Thread: Still learning - are these cuts safe?

Originally Posted by Simplicity

He’s struggling with materials being too big.

Like others have said Cut the sheets down first to more manageable sizes, I mean he actually has the equivalent for that.

At the 2:00 minute mark he explains that a sheet of 16mm melamine weighs about 25kg and it's better to break them down into manageable pieces. He then does that with a track saw. The link provided by the OP starts the video at 3:00, so you may have missed the first 3 minutes.

Originally Posted by jack620

At the 2:00 minute mark he explains that a sheet of 16mm melamine weighs about 25kg and it's better to break them down into manageable pieces. He then does that with a track saw. The link provided by the OP starts the video at 3:00, so you may have missed the first 3 minutes.

Yep just to be clear, I'm not trying to cherry pick bad moments (I am a big fan of Wood Knight). I just had questions about those specific cuts he makes at the 3m 10s mark, so linked to that point in the video.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I do rough cut down to size where I can. But something like a cabinet side (roughly 800x 600) presents a problem as I've got to cut it down to 800mm at some point. The piece I'm cutting from is always wider than it is long. It would be great to do on the table saw, but I just can't figure out a way to do it where I'm not standing between blade and fence AND have good control.

The flip side is my circular saw setup is never quite as good as the table saw. I'm thinking about a track saw, but they are $$$$!

Originally Posted by lemerv

The flip side is my circular saw setup is never quite as good as the table saw. I'm thinking about a track saw, but they are $$$$!

So cut it oversize & trim with a router. This is one of those times where it is more appropriate to hold down the material and use a hand-held machine; rather than the other way round.

At my local woodworking guild (I am the "Head Trainer") I am continuously watching for members doing this sort of thing. I feel like I'm banging my head against the walls on a regular basis because they don't consider what the most appropriate and/or safest method is. Last week I stopped a member from ripping some 1" thick slices from a lump of camphor laurel about 400mm long, 200mm wide and 50mm thick on the table saw. The timber was rough sawn and rocking on the table so there was no stability and the timber was being pushed laterally into the blade; plus with the overhead guard in place he couldn't get his push stick in so he was using the pushstick on the offcut. I practically had to get out the butchers paper and crayons to explain how frikken dangerous it was and how STUPID; because there was a perfectly adequate BANDSAW right next to the table saw that could have broken it down much safer and with less waste. And maybe if he'd jointed the baulk of timber first before lopping a bit off of the end to use it wouldn't have been such a struggle.

Referring earlier to ball parks/rules of thumb; I don't run anything along a table saw fence if it is wider than it is long; which is what was being shown in the video. Just... no.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

My first safety rule is "Don't do it if you don't feel comfortable."

Agree entirely. And I apply it frequently. But the problem is that regardless of one's experience or lack of it, one needs to know enough to realise that this thing I'm about to do isn't a good idea.

Another major problem is the countless number of videos on the internet where basic safety is ignored. Notably reaching hands over the spinning blade on a table saw after the cut is finished to move or grab a piece of timber. Slip a bit and you'll find out how many major blood vessels are in your wrist and lower forearm.

The current ultimate safety idiocy on YouTube is probably fractal burning with home made electrocution machines.

Originally Posted by lemerv

The flip side is my circular saw setup is never quite as good as the table saw. I'm thinking about a track saw, but they are $$$$!

Make your own very accurate track saw for a few bucks. Get whatever length you need of dead set straight timber or metal for a guide and a suitable board at least 3mm / 1/8" thick or thicker. Aluminium angle or box section is ideal for the guide and easy to work with. Man made baseboards like MDF, Masonite and plywood are best as they're pretty stable. Screw or nail (and glue if you intend to keep it, which you should) through the base board into the guide so the fasteners are clear of the bottom of the base board, making sure you check the straightness of your guide with a straight edge as you go. Clamp the guide to your straightedge if necessary to iron out very minor deviations in the guide. If the deviations aren't minor, find another guide. Then run your circular saw along the base board while holding it firmly against the guide. Place and clamp the cut edge of the baseboard on the pencil marks at each end of whatever it is you're cutting and it will be a perfect cut, as long as your guide is set straight.

This simple jig is also handy for cutting on things you don't want to mark with the base plate of the saw, such as cutting down already painted doors, as the saw's baseplate rides on the baseboard of your guide.

Once you've done this, the saw guide should be accurate forever, subject to whatever minor movement you might get with usual timber movement. It's more than accurate enough for carpentry as I've had several that lasted for years, but maybe it needs to be checked often for the greater need for precision in woodworking.

This just showed up on Instagram.


https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crvxk...RlODBiNWFlZA==