how to cut tiny components

[Kuffy]

Im building a few boxes atm. They will have feet approx 45x30x9mm. Mitered corner so no end grain is visible.

I have cut them, without losing fingers, using a panel saw. Im wondering how you guys would go about cutting them. The small triangle is 30x30 cut 45 degrees. I ask because I will need to do this again, and if I keep going I will lose a finger.
20150711_144453.jpg

[BobL]

What is the problem cutting them from a long piece of stock?

[Bob38S]

Agree.

Long pieces and the dock to length.

This should ensure that you can still count to 21

[Arron]

I sometimes cut little things like that too. Long stock is my preference but when I dont have any and am just using up offcuts then I use one of my old tablesaw sleds kept for the purpose. Just a slab of mdf with a runner underneath and a slot down the middle. I just make a little holder for the workpieces by nailing down some scrap mdf. A bit of thin doublesided tape stops the cut-offs from wobbling around and falling back on the tablesaw blade (could be improved).

Press into place, cut, pry out the cut offs, load the next one moving and renailing the scrap mdf if needed, then cut again etc etc.

A bit time consuming but my fingers go nowhere near a tablesaw blade - ever.

Cheers
Arron

[orraloon]

As others have said either long stock or a table saw sled. You will also find a whole lot of other stuff you can do with a sled. Well worth building one. Another safe way is a miter box and handsaw.
Regards
John

[ian]

my suggestion is a jig attached to your sliding table and one or maybe two of these

[Pittwater Pete]

I sometimes cut little things like that too. Long stock is my preference but when I dont have any and am just using up offcuts then I use one of my old tablesaw sleds kept for the purpose. Just a slab of mdf with a runner underneath and a slot down the middle. I just make a little holder for the workpieces by nailing down some scrap mdf. A bit of thin doublesided tape stops the cut-offs from wobbling around and falling back on the tablesaw blade (could be improved).

Press into place, cut, pry out the cut offs, load the next one moving and renailing the scrap mdf if needed, then cut again etc etc.

A bit time consuming but my fingers go nowhere near a tablesaw blade - ever.

Cheers
Arron

Arrons method is the safest way that I've found to do it too.

[Kuffy]

im using a sliding panel saw. no crosscut sled, just the crosscut fence. cutting timber this way only leaves the left side of the blade to be supported giving a nice clean accurate cut. the right hand side of the blade is unsupported. normally i would hold the offcut with my right hand and stiffen my upper body and arm so as to move the timber through the last part of the cut as if it were supported by the crosscut fence. but i cant hold something which is 30mm long which is on the other side of the blade from where i need to stand.

the image shows what i did. everything was done with the finished piece to the left of the blade (supported by the sliding table and crosscut fence). each piece is accurate.
feet.jpg

i guess ill need to make a crosscut sled specifically for it.

[spokeshave]

Very elaborate but seems effective. Good for cross cuts, would need to be modified for mitres, alot of effort though.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f7/cu...able-saw-1251/

[Arron]

I think I see what you are doing. Have you thought of gluing four pieces together before you do cuts 3 and 4. Once the glue is set and you have a little square, make cuts 3 and 4, resulting in 4 fully glued-up feet.

You can glue them together using band clamps or big rubber bands. Cut them apart using a ggripper or on the bandsaw.

Advantage is you are dealing with larger pieces, both gluing and cutting.

[Kuffy]

I think I see what you are doing. Have you thought of gluing four pieces together before you do cuts 3 and 4. Once the glue is set and you have a little square, make cuts 3 and 4, resulting in 4 fully glued-up feet.

You can glue them together using band clamps or big rubber bands. Cut them apart using a ggripper or on the bandsaw.

Advantage is you are dealing with larger pieces, both gluing and cutting.

yeah i thought about doing it this way. the advantage of the way i did do it is that i dont need to have all my timber perfectly prepared (even though it probably was) . varying widths or cutting lengths and angles doesnt matter for a single mitre joint.

[Chris Parks]

Very elaborate but seems effective. Good for cross cuts, would need to be modified for mitres, alot of effort though.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f7/cu...able-saw-1251/

The woodworking world lost a lot the day Niki left us.

[Chris Parks]

I would make a sled that was clamped to the slider and had clamps built in or for something really exotic use vacuum clamping built in to the sled. It could be packed up from the slider before clamping to provide a bit of clearance on the static table so it does not drag.

[spokeshave]

The woodworking world lost a lot the day Niki left us.

I had no idea he had passed. Just done a google search and this came up.

You are correct, very innovative with his many jigs and ideas.

Steven.

[spokeshave]

If you skip to 19.22 on this vid, there is a good idea on cutting small components. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE9f4bp_wm8

Of course you need to have a sled for it to work.

I think a sled will be my next little project, something i've been meaning to do for a while.

Steven.