ripping really small strips?

[LCHIEN]

I need some strips about .175" x .210" to plug the visible ends of slots in a fingerjointed box. The slots were cut into the sides to support the bottom but on two ends they show.

So I'm open to suggestions on how to rip these.

I'm thinking bandsaw might be the best but its still looking kind of precarious to me.

once i have them I'll dip them in glue, stick them into the end of the hole and japanese flush-saw them off.

[Larryl]

I believe I would not want to use any machine tool on strips that small. I would suggest using a dovetail or Japanese rip saw.

[pelligrini]

On fingerjointed boxes where I planned to run a dado for the bottom I would make several fingers from the same material while I was doing the sides. I'd start with a long side piece, cut some fingers, cut those fingers off and maybe another set or two, then crosscut the board for the actual side. If I needed to trim/rip my spare fingers I'd just split them with a chisel.

I learned that by accident when I first miscut some box joints and cut off all the fingers to start over. I dug the fingers out of the trash to plug my dado gaps.

If you don't want to cut more fingers you can always do some long thin rips from a bigger board on the table saw and crosscut the pieces.

[JR]

I use a sort of sacrificial push block. It's a 6" 2x4. I attach a piece of scrap 1/4" plywood on one end, with a reveal of 1/8" plus a simple handle on top of the block.

Plane your material to desired thickness, then lay the push block on top of it as you rip it to width.

JR

[Lonnie in Orlando]

Rube Goldberg to the rescue

Loring -

This is the geekiest contraption I have ever made, but it works.

ShopVac thin strip jig: 1/8" plywood base. 3/4" MDF top and ports. Blue tape covers the unused ports. If the strip is too thick, rip it again. The vac holds it for multiple passes.

(Pardon the clutter on my outfeed table and work table - no excuse)

- Lonnie

[eccentrictinkerer]

Loring -

This is the geekiest contraption I have ever made, but it works.

ShopVac thin strip jig: 1/8" plywood base. 3/4" MDF top and ports. Blue tape covers the unused ports. If the strip is too thick, rip it again. The vac holds it for multiple passes.

(Pardon the clutter on my outfeed table and work table - no excuse)

- Lonnie

Cool jig! This confirms one of the reasons I joined this great forum!

Thanks,

J.D.

[eezlock]

ripping really small strips

I think it would be best done on a bandsaw, cut from a larger thicker piece
and then sanded and shaved down with a block plane to desired thickness.
I don't want to ever think about really small pieces and cutting them on any tablesaw!

[SARGE..g-47]

I would take the .210 from the outside of a wider board then take it down to slightly over-size on the band-saw seeking the final .175...... then finish to .175 by hand.

Good luck however you finally proceed...

[Black wallnut]

Depending on how long the strips need to be and your comfort with plunge cuts on the table saw my jig http://www.bt3central.com/articles/files/ms-draws.pdf may just be the answer. Plane to thickness, rip to width......

[phrog]

Loring -

This is the geekiest contraption I have ever made, but it works.

ShopVac thin strip jig: 1/8" plywood base. 3/4" MDF top and ports. Blue tape covers the unused ports. If the strip is too thick, rip it again. The vac holds it for multiple passes.

(Pardon the clutter on my outfeed table and work table - no excuse)

- Lonnie

Terrific jig, Lonnie. I think I may try that.

[phi1l]

I need some strips about .175" x .210" to plug the visible ends of slots in a fingerjointed box. The slots were cut into the sides to support the bottom but on two ends they show.

So I'm open to suggestions on how to rip these.

I'm thinking bandsaw might be the best but its still looking kind of precarious to me.

once i have them I'll dip them in glue, stick them into the end of the hole and japanese flush-saw them off.

It seems to me that what you really need are little wedges. I would plane some stock down to the size of the wider dimension, then cut little wedges off of that piece, coat them with glue & drive them in. Then use a flush cut saw, or whatever to level them with the surface.

[cabinetman]

On fingerjointed boxes where I planned to run a dado for the bottom I would make several fingers from the same material while I was doing the sides. I'd start with a long side piece, cut some fingers, cut those fingers off and maybe another set or two, then crosscut the board for the actual side. If I needed to trim/rip my spare fingers I'd just split them with a chisel.

I learned that by accident when I first miscut some box joints and cut off all the fingers to start over. I dug the fingers out of the trash to plug my dado gaps.

If you don't want to cut more fingers you can always do some long thin rips from a bigger board on the table saw and crosscut the pieces.

This would probably be the easiest way to do it. Not too difficult to cut them on the TS.
.

[atgcpaul]

I would take the .210 from the outside of a wider board then take it down to slightly over-size on the band-saw seeking the final .175...... then finish to .175 by hand.

Good luck however you finally proceed...

This is my vote, too. You probably only need a few long strips to fill in your
gaps. If so, this will probably be the safest and least jig intensive.

[pelligrini]

This would probably be the easiest way to do it. Not too difficult to cut them on the TS.
.

That method worked really well for 1/4" fingers and the same dado width done with my Freud box joint blade set.

It's not good to crosscut just the fingers off on the tablesaw with the box joint blades in there though. The offset teeth on the set will throw them everywhere, really hard and fast.

I use other means to cut them off now.

[pelligrini]

This is my vote, too. You probably only need a few long strips to fill in your
gaps. If so, this will probably be the safest and least jig intensive.

If more than one strip is needed; a stop set up on the left side of the table can produce repeatable thin rips from a wider board by just moving the fence and board up to the stop for each rip.