Ripping narrow strips on a table saw
Two weeks ago, I gave a webinar on workshop safety.
One of the things I mentioned off the top was that the webinar wasn’t going to cover every single situation that might arise in a small workshop setting, but was going to touch on some of the basic rules and guidelines I follow while in the shop, some of the common things I teach students when they’re in my shop, and a few more specific situations that often occur that might be a bit more dangerous.
I broke the webinar into different sections to keep it organized and systematic. Topics like general shop safety tips, pros and cons of push sticks and how they should be made and used, how PPE (personal protective equipment) should be a big part of your routine in the workshop, and a few pointers on using the router and router table were all discussed, and a bunch of questions about each of these topics were answered. The last section included a few tips for specific situations when using a table saw. Where to look when cutting sheet goods and when it’s okay to use the rip fence and mitre gauge at the same time were two situations I touched on. Frankly, I could have talked about table saw safety for the entire hour, but I didn’t have the time. By the time I got to the table saw I had only a few minutes left.
One of the questions that came up was how to rip thin strips on a table saw. Sadly, I only had about three minutes until our webinar ended, so I had to move quickly and cover just the basics, which didn’t sit overly well with me. Covering proper push stick styles and usage, how thin is too thin to simply use your hands instead of a push stick, keeping the gap between the throat plate and blade to a minimum, blade height, fence types and location, where to apply pressure when using hands or a push stick, where to stand, where to look, how thin is too thin that you should consider another approach, ripping extra-long pieces—none of this can be covered in 180 seconds. But I gave it my best shot.
I might be forgetting a small detail or two, but here’s a general overview of what I talked about. Generally speaking, I feel your hands are the best push sticks because they’re strong, are dexterous and can grip a workpiece in many different directions. One of my main points was that I absolutely always use a push stick when a piece is so narrow that my fingers are too close to the blade. I talked about the specific type of push stick I use and why I don’t even allow the most common type / shape of push stick in my workshop. I mentioned why having only a small gap between the throat plate and blade is important. I very briefly mentioned how if the piece I need is very thin, I will set the rip fence up so the thin piece falls to the outside of the blade, rather than between the blade and the rip fence. I also talked about how some woodworkers use this method for ripping all of their thin strips, and that they will adjust the position of the rip fence after each cut so the strips stay about the same width, though not the exact same width. I talked about how some fences can be adjusted backwards, allowing any inherent stress being released from the workpiece to move freely without pressing into the rip fence and causing problems. I also mentioned how sometimes the opposite happens: the released stress can cause the workpiece to pinch the far end of the blade, causing potential kickback. I think I also mentioned something about how anyone not comfortable and knowledgeable about ripping thin strips on a table saw should seek further information about the topic, as it can go wrong quickly. It was an action-packed three minutes.
You can watch the webinar here. If you are not a member and would like to participate in future webinars join now.
Further thoughts
After the webinar ended, one thing kept popping up in my mind: did I say enough about ripping thin strips on a table saw? Did I cover all the right points? Did I miss anything? Did the little bit of information I provided end up steering anyone wrong? I felt uneasy about the answers to each of these questions.
Call a friend
I’ve been ripping thin strips of wood for over 30 years. I’m comfortable doing it and feel I have a very low chance of experiencing an incident whenever I do so. Having said that, I also wanted to know what a few other knowledgeable and safety-conscious woodworkers thought of the situation and whether there’s a difference between what they teach others and what techniques they use in their shop when nobody else is looking. Maybe I had my head in the sand and needed to update my approach.
Before we go on…
For the record, I use one technique when I’m alone in my workshop, but I use another when a student comes in to learn and build. For insurance purposes, I have to have every safety device engaged when I’m teaching a student and I have to use the safest practice, even if it leaves me with less than satisfying results. Doing otherwise could get me in serious hot water if something went wrong. It could also result in me losing an incredible amount of money in a legal settlement. It’s just not worth it.
Back to my friends…
I chatted with seven woodworking friends, all of whom have been in the industry for many decades. Most of them have taught other woodworkers in a formal setting. All of them have different woodworking backgrounds.
Five (maybe six…one was on the fence and had many different approaches, depending on the specifics of the situation) of them agreed with my general approach to working alone in a workshop; that fewer or no guards were needed at times, using certain push sticks was much safer than using the most common push stick, and that ripping narrow strips between the blade and rip fence was the most accurate and quickest way to get the job done and it could be done very safely. The vast majority of these folks (all the people who actually teach others in a formal shop setting, anyways) agreed that they change their approach when instructing others. They all thought that doing it the other way was not quite as safe, even though it is commonly deemed as “the way it should be done in the woodworking industry.”
Honestly, none of this surprised me. It was exactly the same as I was doing, whether I was alone or teaching others in my workshop.
I did talk with one person (an industry insider who teaches employees how to use woodworking machinery) who felt there was an appropriate way to use all the safety devices, and that there was no reason to do otherwise.
I heard from a few folks who, at least in the school where they learned to work wood, all ripping was done on the bandsaw and dressed to final thickness. I also heard a few alternate approaches, such as ripping a thin piece between the blade and fence, but stopping half way to end-for-end the board, then continuing to rip the piece. This approach keeps your hands a safe distance from the blade, though it might add other complications. It’s a technique I use from time to time, but only in specific situations.
The bottom line
Even the simple task of ripping a thin strip of wood on a table saw can have a lot of intricate considerations. Does using a blade guard obstruct the user’s view of the cut and how the wood is reacting to that cut? Absolutely, but according to many, it should be used in spite of this fact. Does using a blade guard get in the way of properly controlling a workpiece (both the offcut and the thin strip being cut) with a push stick? Again, absolutely. Does using a push stick on a slightly wider workpiece (let’s say ripping a workpiece to 4″ wide) give you more control over the workpiece? Not at all. I feel your hands should be controlling that workpiece, as they can stay far enough away from the blade and will better control and guide the workpiece. Sadly, many industry insiders would disagree. There are many other situations that are grey, rather than black and white, too.
Safety is relative
Let’s be honest here. Safety is a relative thing and we all draw the line at what is safe and what isn’t in different ways. Having said that, I do understand why industry, in general, has to fall on the side of having extra safe practices, especially with respect to workers who don’t necessarily have decades (or even years) of experience.
I think we can all agree that crossing the road away from a stop sign, stop light or crosswalk can be dangerous. But then again, it depends on the specifics, doesn’t it? Walking across a six-lane highway is incredibly dangerous, but crossing in the middle of a quiet residential dead-end street after looking both ways is not something any of us consider dangerous. The tricky thing is when you get into the centre of the grey area and some people say it’s dangerous, while others feel it’s not a big risk. It then might even come down to your specific situation. Can you walk quickly to get out of the way of an approaching vehicle, or are you only able to move slowly, and might even have an injury that causes you to not be able to move quickly if you needed to?
Back to woodworking
Ripping thin strips on a table saw is a woodworker’s version of crossing a street away from an intersection or crosswalk. We won’t all agree as to what the best approach is and will end up going with what we feel is best for us. This will often work out just fine, but there are certainly times when it might not. What’s most important is to know the risks, know the skills and experience you possess, and make a decision based on those factors.
I’m not at all saying everyone should remove all the safety devices from their machinery if they have more than a few years of experience. I’m saying safety procedures are different for everyone, and should be acted upon individually, based on the knowledge and experience each person has and the specifics of the operation taking place.
As I mentioned in my webinar, most of us are hobby woodworkers who need to go to work the next morning uninjured. Even professional woodworkers obviously don’t want to get hurt, as they need to show up at work the next morning, too. I’ve seen some ugly woodworking accidents on the internet. I certainly don’t want to see any more of those mistakes.
What’s your approach, in terms of ripping thin strips on a table saw? Or maybe you don’t even do it on a table saw. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Ready to Rip
This is the style of push stick I use to do most of my ripping on the table saw. I have a few different push sticks; each one is meant for a different thickness of strip that needs to be ripped.
Rob is a studio furniture maker and the editor at Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement. Instagram at @RobBrownTeaches
I use a 3/4 inch board that is 6 inch wide by 12 inches long with a peach screwed on the back and a handle on top to push it. The set up the finch at 6 inch plus what I want to cut then cut a many as I would like to.
My approach to ripping is very similar to yours. When I taught high school woodworking I tried to use safety attachments but due to circumstances the only thing that was at all affective was the riving knife (which is the most effective of all the devices in my opinion). I haven’t watched the webinar yet but even without seeing it I know which push sticks you don’t allow in your shop. I toss them too. Dangerous. Common sense and decent instructions are the best.
Funny that this came into my feed today as I just taught this yesterday. As a woodwork teacher, safety is always my top consideration. If a cut is at all sketchy or risky in any way, I will have the student set it up, talk through the risks, ask about what could happen and we talk about mitigating the risks. When I am sure that they understand the risks, I offer to do the cut for them to show them how to do it. If they then want to try it, I let them.
Yesterday, we had to cut four long 1/4″ strips. We went through this process, removed the guard, installed the smaller riving knife and the student did the cuts with my hands guiding the wood. I was able to demonstrate exactly where the safe spots on the table were, and push her hands away when they were entering the less-safe spots. I was going to have the student first build a task-specific pushstick much like the one that you show in this article, but we have a commercially made one that did the job (and I didn’t want her on the bandsaw).
I believe that for this student, this was a very empowering process. She had previously been ‘banned’ from using the band saw (for curved cuts) as her motor control is not great. Ironically, the table saw is a safer machine for her because of the rigid surface and ability to brace the material against the fence and table, and control its movement through the use of the push stick. With assistance, proper instruction, and the right tools, I think less safe operations can be done safely.