# Table Saw Question



## JimSavage (Aug 25, 2009)

I was recently making a 45-degree rip cut. My saw blade tilts to the right, where I usually have my fence. I have always moved my fence over to the left, so that the workpiece is not trapped under the tilted blade and against the fence. With the fence to the left, the workpiece that is between the fence and the blade is sitting above the blade rather than below it.

Is this the safe way to make this cut? Or should I keep the fence on the right and trap the wood under the blade?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Jim Savage


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

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.


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

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.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

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.


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

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.


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## joeyinsouthaustin (Sep 22, 2012)

+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.


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## BrandonW (Apr 27, 2010)

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.


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Always be safe….let someone else cut it


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

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


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