Thread: Take 2mm off - safely

Beaner it's not such a tricky job. Set your fence at 40mm but most importantly use a featherboard to hold the workpiece firmly against the fence. Put the featherboard just in front of the blade and set a blade guard.

I would recommend a second featherboard above the stock to keep the work firmly against the table, but in the absence of a second f/b just clamp a 30mm guide block to the fence to do the same job.

I would test the setup on scrap first to check that I have exactly the dimensions I want.

Finally, and most importantly, check that you have a Zero-Clearance-Insert in the throat of the table, because 2mm has a high chance of snagging the throat on the way past the blade - esp. for soft woods which will sag. If you have a Triton TS like mine you'll need to stick some masking tape over the throat of the blade on the far side.

Good luck.

P.s. Just had a second thought. 2mm will be sawdust if your blade has a kerf of 3mm like mine. You won't even need the ZCI.

Hi Knurl,

2mm wil come safely as sawdust only but for greater levels of stock removal I wan't to reinforce the concept of just how potentially dangerous it can be to reduce stock on the table saw where a very thin section of waste remains on the table after the cut is completed or even worse the cut runs out leaving a waste piece with zero thickness on one end. If the waste section goes part way into the throat of the insert and the other end rears up well above the blade as often happens the temptation is to reach out and remove it with the saw running. Attempting this maneouvre is quite likely to see your hand pulled down into the blade as you free the jammed waste section and if it gets pulled through by the spinning blade forces. I know someone who ruined their right hand doing exactly that. The use of a zero clearance insert and a push stick plus feather boards if you feel you need them is the best answer next to a power feeder.

Its a side issue but allowing short length thin sawn waste to go through the saw throat is a wonderful entree to spending the rest of the afternoon dismantling cleaning and re-assembling your dust extraction ducting.

Cheers Old Pete

I quite agree with Pete's comments here. But I did mention the blade guard. NEVER do such work without theguard fitted. This is the best protection for you hands.

Beamer also suggests embedding the blade in a sacrificial fence. This is the best approach for removing LESS than the kerf thickness. But you cant fit the blade guard - so Peter's advice is particularly relevant for this approach, but either way, it's best to use two feather boards and a push stick.

2mm is less than the kerf width of all but the thinnest of thin-kerf blades. It will all end up as saw dust.

If you have the riving knife and blade guard attached as well using a push stick, it is a perfectly safe operation. Even better, use a zero clearance insert as well. I always use a zero clearance insert unless I am making an angled cut anyway.