learned a bit, puzzled a bit

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
As y'all know, the last two years have not been easy for me and my shop time was zero to very little. However, I'm back to doing a few projects and love it.:D
But, I did learn that link belts stretch, and stretch, and stretch...........
That's OK, the advantages of them outweigh the minor inconvenience of taking out a couple links.
But, I was having some trouble cutting my pieces on my table saw. Normally, I keep the blade all the way up on the theory that it cuts best with the teeth coming down on the wood. I recall that my father, a professional woodworker, set his blade so the tip of the teeth barely cleared the top of the piece being cut. My gut tells me that is not the best idea. So, today I lowered the blade to where the bottom of the gulley barely cleared the work. It seemed to work fine.
But, question is: what is the common/popular wisdom on this practice with table saws?
 
I believe at least part of the rationale for keeping the blade about gullet-high above the workpiece is safety. The less the blade is exposed during the cut, the lower the chances of getting mixed up in it.

Also, on rip cuts, I believe the blade is more effective cutting with the long grain as opposed to the end grain. I know that's the case when making rip cuts with a chainsaw while cutting bowl blanks. Much faster to cut parallel to the long grain than to try to cut perpendicular to it (via the end of the log).

In a nutshell, I think your dad was onto something. :thumb:
 
This time Dad was right (unlike when we were 16)! Set the blade so the bottom of the gullet is at or near the surface of the workpiece. Now, saying that, on a combo blade, you have two gullets and I use the bottom of the short gullets.
 
Kelly Mähler used to demonstrate how to get a kickback on a table saw at woodworking shows. He used a piece of styrofoam. Hurts less that getting clobbered with a chunk of wood!

Anyway, the angle of attack of the cutting teeth of the blade are less likely to result in kickback than with a high angle. Thus keep the blade gullet high only. Also, it allows the blade to unload sawdust more quickly, thus reducing the heat the cutting action produces, resulting in the blade staying sharper longer.

The ease of cut, with or against the grain, has everything in the world to do with the sharpness of the blade, not necessarily the height of the blade.

Of course every shop teacher in the world also insists that the lower the blade protrudes above the surface of the wood is a better safety practice. Perhaps. But we are seldom motivated by safety. So no need to go there. :)
 
I was taught by my shop teachers back in the day that you set the blade as low as possible to get through the wood. As others have said first and foremost is safety. Second is supposedly it was more efficient. Don't know for sure about the efficiency part, but that's what I was taught. When rip cutting with a chainsaw, as Vaughn mentioned, I was use a skip chain which really rips the wood out, but it can still be a struggle if the log is like 24" in diameter or more. But, back to the point I think your Dad had it right, Frank. But maybe I am weird Carol. I'm really try to be safety conscious all the time. I like keeping all my fingers, toes and all the other things attached. So far. :thumb:
 
... But we are seldom motivated by safety....

Really????

I have been doing this for a living for 16 years now. I make thousands of table saw cuts a month. Every single one of them is motivated by safety. Most of them are very similar so my routines are pretty well set but none of them is made without thinking.

I know members of the counting to 9 1/2 club and have no ambition to join them.

Blade set to just show above the workpiece and be under the blade guard.

You may have a different opinion but I wouldn't let you use it on my fingers.
 
My, I opened a can of worms, huh?

And perhaps I was not as clear as I could have been.

First, Kelly Mehler is a well-know furniture builder and author of several woodworking books, most noteably on the using the tablesaw safely. He is also a personal friend.

My background is that of a professional furniture builder and woodworking teacher, also a published author. I also demonstrated and taught rt woodworking shoes around the country for several years.

In no way am I saying there are not any motivated by safe practices. I too am not a member of the 9 1/2 club, nor do I advocate unsafe measures. And in fact, highly recommend the lower the height of the blade, the better. My observation with regard to attitude to safe practices is derived from two areas. One is the many hundreds who passed through my classroom, and the other is the many untrained people who I have seen come into woodworking show demonstrations over the years, with ideas and perceptions based on opinions, or past practices that had not yet cost them or someone they personally knew with a catastrophic injury.

One of the most beneficial things with this forum, is that we do share good practices and admit to mistakes, sometimes those that involved personal injuries. And we learn from them. That is the point. So congratulations to all with all ten digits and please continue to share advocacy for keeping it that way.
 
Carol

I knew most of that. Certainly wasn't aiming anything at you who I respect and am sure your knowledge and abilities are greater than mine.

I Just personally feel the need to jump in whenever I see a post that I think might end up with somebody bleeding when read by a beginner.

I know all about experience and knowledge and, also , about complacency. One of my 9 1/2 fingered friends has been using a tablesaw since he was a teenager and certainly knows his stuff much better than I do. But he still has fewer nose picking options than I do.

I cannot stop somebody posting to say that they don't use a guard and make all their cuts while riding a unicycle blindfolded.

But I can try and be the next post - the one that says that I make all my cuts with as much attention to safety as I can.

And I'm trying to say it so that in 5 years time when a complete beginner comes back from the store with a table saw he doesn't know how to use he might realise that you don't need to multiply the risks.
 
Thus keep the blade gullet high only. Also, it allows the blade to unload sawdust more quickly, thus reducing the heat the cutting action produces, resulting in the blade staying sharper longer.

Thanks for all the responses, very edifying. But, I think I will go with the bottom of the gullet above the work from here on. Safety is a big issue for me as well. I use pushers on virtually everything. This was for ripping. Whenever possible I use my CMS for cross cuts. BTW, I do not use a blade guard.:eek: Naughty me. I have never been able to adjust the splitter so it doesn't bind on the wood being cut. And, I know about the kick back effect. Very first time I used a TS it was for a cross cut using the fence as a length guide. I got hit in the solar plexus and was down for several minutes trying to catch my breath. Now it is rip only (95%) of the time and no fence for the rare cross cuts.
 
I am in no way an expert on the table saw (Maybe an intermediate beginner) and I have a very very healthy fear of the thing. I do use one and relatively regularly (Mostly to hold turning blanks ready for the lathe - but I also rip boards to width to use in my pepper mill glue ups...and not much else - I cut to length on my miter chop saw, which has the same healthy and rational fear process.... my healthy fear/respect promotes safety. )

I've been whacked enough by the TS and lathe to know when I need to be cautious. I've taken a kick back in the groin - so I never stand behind the blade, I've been slapped in the face with a bowl, so I stand as clear as possible of the direction of wood turn and ALWAYS wear a face shield.

All this said, I use the blade only as high as necessary to clear the cut in the wood. I don't use the blade guard as like Frank, never could get it adjusted to work right, plus it obscures my vision of what's happening with the blade. I also always cut on the TS with a face shield.

Ol' Chuck 10 finger.
 
Since the blade guard was mentioned a few times, I thought I should confess that I don't use one. When I did some shop updates a couple of years ago, I bought a new table saw with a riving knife to increase safety. As soon as I got the saw, I put the blade guard on a shelf and it still sits there. I've never come close to getting a finger in the blade, but I have had issues with a board closing up as I push it through the blade. The riving knife takes care of that.

Yep, still have all 10!!!
 
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