# Long Bevel Cut on the TS - Am I asking too much?



## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

This is a cut I was never able to make in one pass to get satisfying results and figured I'd pop it up here, and maybe get some ideas how to improve on this.

*The Goal:* to rip a 1 1/4" x 2" x 25" into 2 beveled strips 1 1/4" x 1 1/4".

*The Issue:* the beveled cut is never plane or clean, there are always iregulatiries - swirl marks, digs, etc.

*Partial Solution:* Until today for beveled cuts I would cut the bevel leaving extra width on the part I needed beveled, then sneak up on the final width, making the final bevel cut more of a 'shave' than a full mid cut.

*The Problem:* this time around, I don't have much extra length on the parts that I can give myself enough material to sneak up on the bevel. Also the parts are very narrow, so once I cut them, if I wanted to sneak up on the cut - I would be subjected to some safety hazards as the parts would ride inside/under the blade.

What I have done so far is this set of cuts:









notice there is a ~1/8" extra material on the beveled parts as I figured those cuts will be poorly made, and will need some clean up. the question is - how? (since the parts are so narrow)

As I'm writing this a thought came to mind. I think I'll place the fence on the LEFT side of the blade (I have a left tilt), attach an auxiliary fence to it that is low profile and can reach under the tilted blade, and rip my parts to final dimensions against that aux. fence.

My original thought was to plane it with a handplane, but I'll have to setup some sort of fixture to hold the parts properly so that I can hand plane them while keeping the angles proper.

Does anyone have a any other/better ideas how to go about these rip cuts? for safety sake!

Thanks in advance,
Peace.


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## doyoulikegumwood (Jun 21, 2007)

Sharon i have made cuts like this before using the shorter setting on my uni fence so here's my thought could you use a piece of 1X laid down flat as your fence. it would have to absolutely trues and set perfect to the blade but it mite work.

Jason


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## oldworld124 (Mar 2, 2008)

You can also make a jig for the pieces and then pass them through the planer. They should come out perfect every time .


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Long bevels are always tricky for me.


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## ellen35 (Jan 1, 2009)

I have no answer… but I sure have the same problem!
It is both a safety issue and a perfection issue.
Ellen


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

I just did some fairly long miter bevels of about 15 inches. I feel your pain. I first ripped them on the bandsaw and cleaned them up on the TS. And then did something I never did before, tilted my jointer fence tword me at 45 degrees and jointed them. It came out great. I set the depth of cut to absolute minimum, and fashioned a long push (pull?) stick with a notch at the back end. Worked for me.

Steve


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

I routinely clean up these cuts with a pass through the jointer. I can take off just a thin sliver with the jointer.


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## Sawdust4Blood (Feb 16, 2010)

I would cut the diagonal first leaving about a 32nd over and then clean it up with a pass over the jointer. After that was complete, I would rip the vertical. Based on my shop set-up, I think that would be the easiest and safest way for me to do it.


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

Hi Sharon,

All good ideas here, and I'm sure I have tried them all, as have most of us. I would still use the table saw with a Forrest blade, and then clean them up on the jointer.

My second choice would be the band saw, followed by the jointer.

Lee


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## AaronK (Nov 30, 2008)

I agree with Greg - do the bevel first, then the 90º rip. with that done you might not even need to adjust the fence on your jointer, just pass the stock over with the beveled edge down. Unless you're looking to conserve as much wood as possible, I'd leave a generous portion on the *left* (as you've drawn it) to sneak up on the final dimension. also, I'd leave the widest part under the blade to allow for an overhead fingerboard or two.


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## donbee (Feb 7, 2009)

I would always choose to do these cuts, regardless of technique, from much wider stock.
Even if it's much more expensive in terms of waste, it's cheaper than hurting myself. These cuts are difficult and I believe there is an inverse relationship between safety and difficulty.
I prefer to use the tablesaw with a new or newly resharpened thin kerf blade.
Placing the fence on the left of my left-tilt saw is a technique I use from time to time, but with extreme caution.
Please keep all your digits!

don


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

Thanks for all the suggestions.

*John Ormsby* the planer idea is a good one and would probably keep my and my hands/fingers as far from the blades as possible - similar to my idea with a hand plane, just powered and automated - thanks.

*Everyone else* - the jointer came to mind, but because these are so narrow, it kinda makes me a bit concerned, but I guess if I make a proper push device (Thanks *SPalm*) this may be the way to go with minimum preparations on my end.

Than there is a TS sled - thanks for the idea *Barry*, however, with 25" long material this would have to be one heck of a sled to support the piece both in front of the blade, and after the blade. theoretically this one would be just as safe as the planer method, but easier to conjure if I can get past the length issue - and I may be able to get past this.

*Don* I complete agree with you and in my post I said that usually I'd have plenty of extra width to give me something to work with while keeping it safe. unfortunately this time around for lack of material, I am left with narrow material - BUT as this post suggests, I wouldn't want to do anything that would compromise safety. so looking for suggestions to make the most of what it. and there have been good ones here. a good point though about the extra width and keeping it safe!

*Thanks everyone for the food for thought, this has been a great help! LJ to the rescue does work  *


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I have done bevel cuts like this on boards that have been many feet long. I typically do the 90 deg cut first, then the bevel. I agree it works best if you start with a wider board to give you something to work with. I also use feather boards on top and side. If the TS has the power, it should slide through without incident


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## jcees (Dec 31, 2007)

As you mentioned, all of the above ideas will work to some extent. The problem is the blade and the amount of material it has to cut through. The heat buildup will cause all but the sturdiest and sharpest blades to deflect.

Being a hand tool guy, I'd make the rip with a full kerf width blade and cleanup the cut with my #7 plane. When I'm done, I don't even need to touch the surface with sandpaper.

*CAVEAT*: If you're not a hand tool guy don't even THINK about what I just said. If you do not know how to tune a hand plane to get the most out of it, you'll be frustrated beyond measure.

Good luck.

always,
J.C.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

Thanks *Barry* - the wheels are turning. I'm going to try and model something digitally to get a clearer idea of how to do this one (since I mostly have time for digital woodworking, and less actual physical one  ).

*Wayne* - doing these beveled cuts in cherry and maple - I have finally come to realize why I NEED a 3HP saw. for what it's worth, doing square cuts I never have power issues, so I may not 'NEED' a 3HP saw all the time, but on those cuts it sure would make things easier.

*J.C*. Read my original post - my first idea was to use a hand plane for the clean up. my problem is that this is HAS to keep the 45 degree bevel, so I'll need to conjure some sort of a planing fixture to hold my parts beveled on my workbench in order to clean them up properly. and I agree with you - the only time I use sandpaper is for cleaning metal, or for finishing.


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## rance (Sep 30, 2009)

I'm with John, I'd go the planer sled route myself. Easiest & most accurate(for me).


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

Planer sled would definitely be the most consistent.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Hey Sharon
Lots of good suggestions here. I'm a little surprised you consider a 25" cut a long cut , I'm guessing it's due to how thin the material is. Remember even with limited material you can always glue extra stock on you work and saw it off afterwards so it doesn't even have to be the same type of material just the same dimensions. By doing this you could make a sled that rides on your fence or miter slot and be assured of a even continuous feed of material, This is where the problems is in the repositioning of you hands on the stock creates a uneven cut in you rip.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Jim, I really like the glue on sled idea.


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## bowis (Feb 8, 2009)

The one thing that I'm surprised was not mentioned in this thread was the idea of placing the fence to the left of the saw blade on a left tilting saw. As far as I'm concerned, even with a lower auxiliary fence this is not a safe operation. You never want to run the fence on the side of the table the blade tilts into, as this effectively traps the ripped material under the blade and against the fence. If the wood binds, or you catch the back edge of the blade, the stock has no place to go but straight back at you.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

Thanks *Jim*. I completely forget I can reglue things . however I have 20 of those cuts to make, and waiting for all that glue to dry may not be feasible as I just don't have that time. but it is yet another option to consider.

As for the 'long' terminology - I meant long as in the sense of a rip cut as opposed to a 2" cross cut (long grain that is)

*Rob* - I agree that having the parts under the left tile blade on the left side of it is not the safest - thats why I need to make sure things are setup for a safe cut before even attempting to turn any machinery on. FYI - at this point the parts are already cut as seen in the OP. the wood has already released it's tension (it did have some) and shaving off it's face at less than 1/8" would probably not cause it to bind on the blade any more. however the scenario of narrow material under the blade makes me a bit uncomfortable.

So far, although the TS method (and only to shave off the surface of the miter) may be the easy way around with a sled or aux. fence, and the jointer method requiring no fixtures, I am somewhat attracted to the planer sled idea - keeping my fingers away from sharp objects, and still get consistent and automated results.

I'll model some fixtures for those methods and see which would be easier and faster to setup. I'll post them to share.


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## Karson (May 9, 2006)

I'd suggest using a sliding table. This is one that I made for making tapered legs for Shaker Tables. It doesn't have the hold down clamps mounted on it here.

It slides in the miter slot on the table saw.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

The way I would do it would be to use a sacrificial fence. Take a length of 2x; rip a 90° vee the length of the 2x with the blade set at 45°. Then* rough *cut your target stock into the shape you want with the same 45° setting. Using double stick tape, stick the work piece into the vee groove. Set your blade to a 90° cut and rip the composite 2x and work piece. Remove the cut piece and repeat with the other piece. A little cleanup with a flat scraper and you should have a perfect result.

As I'm writing this a thought came to mind. I think I'll place the fence on the LEFT side of the blade (I have a left tilt), attach an auxiliary fence to it that is low profile and can reach under the tilted blade, and rip my parts to final dimensions against that aux. fence.

*Never* try to rip anything this way. It is very dangerous and will guarantee a serious kickback and possible injury not to mention destruction of the work piece.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

Thanks guys.

Thanks a nice sled *Karson*. I just picked up some phenolic topped plywood a week ago (24×30) but want to save it for a cross cut sled. the more I think of a table saw sled for this case (narrow strips that are already beveled), the more I get to prefer a different route. I'll probably go with the planer sled. I'll post my design when I'm done with it.

*Ron*. I agree with you that it's not the safest cut as a free pass (not secured to a sled)- which is why I wanted other options.


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