Table Saw: Safe Ripping and Cross Cutting
George VondriskaDescription
The table saw is at the heart of most woodworking shops, so it’s VERY important that you use it correctly and safely. In this video we’ll demonstrate safe ripping and crosscutting on a Laguna Fusion 1 table saw. We’ll cover:
- – Blade selection, ripping versus crosscutting
- – The importance of a riving knife
- – Body position relative to the saw
- – Kickback and how to avoid it
- – What cuts require a push stick
- – Hand position when cutting
- – Dust collection
- – The importance of an outfeed table
Crosscutting safely
There are some crosscut-specific rules you should pay attention to. They have to do with retrieving your material after making a cut, and how to make repetitive cuts to exactly the same length. A stop block allows the miter gauge and rip fence to be used in conjunction with each other, which helps avoid the potential of binding or kick back.
Cutting lots of parts to size
Using the rip fence to get lots of parts cut to the same size makes great sense, as long as you’re didn’t it correctly and safely. Watch the video for the “rectangle rule,” which dictates when you can and can’t use the rip fence for these cuts.
More info
For more info on the Laguna table saw visit www.lagunatools.com or call (888) 677-9765.
Share tips, start a discussion or ask one of our experts or other students a question.
Already a member? Sign in
5 Responses to “Table Saw: Safe Ripping and Cross Cutting”
Premium Membership
Unlock exclusive member content from our industry experts.
- 24/7 Access to Premium Woodworking Videos, Projects, and Tips
- Step-by-Step Instructional Demos, Plans, and Tutorials
- 50% Off Video Downloads Purchased in the Woodworkers Guild of America Shop
- 2 Printable Woodworking Plans
Unlock exclusive member content from our industry experts.
- 24/7 Access to Premium Woodworking Videos, Projects, and Tips
- Step-by-Step Instructional Demos, Plans, and Tutorials
- 50% Off Video Downloads Purchased in the Woodworkers Guild of America Shop
- 2 Full-Length Video Downloads to Watch Offline
- 2 Printable Woodworking Plans
Gold Membership
$370 Value
Get everything included in Premium plus exclusive Gold Membership benefits.
- 24/7 Access to Premium Woodworking Videos, Projects, and Tips
- Step-by-Step Instructional Demos, Plans, and Tutorials
- 8 Full-Length Video Downloads to Watch Offline
- 3 Full-Length Woodworking Classes to Keep for Life
- 7 Printable Woodworking Plans
- Discounts on Purchase-to-Own Content in the Woodworkers Guild of America Shop
- Access to Ask the Expert Program
- Exclusive GOLD LIVE Streaming Events
Safety Question - I have a large piece 4 feet by 28” and want to cut multiple 4” side cuts. This doesn’t break the length from blade/fence rule. It’s a ‘wide’ piece. 1 - Is is a good idea to have a feather board clamped to the fence in front of the blade to help keep the piece flat to table? 2 - Same rule applies by slight pressure of piece against fence and pushing/sliding the piece from wider (4’x 28” so I would be pushing/sliding the 3’8” side) through and past the saw blade instead of trying to slide the wider piece and also using push stick? 3 - Use push stick when the size of the piece smaller in width (1’ x 28”) ? 4 - Would you suggest using a circular saw and cutting it into a smaller 2x2 before using table saw to cut the smaller 4” wide strips?
Is the blade guard/pawls/riving knife assembly aftermarket? If so, who supplies it? My Laguna did not come with anything except the riving knife. Thanks.
i use my radial arm saw for all my cross cuts.
Thanks for this video! I would love to see “safety” videos for the miter saw and router table.
Great video - thank you. I was looking at the Fusion F2 (currently have a 1953 Unisaw). Would you recommend it?