How To Make Triangular Length of Wood?

onocoffee

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I have an idea for a short (19") pedestal table that I would like to make with three feet mortised into a triangular shaped vertical. I tried a test cut with a piece of pine and ran it through the table saw (45 deg on the blade and two rip cuts) but the second cut places the pointed side into the fence and I feel that could become unsafe should it get wedged between the table and the fence.

I hope I described this well enough but I'm wondering if there is a Best Way to do this so that I can have a length of wood in the shape of an equilateral triangle? Thanks!
 
Tape a thin piece of stock on the table to raise the point of the stock above the bottom of the fence.
Either rip the thin stuff to fit between the blade and fence or leave the piece wider and raise the blade up through it.

I like “smooth white hardboard” for this, it’s 1/8” tempered Masonite with one surface coated with melamine and it’s inexpensive at Lowe’s.
It’s perfect for when you need a truly zero clearance support for cutting thin stuff. I keep a wide strip near the table saw that has a number of short lots from when needed full support around the blade at whatever width.

This is the stuff
 
I have an idea for a short (19") pedestal table that I would like to make with three feet mortised into a triangular shaped vertical. ... if there is a Best Way to do this so that I can have a length of wood in the shape of an equilateral triangle? Thanks!
What's the size of the triangle? Either the length of a side or half the "height" (distance from center perpendicular to an outside edge).

I'm assuming this is at least 8/4 stock, probably 10/4, maybe even 12/4. If so, my guess is making the final cut with the "waste" side being the piece you want (the above-described track saw method, or even on the tablesaw) is probably out just due to material waste/obtainability, not to mention cutting capacity with the track saw. You're not going to make a pedestal with a single piece of 4/4 stock.

The "raise the working surface of the tablesaw" method is pretty good, but you're still referencing a point against a fence and doing that accurately can be difficult. Then again, I suspect you'll probably round over the points of the equilateral triangle anyway for both looks and not cutting into people's feet when at the table. So, if you make the first cut, then round/chamfer the "point" of the two cut edges, you can reference that larger surface against the rip fence more easily and accurately. Then do the same treatment on the remaining two edges.

Another method is to use a taper sled with wooden/disposable hold downs or double-stick tape. You won't actually cut a taper, but the sled carries the work through the blade and the sled itself registers against the rip fence or miter slot. For a 30" high table this shouldn't be too hard, although the sled will take away some blade height cutting capacity, so you may want to use something thin as the carrier.

That said, you could use the taper sled as a taper sled as well, and have a triangular cross-section that decreases uniformly as it rises from the floor. This would involve saving off-cuts to hold the stock properly for the second cut, and the math is somewhat tricky, but do-able.
 
My tablesaw fence slides fore and aft as well as to the sides. When I am worried about stock getting caught between the blade and the fence, I move the fence back about 1” back from the leading edge of the blade.

If your fence does not allow you to do that, then mount a sacrificial fence that ends before the leading edge of the blade.

I’ll post a photo later.

Addendum:

Top photo shows the fence slid back. I usually slide it back to match the opening in the blade plate (red).

Bottom photo. If your fence will not slide fore and aft, clamp on a sacrificial fence with the leading edge even to the opening in the blade plate.

With either option, kick back is avoided. Both options work well when you want to use your miter gage (for angle) in conjunction with the fence for length. You should never use the fence and miter gauge together otherwise.



 
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0% the way I would do this.

Do you have a 10/4 board wide enough to support the track and use the off-cut? Even an 8/4? What do you do with the left-over piece? Make the feet?
I have a few laying around. Maple, walnut, RSWO is always on the shelf.

No reason you can’t butt boards to get a wider support plane. I do it all the time.

Hang on to the left over piece for the next 20 years and will it to the family?

I must be lazier than most here, easier to push the saw accurately than the board through the table saw.

Then again I have no issue with doing silly stuff with the track saw.
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Tom
 

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A TS-60 will just about have enough depth of cut for 8/4 stock at 30º. TS-55 won't make it.
And, again, the triangular piece will end up being on the waste side of the cut.
But, to each their own.
 
Always knew it would be on the waste side of the cut, stated so by making the blade adjustment. This is what you want, the second piece flip it again, align with blade adjustment, make cut, you now have piece #2.

Tom
 
No reason you can’t butt boards to get a wider support plane. I do it all the time.

I must be lazier than most here, easier to push the saw accurately than the board through the table saw.

Then again I have no issue with doing silly stuff with the track saw.



Tom
Agreed, I do it all the time. Though I would call it unconventional or creative ;)
That is one of the best reasons to have one of the Rapid clamps. It's not always possible to use the regular track clamps.
I have made literally thousands of cuts, while the rail is not clamped at all. That grip strip is pretty powerful, but I never trust it with a bevel cut. Always clamp bevels.
 

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Lot of ink spilled over a problem so vaguely described.

Most of the solutions are for how to make a 15 degree bevel as if the OP wants to build a hollow 3 sided equilateral post. Does he?
I didn't get "hollow" from the OP's post, but yeah, that's another way to skin this cat.

But, I don't have a dog in this hunt.

Although I am more of a dog person than a cat person.🐶
 
Lot of ink spilled over a problem so vaguely described.

Most of the solutions are for how to make a 15 degree bevel as if the OP wants to build a hollow 3 sided equilateral post. Does he?
Not necessarily hollow, though I guess I'm not opposed to that. Like I said, it's for a small (19"H) side table idea that I plan to Domino the feet into. Haven't settled into the thickness of the "post" so I'm not averse to it being assembled and hollow. However, I don't know how to do a hollowed, assembled equilateral triangle post either.

My current idea is that it be made out of either hard or silver maple with a finish, but not paint.
 
The posts from Tom and CRG showing how to cut extreme bevels with a track saw just happen to be in the neighborhood of the 15 degrees you’d need to make a 30 degree assembly.

A solid equilateral 3-sided column cut from a single piece of wood on a 10” tablesaw will be limited to about 2-1/2” tall from base to apex. 3-1/2” with a 12” blade. These are approximations.

By stack laminating three pieces of wood each with 30 degree bevels you could get up to about 7-1/2” inches tall.
 
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Not necessarily hollow, though I guess I'm not opposed to that. Like I said, it's for a small (19"H) side table idea that I plan to Domino the feet into. Haven't settled into the thickness of the "post" so I'm not averse to it being assembled and hollow. However, I don't know how to do a hollowed, assembled equilateral triangle post either.

My current idea is that it be made out of either hard or silver maple with a finish, but not paint.
I assumed hollow for my earlier post. The video below is for a rectangular post and the miters are 45 degrees. For a triangle, the angles will be 60 degrees. The process is the same, except only three pieces of lumber per post.

The very first woodworking project I ever tried (28 years ago) used this process and I still use the coffee table that resulted. Very easy to do once the cuts are made. On the table saw, it would have to be vertically on a tall fence as most saws only go to 45 degrees.

 
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