Ripping on a slider

[Leigh Betsch]

While there is some problems in this picture of daughter, like I didn't have the blade guard on and I should have had the fence pulled back so the off cut would "fall" away from the blade, this is how I rip most short stuff. Registered up against the rip fence but pushed thru with the crosscut fence. Register the lead edge to the rip fence, clamp it, and then "hold of push" the stock against the fence as you push thru with the slider.

You also have to understand that on a slider the rip fence is usually set to tail away from the right side of the blade by a bit so you don't get a wedging action on the cut off. And the crosscut wagon is also set to tail away on the left side of the blade for the same reason. And no this doesn't result in tapered cuts. Because of the tailing away design you really minimize the potential for kickbacks and burning. The accuracy is built into the wagon, the "rip" fence is just used to register the stock the same distance from the blade, the parallel and straight accuracy isn't taken from the rip fence. With a good blade and proper feed, a cut both straight and parallel to .004 accuracy is quite normal and never more than .010 on an 8 ft rip.

I also like my 8 ft in feed and out feed table that moves back to the center of the saw when I want the space for something else, more than makes up of having to walk around the bump out when I do use the saw from the "wrong" side.

I think the OP didn't want this thread to turn into a Us vs Them argument but rather just a demonstration of it's done on a slider. I hope this doesn't detract.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Leigh,

With the fence on the right, can you just use the saw like a normal cabinet saw to rip?

It seems like using it with the sliding table lets you repetitively cut very thin strips quite easily. Is that true?

[Andrew Joiner]

Thanks for all the ideas. I was totally happy with my cabinet saw and vertical panel saw, but now you got me thinking. I'm going to make a jig for straight line ripping on my vertical panel saw.

Great thread.

[Steve Rowe]

Leigh,

With the fence on the right, can you just use the saw like a normal cabinet saw to rip?

It seems like using it with the sliding table lets you repetitively cut very thin strips quite easily. Is that true?

Absolutely correct Dan,
I just got in from the shop with the second installment. This is how I make 1/8" edgebanding. It is the same as what Leigh uses (hey - I even borrowed the hold-down clamps from the Minimax shaper)

The first pic shows the rip fence pulled back to prevent the offcut from being captured between the blade and the fence. I positioned the fence to the low height position so the blade would be guarded and for better dust collection.

Pic 2 shows the setup before ripping and pic 3 shows the offcut. Pic 4 shows the setup for the second cut which took just a few seconds to reset. Pic 5 is presto, in no time, 3 pieces of edgebanding are made. The last picture shows a narrow piece of molding I made for a previous project using the same technique.

During all this operation, the blade was fully guarded with no danger of contact to the operator. My sliding table is nearly 16" wide my hands were on the handle that attaches to the outside edge of the sliding table.

Steve

[Steve Rowe]

Now we're cooking with gas. Your conclusion hit the nail on the head.
Steve

While there is some problems in this picture of daughter, like I didn't have the blade guard on and I should have had the fence pulled back so the off cut would "fall" away from the blade, this is how I rip most short stuff. Registered up against the rip fence but pushed thru with the crosscut fence. Register the lead edge to the rip fence, clamp it, and then "hold of push" the stock against the fence as you push thru with the slider.

You also have to understand that on a slider the rip fence is usually set to tail away from the right side of the blade by a bit so you don't get a wedging action on the cut off. And the crosscut wagon is also set to tail away on the left side of the blade for the same reason. And no this doesn't result in tapered cuts. Because of the tailing away design you really minimize the potential for kickbacks and burning. The accuracy is built into the wagon, the "rip" fence is just used to register the stock the same distance from the blade, the parallel and straight accuracy isn't taken from the rip fence. With a good blade and proper feed, a cut both straight and parallel to .004 accuracy is quite normal and never more than .010 on an 8 ft rip.

I also like my 8 ft in feed and out feed table that moves back to the center of the saw when I want the space for something else, more than makes up of having to walk around the bump out when I do use the saw from the "wrong" side.

I think the OP didn't want this thread to turn into a Us vs Them argument but rather just a demonstration of it's done on a slider. I hope this doesn't detract.

[David DeCristoforo]

What you are describing here is not so much "ripping" as it is "straight lining", something that a sliding table excels at. The only limitation is the length of the slider's stroke. If you have an 8' slider, that is going to be the longest stock you can straight line. But ripping against the fence is still going to be more awkward on the slider because you will always have to lean and/or reach over the sliding table and it's supporting structure. Some people don't mind this but for me, it is uncomfortable, especially over a long period.

[Rick Potter]

Hey Steve Rowe,

I forgot to mention that I love the vise grip type clamp on the slider. I will steal the idea from you. Another one of those 'why didn't I think of that' ideas.

Rick Potter

PS: Sorry if I stepped on your thread, I did not mean my initial remarks in a confrontational way. I do use the slider and fence together for repetitive short rips, but the cabinet saw is still my ripping go to machine. Old dogs, new tricks.

[Steve Rowe]

I have a Felder, and currently do not have the rip attachments like you do on your Martin, but I do have the shoe.

I TOTALLY agree, straight line ripping with the shoe is the only way to straighten a board, but I do not yet feel the samw way about the ripping functions.......

I used a "US" style cabinet saw for many many years, and I am still getting accustomed to the "slider". Say you don't have the ripping accessories you show. Are you not going to have to stand behind the saw say for ripping wide stuff? Where do you stand in the same scenario ripping narrower, say less than 12" stocK?

Travis,
I believe it really depends on the particular saws configuration of where you stand when ripping various width pieces. For my situation, the stock rip needs to be over 16" before I consider standing in front of the saw. For others, it may be different, just whatever feels comfortable. Before I had the commercial parallel fence, I had fabricated by own by clamping wooden stops in the t-slot for the table. This has obvious limitations on width which is why I went for the commercial fence option. When I ran into this situation before, I would stand to the left of the saw and reach over the table with a push stick to rip less than 12" stock.

I am aware of others who have configured an Incra fence to their sliding table and use that for a parallel fence. When

Hey Steve Rowe,

I forgot to mention that I love the vise grip type clamp on the slider. I will steal the idea from you. Another one of those 'why didn't I think of that' ideas.

Rick Potter

I must confess, this is not my design on the vise grip. It was a design of my late friend Jim L. who was quite creative in designing and fabricating shop jigs and fixtures. I think Jim would be happy knowing his design would be used by other woodworkers. Ironically, he didn't care for ripping using the slider and always used the rip fence.

Steve

[Brian Ross]

I appreciate the time those of you have spent on your posts relating to sliders. A couple of years ago I bought a used SCMI 350 N. There is a definite learning curve but the more I use it I am convinced they are worth their money many times over. Mine has a 10 ft carriage and was 4 years old when I bought it. I paid $10,000. including the taxes. Used saws these days are probably going for half of what I paid. I build kitchens by myself with 2 part timers. The saw has enabled me to cut sheet goods in half the time it took with my Unisaw and aftermarket Exactor sliding table and I know everything is cut square. The vice grip hold down is a great idea but I recently visited a fellow creeker, Steve Jenkins. He has a couple of aftermarket pneumatic hold downs that are to die for. If I thought having Steve's hold downs would bring my skill level up to Steve's I would buy 6 of them. The guy produces fantastic work and a nice shop to boot.
Thanks again for the posts.

Brian

[Paul B. Cresti]

There are many ways to rip on a slider but only one way to rip on Cabinet Saw.

Every slider owner can come up with a different way to rip using either a jig of their own creation or with bought add on attachments for ease & speed.

See my ripping method below

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=29871

By the way Steve nice saw! Which model is it?

[Steve Rowe]

Hi Paul,
I remember you posted about sliders several years ago and I enjoyed those posts. The saw is a Martin T60 Classic. It has the T74 miter table and 2 point cross cut fence.
Steve

There are many ways to rip on a slider but only one way to rip on Cabinet Saw.

Every slider owner can come up with a different way to rip using either a jig of their own creation of with bought add on attachments for ease & speed.

See my ripping method below

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=29871

By the way Steve nice saw! Which model is it?

[Paul B. Cresti]

Hi Paul,
I remember you posted about sliders several years ago and I enjoyed those posts. The saw is a Martin T60 Classic. It has the T74 miter table and 2 point cross cut fence.
Steve

Nice! I thought maybe you opted for the the one that tilts both ways!
Is that T74 miter table the one that completely twists for angles?

[Steve Rowe]

The T74 miter table does move both ways and is quite a nice design. I would love to see the XPrecision model where the blade tilts both right and left just to see the mechanism.
Steve

Nice! I thought maybe you opted for the the one that tilts both ways!
Is that T74 miter table the one that completely twists for angles?

[Leigh Betsch]

I have to back off my statement of .004 accuracy a bit. I was in the shop today so I set up and tested my methods again. I didn't have any MDF long enough so I used a 6 ft piece of particle board and my blade is a bit dull but not too bad. It took me three attempts be for I could hold .004. And this is only a dial caliper measurement and not the most accurate way to measure. But I would say .010 accuracy is pretty much built in and .004 is doable with some fiddling around. But the only time I really give a hoot about measuring like this is when I get a new machine and want to set it up right and figure out how it is really working. (Except the planer where I use a dial caliper all the time).

Dan I think Steve already answered you but yes you can use the rip fence just like a cabinet saw if you want to. When you do use the rip fence like a cabinet saw there is no practical limit to the length.

[Mike Wilkins]

Thanks Steve. I have been using similar methods to edge rough boards and rip thin strips on my slider. And mine only has a 6' sliding table capacity, but it still works great. I was trying to use my slider like a regular cabinet saw after I got it set up, but soon realized my mind-set was all wrong. As many other have found out, there is a learning curve involved in using a slider for those who used cabinet saws for many years. But I would not want to go back to my old Unisaw, although I am setting up another 'regular' saw now for joinery and small box making set-ups.
I think part of the problem in getting used to a slider is the need for coming up with jigs for various operations, just like a cabinet saw needs jigs to utilize its full capacity. I think manufacturers have come up short in presenting these options to users, other than glossy pics in a catalog or web site. Owners are usually good about sharing ideas. Again thanks.