Thread: How to cut 1/4" x 1/4" strips

The best table saw accessory I have is one of these - Micro Jig | GRR-Ripper® | The Ultimate 3D Push block System | Safety and Precision on the Tablesaw| How to Cut Wood | Table Saw Cutting | How to Table Saw | Saw Guard |

You can rip pieces down to 1/8" without any problems.

I know it won't help you now, but something to consider in the future.

You wont get many strips (probably 2) from the strip because you will waste at least half a strip in each cut with the kerf.

http://www.woodsmithshop.com/downloa...rippingjig.pdf has an article for making a jig to set fence position and control cut. For a one off, forget the bearing setup and use something slightly (0.5mm or so) thinner than your stock as a guide to index to. That way the push block can pass over the guide without interference.

You also need a push block that can overlap the blade to hold down the blank and control feed for blank and finished part. This needs to be disposable because it will end up with kerfs through the base and end of it. One approach would be a strip of 18mm MDF about 100 mm high with strip of hardboard hanging low at the back as a 'pusher' heel.

Hello,

Its only 12" long so you could use one of those japanese pull saws that have a very thin kerf and get 3 strips 1/4" and one strip less ..... wastes far less wood. Would you settle for 4 strips slightly less than 1/4" ?

Also try a bandsaw perhaps ?

I got a cheap japanese saw from Bunnings for $14 and use it all the time - its wondrous - scared to think what might happen if I ever tried a really good expensive one - would be forced to buy it I suppose.

Bill

If you are worried because it is short you could just cut it with a handsaw, 300 mm is not a long cut

Actually, I needed these 1/4" x 1/4" strips for the jig I was making for my son's bandsaw. It was exactly the one that was shown in malb's link. The top of the jig slides along these two hardwood runners which I assumed were about 1/4" x 1/4". Probably 10 x 10mm strips for the runners would be more suitable, but the question still remains - the best and safest way to cut them.

So what malb is saying is that I need the jig to make the jig I had in mind

Maybe a coping saw would work? Sandwich stock in sacrificial timber so that edges guide saw? Then sand. Cheers

Use Hot melt glue and fix Jarrah to another board for support/ trim to size close to dimensions/ use sander to bring back to size. soak in oil for a few days/ use as guides in bandsaw/ works really well.
regards, Ned

Hi Dengy,
Sorry but I'm at work and so can't get and show pics.
I do this regularly cutting stripping for boxes and this is how I do it...

• with the blade fully retracted, attach a piece of ply or MDF to the table saw top with double sided tape
• raise the blade to cut through the ply or mdf but only enough for the thickness of your strip
• attach a temporary fence to the saw fence that allows you to cut the 1/4" (I have a fence that is L shaped which clamps to the saw's own fence)
• cut a block of say 50 x 50 that is a long as the piece you want to cut and cut it so that it has a 'toe' that pushes your workpiece through the blade
• push the workpiece through the blade and out the other side, the blade cuts A LITTLE BIT into your block and 'toe' AND
• the ply or mdf provides zero clearance around the blade so the cut pieces can fall into the void or, worse still, be thrown back at you!

As a picture tells a thousand words, I'll send a pic tonight if you still need any help?

fletty

Would this be of any use?
I like Fletty's idea of the temporary zero clearance insert. Hopefully we get to see a picture of the setup tonight.

Originally Posted by fletty

Hi Dengy,
Sorry but I'm at work and so can't get and show pics.
I do this regularly cutting stripping for boxes and this is how I do it...
[*]with the blade fully retracted, attach a piece of ply or MDF to the table saw top with double sided tape[*]raise the blade to cut through the ply or mdf but only enough for the thickness of your strip[*]attach a temporary fence to the saw fence that allows you to cut the 1/4" (I have a fence that is L shaped which clamps to the saw's own fence)[*]cut a block of say 50 x 50 that is a long as the piece you want to cut and cut it so that it has a 'toe' that pushes your workpiece through the blade[*]push the workpiece through the blade and out the other side, the blade cuts A LITTLE BIT into your block and 'toe' AND[*]the ply or mdf provides zero clearance around the blade so the cut pieces can fall into the void or, worse still, be thrown back at you!


As a picture tells a thousand words, I'll send a pic tonight if you still need any help?

fletty

fletty, I started typing up the same thing before my 1st response, started reading this and thought - I did not press send how did this get here?

I got to wondering it it was the shortness of his stock or losing the piece down the side of the blade that was the issue.

In Australia a riving knife (parting knife immediately behind the blade) is also standard. Depending on the saw and whether this can be raised and lowered independent of the blade this may need to be temporarily removed

Flettys solution is brilliant.

DaveTTC is right with the riving knife, but I did something like Fletty, but raised the blade up an extra inch then lowered it back down. This gave me a little kerf at the back of the blade. I jammed a tongue of wood in the back kerf to act as a very small riving knife. It was cut to petrude the height of the blade (1/4")

Originally Posted by Treecycle

Would this be of any use?
I like Fletty's idea of the temporary zero clearance insert. Hopefully we get to see a picture of the setup tonight.

Of course it can be done but why would you bother with Jarrah? Basic safety says to avoid short bits of timber on the
saw bench, surface planer, router table and thicknesser. Feel free to add to the list. I make small bits all the time but
I don't start with small bits. 43 years at this caper and I can still count to 10 on 2 hands. knock on wood!

home from work.....


This is only how I do it with no claim that it is the only way to do the job safely. On such a small scale, I've found that the riving knife either jams the offcut and/or interferes with the push stick.

First I use double sided tape to glue (in this case) a piece of MDF to give a new table top

thinstrip01.jpg


then I raise the blade initially to a poofteenth higher than required and then lower the blade by half-a-poofteenth so the blade doesn't touch at the front or back of the cut

thinstrip02.jpg



fit my decidedly non-patented auxilliary fence

thinstrip03.jpg


......and make a new pushBLOCK (if you can't find the last one!)

thinstrip04.jpg


and lower the blade again until it only just cuts the top surface

thinstrip05.jpg


place the workpiece against the fence, press the pushBLOCK on top with the 'toe' against the end of the workpiece and push through the blade and against the fence making sure you finish well past the blade....

thinstrip06.jpg



lift up the pushBLOCK ... and there is your first narrow strip ... and second .... and .....

thinstrip07.jpg

IF I need to cut up the whole workpiece as I think you are planning dengy, I put a packer (often one of the cut strips) under the unsupported edge of the pushBLOCK.
I am sure there are other ways but the zero clearance surface,the pushBLOCK covering the whole piece and hands clear of the blade is a safe way to cut narrow strip. I have cut very crisp strips down to 3mm thick BUT a 3mm deep toe seems to get cut up pretty quickly!
I hope this helps,
fletty

i'm with fletty, good picks too, my post was not gonna be with the offer of pics, nice work