Thin Rip Guide

[Birdhunter]

“
The WP guide requires you to move your fence for every next piece, right? That’s what I don’t like about that method.”

Correct on having to move the fence, but the workpiece butts against the WP guide bearings to provide an exact fit.

I think what I like about woodworking is that there are many ways to accomplish a task. The trick is to avoid those that are dangerous.

 

[Packard]

When I first got into woodworking I had no formal or informal instruction.  I learned by reading books, magazines and later on on the Internet.

One of the first books I read was re-issued in the 1980s, bought used by me around 2000 and initially printed (probably) 1950s - 1960s.

In that book they illustrated mounting two (2) rip blades with a spacer between the blades.  Setup against the fence to yield two narrow strips at a time. 

I did not know anything about kick back at that time and I was tempted to use that technique.  But it would require that I purchase a second rip blade.  Only that requirement kept me from trying that technique. 

It would have not only created a kick back from the piece against the fence, but a double strength kickback from the piece trapped between the twin blades.

In retrospect, I am glad I was too cheap to buy a second blade.

Amusingly, at a later date I bought a second rip blade so that I could send one out to be sharpened and still work.  But by then I learned about kickback.

The only table saw injury I have had was related to kick back.  At the time, I was not aware that short pieces were particularly susceptible to kickback (or “kick-up” as it actually occurred).  That required a visit to the emergency room.  (I tore off the finger nail from my pointer finger—but I cannot remember if it was my left or right hand.)

 

[ChuckM]

Every time the fence is moved, there's a degree of uncertainty whether it can be restored precisely to the last or any previous position. What matters more can be the fence and not the stop, being a bearing or not. I've worked with several fences that moved a hair as you locked them down.

In every case I did thin strips with some kind of a stop as a reference*, I was happy with the result. That might not be the case if it was machining rather than woodworking that we're talking about. Even the fixed ripping jigs shown in the first two videos are not fool-proof, because the operator might unconsciously apply different side force as he feeds the stock each time. Even the runner on the jig might wear out over time.

But if a tool or gadget gives us a good sense of satisfaction from using it, the purchase is worth it.

*such as the round corner of my feather board:

[attachimg=1]

 

[Michael Kellough]

When I first got into woodworking I had no formal or informal instruction.  I learned by reading books, magazines and later on on the Internet.

One of the first books I read was re-issued in the 1980s, bought used by me around 2000 and initially printed (probably) 1950s - 1960s.

In that book they illustrated mounting two (2) rip blades with a spacer between the blades.  Setup against the fence to yield two narrow strips at a time. 

I did not know anything about kick back at that time and I was tempted to use that technique.  But it would require that I purchase a second rip blade.  Only that requirement kept me from trying that technique. 

It would have not only created a kick back from the piece against the fence, but a double strength kickback from the piece trapped between the twin blades.

In retrospect, I am glad I was too cheap to buy a second blade.

Amusingly, at a later date I bought a second rip blade so that I could send one out to be sharpened and still work.  But by then I learned about kickback.

The only table saw injury I have had was related to kick back.  At the time, I was not aware that short pieces were particularly susceptible to kickback (or “kick-up” as it actually occurred).  That required a visit to the emergency room.  (I tore off the finger nail from my pointer fingerbut I cannot remember if it was my left or right hand.)

My only bloodletting injury on the tablesaw was around 1980 when I cut a slot through the end on my right index finger. Luckily I write and draw with my left hand. When the wound healed I was pleased to discover that the now narrower fingertip fit perfectly into the holes of rotary telephones. Our office phones were replaced with push button models a month later.

 

[Packard]

When I first got into woodworking I had no formal or informal instruction.  I learned by reading books, magazines and later on on the Internet.

One of the first books I read was re-issued in the 1980s, bought used by me around 2000 and initially printed (probably) 1950s - 1960s.

In that book they illustrated mounting two (2) rip blades with a spacer between the blades.  Setup against the fence to yield two narrow strips at a time. 

I did not know anything about kick back at that time and I was tempted to use that technique.  But it would require that I purchase a second rip blade.  Only that requirement kept me from trying that technique. 

It would have not only created a kick back from the piece against the fence, but a double strength kickback from the piece trapped between the twin blades.

In retrospect, I am glad I was too cheap to buy a second blade.

Amusingly, at a later date I bought a second rip blade so that I could send one out to be sharpened and still work.  But by then I learned about kickback.

The only table saw injury I have had was related to kick back.  At the time, I was not aware that short pieces were particularly susceptible to kickback (or “kick-up” as it actually occurred).  That required a visit to the emergency room.  I tore off the finger nail from my pointer finger—but I cannot remember if it was my left or right hand.)

My only bloodletting injury on the tablesaw was around 1980 when I cut a slot through the end on my right index finger. Luckily I write and draw with my left hand. When the wound healed I was pleased to discover that the now narrower fingertip fit perfectly into the holes of rotary telephones. Our office phones were replaced with push button models a month later.

The original Bic 4-color ball point pens had a small ball at the top.  That ball was intended to be used for dialing a rotary dial phone. 

A while back, Bic re-tooled for the pen and left off the anachronistic ball.  They had so many complaints about that, that they put it back (with a small hole to tie it to something in an effort to make the ball useful).

As an aside:  A vendor (chrome plating) used to ask everyone they knew if they had any old rotary dial phones.  Apparently the phone was used in the factory and the plating fumes were highly corrosive. They would corrode the contacts and after just a few weeks they could not dial out. 

The rotary phones swiped over the contacts each time you dialed, so they stayed clean and functional for months.

 

[luvmytoolz]

On the subject of injuries, back as a teenager I built my own tablesaw using an upside down Makita 230mm circular saw. Almost the first time I used it to cut strips with my younger brother helping on the outfeed I lost my grip and slipped putting the first 2 fingers and thumb across the blade.

Got some pretty bad scarring and cut to the bone in a couple places but could have been so much worse. My brother was pretty terrified by the whole thing. Although that was nothing compared to what we used to see happen at the door companies and timber mills I worked at.

Since then I really put great value on good tools fit for purpose to help perform work safely.

 

[Packard]

In high school there was a rough character named Vinny.  He carried a flask of booze with him to school every day. 

I ran into him about 5 years after I graduated and he had two prosthetic arms.  Both arms were lost just below the elbow.  He had pinching hooks on both arms. 

When I saw him I said, “Jeeze, Vinny.  What happened to you?”

He explained that there was a table saw accident at the cabinet shop where he worked. 

I was not into woodworking at the time and did not have enough knowledge to question that response. 

There is no imaginable way to lose both your right and left arm in a table saw accident.  More likely, his gambling habit caught up to him.

At any rate when the kick back tore off the nail on my finger and the attending surgeon was putting me back together, I told him how I hurt myself.  I said, “At least I did not pull a ‘Vinny’”. [big grin]