How to make long repeatable cross cuts without MFT

[bwehman]

Hey all!

I'm working on a refrigerator cabinet enclosure and wondering if there's a crafty way of making a repeatable cross cut using a TS55 without an MFT. I have the new angle stop and extension and love it, and aside from this issue, feel like it erased the need for an MFT.

B

 

[Birdhunter]

Without more data on the wood and the dimensions of the source wood and the pieces you want to end up with, helping is very difficult.

Unless you know someone who owns a good table saw.

 

[Kiki231]

As you truly only need matched pairs (within a mm), if I am cutting on site, I will rip my material to the proper depth , then stack them and cut pairs at a time , clamping them together to avoid drift.  I cut on a mobile setup made of 2 sawhorses with a 4x8 sheet of ply topped with a pink sheet of hard foam
At the shop, I do use an MFT, but its on a cart that can rotate , depending on the length of the sheet being cut, with a large cut table on the side supporting the length . I rotate so that the offcut always is on the short side to avoid splintering (desired piece is under the rail)

 

[GregorHochschild]

I used one rail of the TSO parallel guides for repeatable crosscuts for a long time. I even have two 50'' that I can join so it does work for very long repeatable cuts if needed. Recently, I moved back to a MFT-style table, which I think still has some important advantages. It is more consistent and less tear-out. The parallel guides option requires more effort and attention to get high quality cuts and that matters when you do 50 or whatever cuts. The zero clearance below the material also really helps to improve the quality of the cut. You can get that with parallel guides when you cut on MDF but your kerf constantly changes so it starts to get annoying.

 

[Axis39]

I don't have an MFT.  So, it's not really an option for me.

Parallel guides are the best option for repeatable stuff like this. 

I've bought into the TSO system,  self...  although, much of it is back ordered, so I don't actually own the full system yet...  Still need the all important tracks...  But, they've been ordered.  (I ordered the 30 and 50 inch set...  I figure the 30 will be always there and the 50's will gather dust...  until I really need them)

Yesterday, I needed to cut four wardrobe doors out of some sheet goods.  I shade tree mechanic'd some wooden tracks and got it working.  Granted, I was doing long rips, but the same process applies to crosscuts.  It definitely made me a convert to parallel guides for anything more than a single cut or repeatable size.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

My shop is my garage. I use quality saw horses with a pair of TrackTubes (but you could use 2x4's) and three 32x48 MDF panels on top to make a 4'x8' work table. My tops happen to have 20mm holes like an MFT but after making them I found TSO goodies and really never used my tables in an MFT mode with bench dogs and such. I usually have a 1/8" thick waste board under the work piece so as not to cut the top.

For long rips I either use the TSO parallel guide or my Eurekazone Universal Edge Guide.

Good Luck - Should be a fun project!

 

[Packard]

I use a pair of aluminum rulers (60") and rafter square stops (see image below).  I use a squeeze clamp to clamp both rulers to the stock making sure that the stops are flush against the edge of the board.  And then I move the track to  lightly touch both rulers.  I then clamp the track in place.

This is a rafter square stop.  They cost about $5.00 to $6.00 per pair.  Very handy.  I have 60" aluminum rulers mainly because they are thicker and more robust.  The 48" ones seem flimsy.

 

[Packard]

I have the TSO parallel guide system so for smaller sizes that is easier to use.
https://tsoproducts.com/tso-parallel-guide-system/tpg-parallel-guide-system/

 

[bwehman]

I have the Festool parallel guides and love them, but they're limited in length. The pieces I'm looking to cut will be about 92" long, 24" wide, and 3/4 baltic birch.

I guess I can just do the stack-and-clamp method. Ideally, three MFTs would be great, but I don't do this cut often enough to buy $2K in tables haha.

 

[Packard]

Then use the rafter square stops and aluminum rulers and squeeze clamps.  That is slower but just as accurate as the TSO system.  The rulers will cost about  $15.00 each [60" long'.  The stops will cost $6.00 per pair.  And the squeeze clamps [Pony] are $5.00 each.  So a total of $52.00, but most people have some of these items already. 

It may be cheaper on Amazon.com.  I was just checking on the Lowes' site.

 

[squall_line]

This is a rafter square stop.  They cost about $5.00 to $6.00 per pair.  Very handy.

For some reason, I got stuck on trying to figure out how many studio lights they used to light such a small piece for the photograph and then realized that they only took a picture of a single stop, and then flipped an offset it to make it look like a pair, and now I can't un-see that...

 

[Crazyraceguy]

What I can't un-see is the machine work involved. Was that thing extruded through a hole in a brick or just dragged down the sidewalk for a while?

 

[Packard]

This is a rafter square stop.  They cost about $5.00 to $6.00 per pair.  Very handy.

For some reason, I got stuck on trying to figure out how many studio lights they used to light such a small piece for the photograph and then realized that they only took a picture of a single stop, and then flipped an offset it to make it look like a pair, and now I can't un-see that...

You are almost certainly correct that this was shot using just one single brass stop and then it was photoshopped in a second time for the final image. 

If you study the images you will see that there are sets of two catchlights on the right side of the right image and identical sets of catchlights on the left side of the left image. 

On the opposite sides of those brass stops you have single catchlights (not pairs). 

If you study each catchlight there is  a mirror of it on the other brass stop.  There is no way to accomplish that with just the placement of the lights. 

What surprises me is that I did not notice it.  When I watch old movies where the actor is in the studio and the background shots were made outdoors I generally notice incongruities in the lighting.

I must be getting old.  A really astute catch on that photo shopping.

 

[mino]

One vote for the Festool FS-VA (not the TSO GRS16 OEM version) coupled with the extension to prolong the reference edge + provide a stop.

Unlike the FS-VA/90 (and GRS 16 it is based on) you must calibrate the FS-VA for the precise square position.

This, however, present one critical advantage: I have found one of my rails to be ever-so-slightly bent on the back where the square references to it. This results in the cut being a bit less than 90 degrees when using the GRS 16. It is only 0.2 mm (0.01") over a 2' cut, but it adds up.
Because of this I started using the FS-VA more than I expected as I can tune the angle such that I get no slop when checked via the 5-cut method. Once it is locked it stays square, so is not a biggie.

Being adjustable, it allows to be set in such way you can compensate for any systemic errors, be they from the square, the rail or even your technique. To me that is a winner setup at that price - especially when gfot in the SYS set like I did.

I would recommend this over/before the full TSO PG system to any hobbyist. The price is just right and the FS-VA itself is extremely useful beyond just square cuts.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

The reversed thread is a good clue too.