LarryG]

One other suggestion involves where your eyes are aimed. Other than being peripherally aware at all times where the blade is, especially relative to your hands, don't watch it, the blade; instead, direct your gaze to where the stock meets the rip fence. With practice you'll be able to almost anticipate when a gap is about to appear and will make an almost subconscious adjustment. It's much like driving: at first you're all over the road, your steering inputs are too big, but then you develop a feel for the road and are able to keep the car centered in your lane almost by instinct.

[mater]

quote:Originally posted by LarryG

One other suggestion involves where your eyes are aimed. Other than being peripherally aware at all times where the blade is, especially relative to your hands, don't watch it, the blade; instead, direct your gaze to where the stock meets the rip fence. With practice you'll be able to almost anticipate when a gap is about to appear and will make an almost subconscious adjustment. It's much like driving: at first you're all over the road, your steering inputs are too big, but then you develop a feel for the road and are able to keep the car centered in your lane almost by instinct.

I had the same problem ripping plywood that you are having when I first started using a tablesaw. An experience woodworker told me basically what Larry just said and that solved my problem. My problem was I was watching the blade instead of the where the stock meets the rip fence. It takes practice to adjust and still be aware of where the blade is. Be careful.

[DW]

No better than the link above, but this one has photos as well.

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00035.asp

I made one of these from a 3/4" particle board guide and some really terrible 1/4" stuff with a slippery surface the previous owner left in my basement. Used it with a Freud 80 tooth on a DW Circle Saw to reface my cabinets with VG Fir, cuts really well.

Dave