George Vondriska

Cutting Strips on a Table Saw with a Partner

George Vondriska
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Duration:   3  mins

It’s not uncommon to need thin strips for woodworking projects. You might want them for an accent strip, to cover the edge of a plywood shelf, to band the front of a European-style cabinet…there are lots of applications. We’re talking about pieces that are ¼” or so thick. It’s great to be able to cut these on the table saw. The saw guard often becomes a problem, preventing you from getting the rip fence close enough to the blade to make the cut. Problem solved.

A simple jig

The process shown here requires a simple jig; simply two pieces of plywood fastened together to create an L shape. With the jig clamped to your rip fence, you no longer have the problem of the guard hitting the fence.

However…

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, or a free rip. This approach works great, but the set up makes it nearly impossible to use a push stick to finish the cut. No problem, we’ve got a solution for you. The technique taught here makes it very easy, and safe, to rip as thin a strip as your project calls for.

More than one way

One of the cool things about woodworking is seeing the many ways woodworkers have found to solve problems. This is no different. We’ve found lots of ways to rip thin strips. Have a look at the alternative approaches, and you’ll find one that’s good for you.

Lots of table saw info

The table saw is such a major tool in the shop, it’s important that you know how to get the most out of it. Resawing, cutting dadoes, calibrating the rip fence, tapering legs…if you want to know more, we’re here to help you learn how to use a table saw.

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4 Responses to “Cutting Strips on a Table Saw with a Partner”

  1. David Muresan

    Look my "Parallel Guided Power Saw" on you tube how simple I can cut long strips.

  2. ANDRES

    As a new woodworker and still learning about how to properly use my table saw, this video helped a lot. It gave me inspiration to incorporate my son (12) so that we can both learn together.

  3. Bobbg

    Not bad, and the Saw stop saw makes all of it a lot safer. However you can buy thin strip jigs and cut your strip on the other side of the blade and use wide stock, this is yet one more tool for the toolbox there is always a new way to skin a cat you haven't thought about, but seeking new safe ways to do it differently will go a long way to sat in the shop, somthing even older carptners could learn. "Oh I've been using table saws without guards, and reving knifes or antie kick back paws" but you know it only takes one twisted warped or spring loaded board to make you only count to 7.2 for the rest of your life instead of 10. And it can happen faster then you can say ouch. I truly like the saw stop saw, wished I had one. Because even with safety gear on you can get hurt. Why take chances or make bets you can loose.

  4. F. Maus

    Nice jig, but you should use wholesteel clamps. they are not affected by vibrations

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