How to cut a bevel on a transition strip with a tablesaw

Sam Smith

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I need to cut a bevel on an oak transition strip(6').....It will be greater than 45 degrees..

I think that this would be best accomplished with some form of a jig.

I would like to do this with a tablesaw....

Would really appreciate your input/help....
 
Sam, if I'm understanding you correctly, the bevel cut can be done by running the board through on edge. With the saw set up like this:

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The cut would go something like this:

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I prefer to do these types of things on the jointer if you have one. Otherwise, it's on edge which can be made safer with tall featherboards.
 
I think I know what you mean, like a transition between tile and hardwood? If so I made some of these a couple years ago with a jig on a planer.

For the jig I cut a short board that was 1-1/2" thick, 4" wide and about 3' long. I put the blade on the table saw at full height and about 10 degrees off straight up and down and ran the board through cutting most of the way through it. Then I laid the flat side down, lowered the blade and took a wedge out of it with that cut. I waxed the 3' piece, clamped it into the planer, and ran the tranistion pieces over the top of it at an angle and used the planer to cut the angle on the transition, turned it around and cut the other side of the transition.

The transition piece I was cutting were only about 1/4" thick, so I didn't feel like it was safe to cut on a table saw. I tried cutting a 3/4" board on all 4 corners then resawing, but the surface had some burns in it, and generally the wood not being perfectly flat over the 9' lengths make a inconsistant cut. With the planer, you can feed 1/4" strip in that's not perfectly flat and it does just fine with a very consistant cut. I'm not sure that's all clear, I struggle to describe things without pictures.. If anyone wants a picture, just msg me and I'll try and post one when I get home.

You can do it on a table saw, especially if it's a thicker piece, but this method worked well for a thin/not perfectly flat piece of wood.
 
I made 3 transitions for my sons basement and bathroom last week.
I cut it like Vaughns picture, edge side on blade, then ran it through the planer upside down, taking off what I wanted from bottom, then flipped it again and ran a dado (on one side of the transition)slightly higher than the 1/8th thickness of the laminate through the table saw.
 
If the piece is too narrow or you dont feel comfortable running it through on edge consider attaching it to another board to give you a thicker piece to run against the fence. Like a taller auxiliary fence with a couple of clamps on it. That is the fastest way to do it then just sand out your saw marks.

The other way which takes a bit longer but is just as easy is as Jeb said to make a sled for your planer and run the stock through in several passes to get it down to what you need.
Just picture a piece of plywood shimmed up on one side with a block screwed to one end that hooks over the end of your infeed table to keep it from being pulled through and a small fence on the down slope side to keep your stock running true
 
I didn't see the final jig that worked the best, it must have gotten repurposed. Here's my first attempt at a jig that I just ran through with the wood being bevelled. It should give you the idea.
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I ended up making a shorter jig the length of the planer bed with a hard stop screwed to it on the entry side. I stuck this one in with clamps just to run a test piece.

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It's definitely better to put a stop on the bottom entry side of the jig that will not let it go through the planer and keep everythign square. You also need to make sure the jig is not tall enough to get caught in the planer, that wouldn't be good.
 
If the piece is too narrow or you dont feel comfortable running it through on edge consider attaching it to another board to give you a thicker piece to run against the fence. Like a taller auxiliary fence with a couple of clamps on it. That is the fastest way to do it then just sand out your saw marks.

The other way which takes a bit longer but is just as easy is as Jeb said to make a sled for your planer and run the stock through in several passes to get it down to what you need.
Just picture a piece of plywood shimmed up on one side with a block screwed to one end that hooks over the end of your infeed table to keep it from being pulled through and a small fence on the down slope side to keep your stock running true

I don't feel comfortable using my planner, but your first option looks more promising to me....can you or someone show what you mean using sketchup....
 
The piece of oak that I am trying to bevel is 2" high 3/4" thick by 6' long. About 1'' will be beveled on the side towards the lino. How can this be safely done on the table saw?
 
Start with a piece 24" long run it into the blade at the bevel until you have a good 6" cut stop the saw and remove the wood. Cut to the finish size.
 
Start with a piece 24" long run it into the blade at the bevel until you have a good 6" cut stop the saw and remove the wood. Cut to the finish size.

I think he's looking to cut 6 feet, not 6 inches.

Sam, I'd still do it the way I showed in the sketches. I'd use featherboards (before the blade) to keep the piece against the fence, and use a push stick or push block to push the last foot or so of the cut through the blade. If your saw telts to the right instead of the left, you can still do the cut safely by moving the fence to the left side of the blade. Just remember to always have the blade tilting away from the fence to avoid having a trapped cutoff piece. (And blade marks on your fence.)
 
I think he's looking to cut 6 feet, not 6 inches.

Sam, I'd still do it the way I showed in the sketches. I'd use featherboards (before the blade) to keep the piece against the fence, and use a push stick or push block to push the last foot or so of the cut through the blade. If your saw telts to the right instead of the left, you can still do the cut safely by moving the fence to the left side of the blade. Just remember to always have the blade tilting away from the fence to avoid having a trapped cutoff piece. (And blade marks on your fence.)

Yes that is correct, I want to cut 6 feet....

My blade tilts to the left so I can leave my fence where it's at now....

With regards to your sketch, the piece of board you are demonstrating is about 8 inches high thus the safety factor is much lower than in my case, where I need to cut 2 inches high. How can I safely do this cut?

Thanks
 
If your board is 2" tall, and you want half of the face beveled, then your blade will only need to be 1" or so above the table. It's actually more protected than on most straight cuts since it's not poking out above the top of the board. I'm headed out the door right now, but I'll try to sketch it up this evening.
 
Sorry it took a bit longer than expected, but here are a few pics, scaled to show a 1" x 2" stick of lumber getting a bevel cut.

The featherboard (the blue thing) helps keep the stock firmly against the fence.

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This view shows that there is still a "bottom" surface to ride on the table after the stock moves through the blade.

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Downward pressure slightly before the blade helps keep the stock from rising, and pushing from the end of the stock (or the middle of a longer piece of stock) feeds the wood through the blade. You should also make sure the stock stays firmly against the fence through the entire cut. You don't want it to tip. Using push sticks, you can make this cut and still keep your fingers far away from the blade.

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It's actually easier and less nerve-wracking than it sounds. ;)
 

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Sorry Sam, I have absolutely no clue how to use those software programs.. I have never been able to come up with a rendering that would remotely compare to a third graders refridgerator drawing...
That said, take Vaughn's illustration and if you feel that you are going to be running your push sticks too close to the blade then screw or clamp the piece to be bevelled to an additional board to get your hands further away from the blade. there are several ways you could do that. Just make sure that if you screw it to another board that the screws wont hit the blade :eek:
It's a lot easier than it looks
 
If you prefer the tablesaw, Vaughn's example is the method you want to use. I would make it safer by using a wider piece of stock (as in Vaughn's original diagram) and then rip to final width. Regardless of the method, if you are uncomfortable with making the cut, don't do it. Ordering a custom piece of stock would be better than trying something that you have to white-knuckle your way through. Safety should be the ultimate concern and trump any other issue.
 
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