Table Saw

In order for the parts of a cabinet project to fit together properly, without gaps and at the desired angle, the tool used to cut the surfaces that adjoin must be properly set. The more precisly they are set, the more invisible the joint glue line is in the finished product, and the stronger the joint is, structurally.


For the table saw to be set properly, it must have some minimum characteristics.

The table (surface) must be absolutely flat. That is why a cast iron table is desireable for table saws, jointers, band saws and many other bench and floor tools. Cast iron is heavy, stable, and can be milled absolutely flat and depended upon to stay that way under heavy use and ordinary circumstances. These same features make them safer as well. If you are going to buy a table saw, get a cast iron table with a minimum motor rating of 2 horsepower for belt drive, or 1 hp for direct drive. Anyone doing a substantial amount of woodwork needs a good table saw. Do-it-yourselfers who do one or two easy projects a year are better off using saw horses with 2x4 braces and a circular saw with clamps and guides.

A word here on the new portable table saw systems. Many remodlers love these saws for their portability. The problem is that it is very hard to get one with a cast iron table. They use aluminum for light weight. Well, that's just what you end up with; a light-weight table saw. Knock it over once or twice, or drop something heavy on it and it is no longer precise enough for good cabinet work.
They're ok for economy-grade rough and finish carpentry, but the hurry up and get the check bunch that uses them buy the cabinets from somebody else and just install them, or they do the close, nice work in a shop with a cast iron table saw. Good remodlers that build quality work on-site go to the trouble to set up a good heavy table saw with a precision fence, auxiliary extension and off-feed tables, under a roof on a solid, level floor with plenty of room around and above the saw.

Looking under the table of the cast iron table saw you can see the blade side of the cradle, also made of heavy, high quality cast iron. The trunnions carry the cradle, and fasten to the saw table with four case hardened bolts which can be loosened to adjust the orientation of the saw blade to the main saw table. The cradle carries the arbor housing and arbor with its bearings and other parts upon which mounts the drive pulley,on one side, and the saw blade on the other.
The rear trunnion is the one that is visible in the image and there's another just like it on the forward side of the saw cradle.



The pulley side of the cradle is pictured here, on the right. Identical and aligned slots in the trunnions allow the saw arbor to be tilted from 0 degrees to 45 degrees to suit the angle desired on the edge of the workpiece in order to form the required fit or joint.

If you will look now at the image of the top of the table saw (first image, this post), you will notice two machined slots running the length of the main cast iron table, one on either side of the blade. IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE BLADE RUNS ABSOLUTELY PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF THESE SLOTS. When you get your saw, with the motor off and the saw blade raised almost to it's maximum height, measure from the same saw tooth, rotated first to the front and then to the rear, to the blade-side edge of these slots. If the measurement exactly matches from the front to the rear on the left side and from the front to the rear on the right side, the blade runs parallel to the slots and is "true". If it is not, slightly loosen the trunnion bolts and adjust it until it is. Then retighten the bolts a little at a time (in a criss-cross manner to avoid loosing the position of the blade) until they are properly tightened according to the specifications in the manual that accompanies the saw. If you don't have a manual, you want them pretty darned tight, but you don't want to twist the heads off the bolts.

The fence can then be set parallel to the slots. The squaring jig is made so that the back board is perpendicular to the slots. It and the mitre guage run in the slots, being held to the inside edge of the slot (indexed in) during the cutting stroke. The blade is absolutely rigid and runs in a plane. The rear of the blade must not drag on the side of the kerf (cut) that the front of the blade has made. This is called "heeling". In other words, the tooth that cuts the kerf in the workpiece as it passes through the workpiece at the front (in-feed) edge of the blade, must not drag either side of the workpiece as it passes through the kerf at the rear of the blade. If your saw is not set perfectly this way when purchased (it SHOULD be), do whatever it takes, including getting some experienced help. (A high school kid with some shop hours is not likely to be a good idea!) Someone with several years in a cabinet or machine shop who has been responsible for machine set-up will be worth their fee if you want your machines to perform in a cost-efficient, economical, cool-running and long-lasting manner.

As you observe the placement of this mitre guage in the right-hand slot of the main saw table, if the blade is not parallel to the slot, the workpiece will move away from, or into the blade as you push the guage and workpiece forward.
This causes burning and a crooked cut
because the workpiece is cut too long at the front of the blade too allow it to pass by the back of the blade before it starts rubbing. Or vice-versa causing the cut-off material to rub on the outside of the rear of the blade before is has separated from the workpiece. Since your squaring jig runs in the slot to the left of the blade, if your blade is not running true your workpieces cut thereon will not be cut square. Joinery steps will then be difficult and the finished product embarrassing.

"Gee, Boss, it's ok! All you have to do is twist the case a little bit and it lines up fine..." DuhYUP!

To be able to join panels without visible glue lines, you must be able to set the blade exactly perpendicular to the table, and lock it there.





To rip lengthwise, it is necessary that the fence be locked parallel to the blade/slots, to avoid heeling. The piece being ripped must be kept down against the table and firmly against the fence throughout the cut.

Push sticks must be used when ripping a workpiece less than 3 inches wide to avoid endangering your hands.

Featherboards and clamp sets are helpful for precise or difficult rips.

Raise the saw blade one tooth height (1/8th to 3/16ths inch) above the material being ripped.

Don't lay the workpiece on the saw table until you are sure that both the workpiece and the saw table are clean and free of debri. A splinter of wood from a previous cut, layers of sawdust, or a dried glue-drip can hold one edge of the workpiece up off the table or away from the fence producing a sawn edge at an angle other than the one you want. If you dont find this out until after you have crosscut the pieces and glued them up into a panel, it can be a costly error.

Note: I'd like to remind my readers, if there are any, that they should get a library card for their local public library and check out some of the many excellent books on the Table Saw. This all-important part of any good wood shop is capable of a vast array of applications. The jigs and innovative accessories for the tablesaw are numerous indeed, and mastering just a few of them can reap great rewards.

Because of the style of this totally origional journal, the information is being written as it comes to my mind. I try to write it as if I am talking to someone who is interested in how I think and do things and standing right there in my one-man shop listening to me. I'm taking photos of my own stuff and doing all the staging, editing and posting myself. With my limited I-capabilities, that means I am a slow blogger. I have made my small shop and small number of tools do lots for me over the last thirty years or so. I enjoy it this way. I think that less is more. I will put up larger posts less often than others. I will strive to post really practical, useful information about what I have experience with, and have made work for me. After a while, this will be a sizeable journal, eternally relevant to many, many people, if they can find this blog. Please feel free to comment. Later, I may include articles by other craftsmen and tradesmen, and pictures of projects by my readers.

See you later,

Able.

Tool Index, Tips and Revelations

~~~~~~~~~~~Towards the Front Door~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~Towards the Back~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~Towards the Left Side~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The double garage shop has every nook and cranny used for a relevant purpose, from storing soon-to-be-needed material, tools, fasteners and finishes to assembly space and floor equipment arrangement. Years of trial and error have produced a remarkably workable design for Able Kerfman. The heart of this shop's production facilities is the professionally fenced cast iron table saw which has another cast iron table saw adjacent to it, used for dado ops and whose fence serves as an auxiliary support for the large capacity squaring jig used on the main table saw. The table the saw feeds off onto, is a very stable, durable and flat work table with a tough laminated surface and oak construction which also serves as a router/shaper table. Sturdy but flexible, the work table must be FLAT and preferably square to aid in the assembly of cabinet parts. You cannot consistently build drawers, frames, cabinet cases or boxes that are square and precisely dimensioned without a flat and sturdy work surface that allows for clamp-down and easy clean-up. The table shown in these pictures was made back in the early '80s and is still in service today. It is strong enough to hold five high-school football players walking around on the top of it without tilting, even when three of them jump off, leaving the others standing on the opposite end, and yet the legs will come out of their respective pockets and strap underneath for easy loading into your vehicle. It is truly one of the best worktables ever designed and for a very nominal printing, handling and shipping cost the plan and cut-sheet with step-by-step construction instructions are available. Many project plans and material cut-sheets with instructions will be available as time goes by from this blog after the same fashion.

As I get the sections populated, the following items will become links to pages within this journal containing instructions for and tips on the use of each:

1. Bandsaw
2. Beltsander, Power Hand
3. Beltsander, Floor
4. Belt-Drive Arbors
5. Bisquit Jointer
6. Chainsaw
7. Compressors
8. Drill, Power Hand
9. Drill Press
10. Hollow-Chisel Mortiser
11. Lathe, Wood
12. Mitre Saw, Power Bench
13. Pneumatic Tools, (finish sprayers, nailers and staplers, and other air tools)
14. Planers and Jointers
15. Routers and Shapers
16. Sabre Saw, (Jig Saw)
17. Screwgun, Power Hand
18. Sawzall
19. Table Saw

Able's Work, Able's Photography

All of the woodwork, all of the carpentry, the design, the material estimates and selection, the electrical and plumbing pre-work and fixture installation, the painting, wood finishing and appliance installation (including new refrigerator, stove, built-in microwave, trash compactor, dish washer and garbage disposal) were done by Able alone on this beautiful kitchen rebuild and remodle. Closets and pantry were removed, and central wall moved out several feet to enlarge a "too small" kitchen adjacent to a great room in a house with ceilings that started at the exterior wall and followed the rafters, climbing to 17' at the ridge. All that demolition, reconstruction, rewiring, replumbing etc. was performed by Able only, with the occupants still living in the house. Able also performed the duties of the "general contractor", employing the only two sub-contractors which were the tile men for the floor and countertops, and the drywall finishers that finished the newly dropped in ceiling drywall only.

Backing up a little through the project gives an idea of the complexity of the processes, but, with the time and the knowledge, it is encouraging to note what one craftsperson can achieve on their own, with a garage-sized shop and some very ordinary tools.

One of the most extraordinary of ordinary woodworking tools is the TABLE SAW.

When it comes to versatility in actually making things out of wood, the table saw has no match. It has raw power, precision, consistency, convenience and durability. A good quality, cast iron table saw is amazingly affordable, considering all one can do with it.

Through-out the coming days and weeks, I'm going to offer what knowledge I have on many types of projects and the tools and operations involved in their making. There will be small projects, easily made for people other-wise employed who love to do this sort of thing for the fun of it and the benefit of their quality of life in respect, expecially, to the physical improvement and adornamentation of their living spaces. There will also be a more practical series of instructions for the use of the many hand, power, bench, and floor tools in use today in the related areas of construction that, I believe, will really help people avoid mishaps and more easily attain expertise. I also want to be an asset to those who are employed professionally at this type of work. Certainly not the final word, or in dispute with other instructors or supervisors or employers, and not infallible. But, an asset in additiion to that.

I am making and editing images daily to aid in this goal, and I believe that I will get faster and better at this as time goes by. I want this to be a blessing to everyone who visits here. I hope I can help enough so that many who might give up in frustration, will instead complete what they want to do, and have so much satisfaction that they continue to develop their skills with many projects to follow. I very much would like to save hands and eyes and other precious things from loss or injury. I have, in my time, had some injuries, but all-in-all, have been very fortunate. There have been some very close calls for me, and I have witnessed some terrible accidents throughout the years. Visit with me often, friend, and as safely as I know how to inform you, in just a little while, there will be much here that you will enjoying knowing!

In the Path of the Blade...

lies that which is to be cut. Planning what that is, is advantageous. This remark is not facetious. Many practices and devices are cleverly designed to keep the users of various tools from inflicting injury upon themselves, but, persons daily foil them and do theirselves damage anyway.

It seems like any piece one might read concerning the practice of skilled trades always begins with and intermitently includes warnings and instructions regarding the safe use of the tools required to practice the operations necessary for making something. This journal and collection of advice and instructions will have just this one essay about that subject, right here at the very beginning.

If you have a power tool that you are planning on using, read the manual that comes with it. Obey all the warnings and cautions and do not defeat (modify or remove) the blade guards or other safety devices. When learning how to perform operations on this site you will encounter images of machinery with the guards and other safety devices removed. That does not mean that I am suggesting or recommending that you do so.

If you have some experience, and own some power tools, then you have read this many times and now, read it again: "Machines do not have brains. You have to train and employ your own to protect yourself from injury by the cutting parts and other features of these tools!"

The cabinet/wood-working shop is my particular niche nowadays, though I have extensive experience in 5 other trades, and job planning, supervision, management, cost estimates and operations, etc. ect. I am familiar with the operation, maintenance and repair of hundreds of tools and machines and motorized vehicles from small and delicate to massive and complex.
I'm considered an artist by my family and acquaintances, but value recognition as a "fine craftsman" more highly.

Toot! Toot! That's all the blowing of my own horn you'll hear. Did I put my real name and personal information in my profile to prove it. Heck no, you'll just have to take my word for it if it's important to you. I am creating this journal for my fellow lovers of making things, on the professional, self-employed, or do-it-yourself levels. It's a gift. If it turns out to be all that impressive, well I'll have it bound and distributed for purchase at a modest price. There are just dozens and dozens of books by authors good and bad and in between so let's don't hold our breath! The reason for my general credentials is to provide my readers with a comfort zone of confidence in the knowledge that they're not wasting their time here, or being mislead.

I am retirement age and just can't afford to have hundreds of people constantly looking me up for help or to do jobs, at whatever compensation. I've always had a hard time saying no, so it is imperative that I protect myself and my family from that type of exposure. After seeing my work and digesting a bit of the information that comes your way via this journal, there will be the easy ring of truth about it that you can perceive, and the rewards of a little education can provide tremendous validation.

One of the most important and constantly repeated steps to creating something useful out of raw materials is sizing, and that means "cutting" most of the time. With wood, cutting long-wise (usually with the grain) is called ripping and cutting to determine length (usually across the grain) is called cross-cutting. The thing to remember while doing these common operations that needs mentioning in this essay is: "If you do not place your hands in the path or feedways of these blades, you will not be directly cut by them". Sounds simple, but when you actually start performing cutting operations on table saws, bandsaws, mitre saws, and with circular saws, jig and sabre saws, sawzalls, and even non-powered handsaws, the matter of feeding the material in a controlled manner is involved and complicates things profoundly. The proper performance of the techniques required for these operations can keep one from putting, or having one's hands actually drawn into the teeth of these blades. These types of injuries always happen in the blink of an eye and are nearly always serious, devastating wounds. The majority of these injuries sever digits, blood vessels, and nerves and sometimes the entire hand. They are life-changing injuries. Many times, leg injuries with circular saws and head, neck or leg injuries with chainsaws have led to death in a short time when arteries have been involved.
If you sever an arterie, especially the femural or jugular, you only have about thirty seconds to stop the bleeding before you grow faint and are unable to and, therefore, bleed out quickly.

On that cheerful and encouraging note, this first little essay comes to a close. I beg of you, take these things seriously. Unlike my composition of this journal, there's no going back and editing out a misstep with a steel blade whirring along at 5400 rpm. Many of you shouldn't just jump off into a project involving power tools without a guiding hand there with you until you get a little experience, no matter how old you are. I plan to show you many good projects and provide lots of empowering instruction. I in no way, however, would advise any complete novice to use only this source, or for that matter, just books and videos to guide you.

Note: This is my first blog. This journal will, of necessity, develop slowly at first. It is my intention that many informative posts with clear plans, instructions, opinions and images should follow.

Good Day,
Able Kerf.