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Hi all
Ive noticed that when ripping strips of timber, i am left with a gap in the middle of the board lengths when i line them back up next to one another. The ends butt together fine but its only in the middle of the lengths that I'm left with a gap. Any advice appreciated
How long are the boards? What saw are you using and does it have a fence that locks down reliably with no flex? Can you describe your method for the task?
Are the boards jointed and riding flat against the fence the whole way?
It is not really a complex issue, did you joint a face and side of each of the boards first and then put the jointed edge up against the table saw fence.
If the boards are jointed properly then it appears that the table saw fence is out of parallel to the blade or there is not sufficient pressure holding the timber against the fence and the timber is drifting.
Less likely is blade runout .
Boards approx 500mm in length. Using carbatec ts-c250 saw with fence that locks down reliably. Method is feeding board through whilst applying consistent sideways pressure against fence just before blade.
A couple of things you can check out:
1) are you sure the edge of your board running against fence is true? And square If it's bowed you'll get bowed boards.
2) what's the kerf of your blade? Full kerf or thin cut? Are you using riving knife? Blade could be flexing mid cut under load.
3) how's your technique? Is this your first table saw? Are you pushing straight? Or pushing into fence? This can have an impact on your board.
4) is it a new saw or well used? You might have a fence that has a bow in the middle.
If it's none of the above, no idea...
How stable is your timber?
Your equipment and technique maybe fine, it could just be the tension in the wood being released.
This is my first thought also. 500 mm in length but what are the finished cross section dimensions??? The board's moisture content, grain orientation and "cut" (quarter sawn / plain sawn etc) of the boards will influence how the ripped pieces will react after the cut.Quote:
Originally Posted by barramonday
If you are ripping say 50 x 19 mm from a much wider board its unlikely that equipment or technique is the cause unless something is radically astray, more likely to be moisture content & grain issues. Other clues will be how the board has reacted to the cut, things like evidence of burning on one or both faces of the cut, saw teeth marks, present on one or both faces etc.
A simple process of elimination will sort out potential equipment issues, loose fence; mismatched riving knife thickness to blade kerf; inappropriate blade - i.e. not rip; a thin blade kerf width may permit saw plate deflection in the cut; blade sharpness; tooth count of blade etc.
Does your timber stay solidly up against the fence right through the cut? If your riving knife isn't perfectly in line with the blade it can pull the timber away from the fence if the knife is slightly further away from the fence than the blade which will cause a hollow in the cut side.