??? about safely cutting weird cuts on table saw

[master53yoda]

Question for those that have some experience cutting wierd cuts on the the table saw safely.

two of use have fought this cut making a crib from the same plan. One of use launched it the other datoed it but didn't cut the angles correctly, How should this bee done when notching a long round piece

the picture of the rod is one the first attempt with the dato and the rod rotated, i made a fence attachment with and outfeed insert to support the portion that had been removed and a guide jig that would not allow the piece away from the fence. the second attempt was successfull.

the second picture is the plan layout sheet.

[drumpriest]

I think I'd make a cradle to make this cut, so that I have something flat and square to reference on the fence.

[crokett]

I think I would clamp it in place in drumpriest's cradle but use a router to make that cut. Then you don't have to rotate the rod.

[cgallery]

I would have started with square stock, and removed the grove. Then I'd add a temporary piece where I had removed the grove, and run the piece through the router table to add roundovers.

I'm not saying it would work well, but that is what I'd have tried. Primarily because I'd be concerned about matching the species of the wood.

It will be interesting to hear other techniques.

[drumpriest]

One method would be to turn your own dowel, rather than buy one. Then you can leave the head and tail square, and make the cuts, then cut off the ends, revealing the round bit that you want with the rabbet.

[radhak]

How about, glue two square pieces at either end or the dowel; should be same thickness/width as the diameter of the dowel and some inches long; then rip out a quarter of that 'square' out, and cut the glued portions out?

[LCHIEN]

I'd make an L-shaped carrier the length of the dowel and then cut the quarter out with a pass or two from a dado blade, using the carrier to hold the dowel at a consistent angle and the carrier up against the rip fence and table saw top.
The two black lines are 23 ga pins I'd shoot carefully into the fixture and dowel to hold it while sawing, use as few as possible to hold relative to the floppyness of the dowel. If you need brads for length, do so, you'll maybe have to putty these later. If you can use a push shoe on top of the dowel, then you maybe don't need the pin from the bottom.

This is one application where you might need a bigger (8") dado blade, depending upon the dowel dimensions.

if the dowel is short you can put end caps on and nail the dowel on the ends to avoid holes on the sides.

[Tom Miller]

I'd make a holder piece (as shown in cross-section) about as long as the dowel. You could attach the dowel with double-stick tape, glue gun, whatever. Then you could make two cuts with the holder piece riding the fence.




Regards,
Tom

[LarryG]

I would do it Tom's way, making two passes with a conventional blade. I don't think I'd be comfortable using a dado set ... it'd be hogging out way too big a percentage of a small-ish workpiece.

Note that Tom's method will require reversing the workpiece and holder end-for-end between the two passes.

A square section on the two ends, as suggested by Keith and radhak, will work IF the workpiece is short enough that both ends will stay supported (i.e., not fall off the table saw) throughout the cut; OR the the workpiece is mounted on a carrier which is long enough that it, the carrier, will stay supported throughout the cut. This would require raising the blade height to account for the thickness of the carrier.

A cradle and a router is another alternative, but the problem with this approach is how to guide the router and still secure the workpiece in the cradle. It sounds simple at first blush but when you think it all through, it gets complicated in a fat hurry. DAMHIKT.

[master53yoda]

the movement limiting jig i made was 18" long and shaped like The one Tom shows. It held the dowel to the table and fence, I mounted it over the dato head and used an outfeed spacer against the fnce that was the same size as the dato.

I had thought of using the jig the way tom shows, and iattaching it to the dowel, it would have just been the need to make it 60 " long and looking back is probably the only way to hold the 55" long dowel form turning and cutting anything other then a dead 90 degree slot.

Using a jig like the one shown by Tom Miller, it stabilizes the dowel but is there a way to prevent the cut off piece from launching, because the loose piece is trapped within the jig and the fence, 55" long, has no restraint, and i think is /free to rotate and grab the blade. I think that is what happened to the other crib builder TJmac44- Tom, is that what happened

Tom Miller, In your picture are you running the jig or the round stock against the fence ?? I just reread your comment and you said to put the holder against the fence. In my thinking I never thought to put the holder against the fence.


Thanks for everyone's comments.

[LCHIEN]

I would do it Tom's way, making two passes with a conventional blade. I don't think I'd be comfortable using a dado set ... it'd be hogging out way too big a percentage of a small-ish workpiece.

...

i don't recall seeing the dimensions (dia) of the dowel. Assuming its under 1.5" you can make the cut with a 3/4" or less dado.
You don't have to make the cut all at once if you are nervous about the cut removal relative to the dowel. You can raise the dado and make multiple passes.

One thing about using the dado, there's no cutoff launch.

[Tom Miller]

Tom Miller, In your picture are you running the jig or the round stock against the fence ?? I just reread your comment and you said to put the holder against the fence. In my thinking I never thought to put the holder against the fence.

Yes, as you already figured out there's no trapped piece. (I was too lazy to draw in the fence -- that would have required a whole 'nuther rectangle )

Otherwise, that would be a particularly nasty launch (given the geometry of the piece) compared to a rectangular cross-section.

Regards,
Tom

[SARGE..g-47]

Tom has it nailed and there is not launch piece. Two squares on the end of dowel would work if short enough as metioned but.. the piece must be short enough that the entire lenght is on the table on both sides of blade center tooth. And if you do use a dado... I would make several passes as I think Loriing mentioned?

Heck... someone already mentioned most of what I just said so... back to the shop for me with a 60" long top glue-up working in 14 Cabinet Clamps.. Having some fun today.

Ya'll have a good day...

[tjmac44]

I'd make a holder piece (as shown in cross-section) about as long as the dowel. You could attach the dowel with double-stick tape, glue gun, whatever. Then you could make two cuts with the holder piece riding the fence.

[ATTACH]12710[/ATTACH]


Regards,
Tom

This is exactly what I did with double-side tape. Worked perfect. The rod is 1.5 X 55. The craddle I used probably was 48". With sticky tape on both surfaces it holds suprising well. A lot of effort to remove.