Table Saw Question

yes. this is the SAFER way to do it: safer when compared to the other alternative of trapping the board between the blade and the fence, creating a very high likelihood for a nasty kick back.

that said, depending on how wide the board you are attempting to cut is, this could still be an unsafe cut. make sure you use featherboards, and GOOD push blocks and keep your hands away from the blade. mind you, when cutting bevels, there is a larger surface coming in contact with the blade, also the blade is cutting at an angle and has a tendency to lift and push your board to the side – thus featherboards really adds a lot of safety and help make a cleaner cut in those cases.

-- ㊍ When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Jim, if I needed to use a table saw for such a cut, I’d make sure the area to the right of the blade (on a right-tilt saw) was clear. I would not want to entrap, or wedge, the cutoff in a 3-sided tunnel – that is, between a tilted blade, fence and table.

-- From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward. - Prov 12:14

Some woodworkers set up the fence so it is out of square
by about 1/32” front to back. This allows such cuts to be
made with less concern about jamming.

I make that cut by switching the fence to the left of the blade IF I can’t safely push through with my hand. If I can firmly push the board through by hand, then I don’t bother switching the fence on my right-tilting Unisaw.

As always, make sure that you have a splitter or riving knife installed when making such cuts and your fence is properly adjusted to the blade.

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com

+1 on riving knife being the key to this cut. I always prefer, on thinner cuts, to rip these on wider boards and then resaw them back at 90 degrees. I also use the paddles off of my jointer, This allows me to use the pressure needed to make sure any bow is pushed out, with confidence. I walk them hand over hand always making sure downward pressure is constant. This is also how I determine the width at which I no longer rip an angle. If I can’t fit the paddles in, then mitre first, and rip seconds Those wheel dohickey’s HorizontalMike uses Look nice for angle rips. They are like hold down kick back devices. PM him, he loves to talk about them.

-- Who is John Galt?

If I need to rip at an angle on a thinner board (under about 3” or so) I’ll often start with a wider board, which gives the wood a better table to blade contact ratio. Then, once you have the angled edge, you can do straight cut to get the right width. I don’t always do it this way, but it’s one more way to be safe, I guess.

-- "hold fast to that which is good"

Always be safe….let someone else cut it

-- Gary, DeKalb Texas only 4 miles from the mill

I agree with Brandon about using a wider boards plus taking light cuts.

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/