Which parallel guides for 1/4-1/2" BB strips / how to cut 1-5" BB circles

[worldburger]

I've got a project where I need to:
rip many 2ft-6ft long 1/4" to 1/2" strips of Baltic Birch (thickness needs to be precise)
cut many (even more) 1" to 5"circles of Baltic Birch (the circles can be rough, if the process is fast)

Has anyone ever had to do either of these? How'd you do it?
How might I best accomplish both of these tasks?

For the strips, I'm presuming the tracksaw with some form of parallel guides. Which of the parallel guides (Festool or 3rd party) would you recommend?

How might I cut many (many!) 1" to 5" circles of Baltic Birch? I thought a regular hole saw on a drill press with a vacuum to vacate the swarf would work. Unfortunately, it seemed slow, but perhaps it was user error

This is the hole saw kit I was using:https://www.milwaukeetool.com/accessories/drilling/49-22-4175

I was considering using the band saw for the circles. Ideally, I would have a perfect circle in the first step, but I'm open to ideas where they'd be slightly rough shaped as they will eventually make their way to the lathe.

I have access to a litany of Festools, a table saw, band saw, lathe, and thickness planer.

Unconventional suggestions/solutions welcome as I'm stumped
EDIT: added dimension.

 

[Getmaverick]

For the thin strips i would definitely use a table saw with a Thin Rip Table Saw Jig.
For the 1 and 5" holes i would use a hole saw since you said they could be rough.

 

[antss]

Is this the kind of hole saw you were using ?  I can't imagine anything faster except a sizable CNC
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/accessories/drilling/49-56-9652

I'd also setup my table saw to rip the strips instead of using the TS if they were 4' or shorter.  You don't say how long the strips you need are ?

If longer I'd probably get one of these fences for the TS:https://www.toolnut.com/festool/fes...lel-guides/festool-491469-parallel-guide.html

 

[Michael Kellough]

These holes saws are very fast cutting. and rough.

If the strips do not have to be precise or match one another exactly...read this thread.

 

[worldburger]

Is this the kind of hole saw you were using ?  I can't imagine anything faster except a sizable CNC
https://www.milwaukeetool.com/accessories/drilling/49-56-9652

I'd also setup my table saw to rip the strips instead of using the TS if they were 4' or shorter.  You don't say how long the strips you need are ?

If longer I'd probably get one of these fences for the TS:https://www.toolnut.com/festool/fes...lel-guides/festool-491469-parallel-guide.html

Thanks. Some of the strips are 18-24" short. Some are 48-72".

As far as the hole saw, that's very similar to what I attempted to use:https://www.milwaukeetool.com/accessories/drilling/49-22-4175

My problem is it seems to either gum up quickly or simply not able to clear the swarf without lifting the hole saw out of the hole completely multiple times.  This isn't a problem generally with regular wood, but the Baltic Birch seems to cause problems.

The CNC is a great idea I've considered in the past, and I will absolutely go that route in the future if the prototypes work.

 

[worldburger]

For the thin strips i would definitely use a table saw with a Thin Rip Table Saw Jig.
For the 1 and 5" holes i would use a hole saw since you said they could be rough.

I'm not sure the Thin Rip Table Saw jig will work for the longer strips, but thanks for the idea! Great looking device!

 

[thudchkr]

If you’re looking for a hole saw that will cut quicker, these Big Hawg holesaws might fit the bill.  They definitely load up much less than other hole saws. Rougher cut, but quicker.
Another plus is that they come loose from the cutter much easier than they separate from a normal holesaw.

Clint

 

[antss]

Were you running the drill press at a slow speed ?

Carbide tipped hole saws are sweet.

 

[Duck76]

This may be way off base as I don't have lathe experience but if you're going to turn the rough 5" circles down on a lathe, maybe you can start but cutting a bunch of 5" squares?  It would mean more work on a lathe but cutting a bunch of 5" squares would be fast.

Just trying to think outside of the box...

 

[Dongar]

Drill a through hole 1/4-3/8" tangent to the circle for the swarf to escape.

 

[guitarchitect]

I've done some ripping with my TS55 recently, and I used the parallel guide that sits on the saw:
https://www.festool.com/Products/Ac...9&name=Accessories-TS-55-and-TS-55-R-PA-TS-55

If I had my tablesaw, though, I'd be using the tablesaw. While the Parallel guide worked, it's quite difficult to get a precise measurement out of - there's no easy way to set the width. It's also difficult to get parallel, which is annoying. My first cuts didn't have it set perfectly straight, and it ended up pulling itself askew and ruining my cuts... it was then a lot of work to square up the panel for another try.

Once it was dialed in, it cut strips which were so similar in width that running my finger across a row of 12 I could barely feel the seams. But it wasn't worth the hassle when a tablesaw does the same thing a lot quicker and more accurately. I'll be returning it. But YMMV and it may be a good option for you!