Cutting 3/4" strip safely

[bmuir]

I have a 1/4"x4"x48" slab of UHMW plastic that I need to rip a 3/4" strip off of.

Question:

Best way to do this safely.

1. Strip between the fence and the blade and a push stick that covers the blade.
2. Strip outside the blade. Aprox. 3-3/4 inch of plastic between the fence and the blade with a push stick.
3. Blade high or low (just over 1/4-inch above table).

Thanks,

bill

[crokett]

Option 2. And blade low (teeth should just clear the top of the stock). Also get in the habit of using featherboards.

[jackellis]

I've seen another method using an auxiliary fence made of a piece of plywood a few inches wide with a notch the width of the strip. Use a featherboard to keep the stock tight against the aux fence and the aux fence between blade and the rip fence. Push the aux fence through so it carries the stock along. The big advantage is that you do not have to move the rip fence if making repeated cuts to get lots of strips.

I'm planning on trying it later today.

[whitecobra]

Definitely cut the "strip" off the free end holding the main body of the material next to the fence

The small piece will be the wild card if it gets stuck between the fence and the blade you have an arrow of significant velocity heading straight at you

If you are cutting multiple strips off this slab then use a small pointing gauge in a miter slot (if you have one) on the left side of the blade

Simple move the fence to the left each time you need to cut another board enough to move the slab over until it hits the pointing gauge attached to the miter slot.

Also I would not use feather boards for thin stock I prefer a hang over fence which is nothing more then a full length of wood set a few millimeters above the slab but the whole length of the fence. It acts like a slot. Once the slab is "inserted" under it at the beginning of the run the slab is pinched between the blade on the left the fence on the right and this "roof" on the top there is NO way it is going to be hurled up and that only leaves you to prevent it from being pushed back at you

That is where blade height comes partly to play. You want the teeth to JUST come out of the slab. If you have them HIGH the forward component of the emerging teeth on the rear part of the blade could shoot the slab with great force.

Help?

Dr D

[Ken Massingale]

What they said, and don't waste any time getting it through the blade. Go slow and you'll have a mess when the blade heats and softens the UHMW.

[John Hunter]

Make a simple strip cutting gauge http://benchnotes.com/Strip%20Cutting%20Gauge/strip_cutting_gauge.htm These work great!

[Black wallnut]

Here's how I've done this many times:
#1, low blade, just less than 1/4" above the stock, and a push stick made from a handsaw template where the handle is much higher than the blade ever is, and the bottom of the "saw" has a 1/4" ledge at the back.

A draw back to my method is the guard might have to be removed to do this. Use caution, IMHO the use of a ZCTP is mandatory for this cut! and a Shark Splitter is highly recommended. Be forewarned my way does have added risk; the other suggestions may be somewhat safer. The drawback of the other methods is if your two sides are not parallel your off cut will be tapered.