RIPPING JIG FOR STRAIGHT LUMBER © 2011 August Home Publishing Co. TIPS FROM OUR SHOP RIPPING JIG FOR STRAIGHT LUMBER Straightening rough or crooked lumber will take time, but it’s an easy task when you use your table saw and one of these handy jigs. uying rough lumber can save piece of plywood or MDF, perfectly to straighten the edge. You use this B you money. But once it’s in straight on one edge. Clamps or jig in the same way as the carrier the shop, you’ll have to prepare it for screws hold the workpiece on top, board. An added benefit of this jig is use. And this usually involves ripping as shown in the photo on the right. that it can be used for cutting a taper a straight edge on the board. Once you have the carrier board on a workpiece. Normally, I turn to the jointer to attached to your workpiece, all you straighten a piece of stock. But with need to do is run the carrier board rough or severely crooked stock, against the rip fence of your table saw this often isn’t an option. Bark on to make the edge straight. the edge of rough lumber is tough CLAMPING CARRIER BOARD. If you have on jointer knives. Plus, it’s difficult several boards to straighten, you to joint a long board, especially if it can make a clamping carrier jig, like has a serious crook. the one in the main photo. CARRIER BOARD. The key to turning This jig is simple to make (draw- 3 a crooked board into a usable work- ing on page 2). It’s just a piece of ⁄4" piece is to start by getting one edge plywood cut with a perfectly straight straight. One of the easiest ways to edge. T-track is installed in dadoes { The fastest way to get a straight do this is to use a carrier board. A and the hold-down clamps keep the edge on rough lumber is to fasten carrier board is nothing more than a lumber in place as you make the cut it to a carrier board. 1 Woodsmith.com © 2011 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. Star knob T-track (Rockler #26420) Flange bolt #6 x !/2" screws To cut a taper with this jig, just line Once you’re up the tapered edge you want to cut done clean- with the edge of the jig, and clamp ing up any saw the workpiece in place. marks on the edges Washer FACTORY MADE FIXTURE. A third of your workpiece, all option for ripping a straight edge that’s left is to give the board on a board is the General Tools’ E-Z smooth and flat faces. Jointer Clamp Kit that you see in the In a short time, you’ll #/4 plywood photos at right (available through have lumber that is smooth Hold-down clamp GeneralTools.com, #846). This fix- and straight on all four sides and #/4" dado (Rockler ture allows you to attach a guide ready for your project. #21912) board to the edge of your workpiece. One side of the fixture clamps to a guide board, and the other side clamps to the workpiece, as shown in the right photo. Then you just set Guide board the fence to the correct distance and hold-down rip a straight edge. A SECOND STRAIGHT EDGE. Once you have one edge on a rough sawn board, it’s easy to get a second edge. Workpiece Even if the board is crooked on both hold-down edges, you can turn the straight edge you’ve created to the rip fence Swing arm and straighten the opposite edge. supports wide boards If the saw blade leaves marks on the newly created straight edge, just clean it up on the jointer. If you don’t have a jointer, your table saw will do { Jointing clamps are made specifically for obtaining the job, too. The simple process is a straight edge on rough lumber. They clamp to the described in the How-To box below. workpiece and a guide board. JOINTING ON A TABLE SAW Once you’ve removed the edge to its full height to make a clear- from your rough lumber, you ance space for the blade. You’ll may find some saw marks left by want the laminated outfeed side the rip blade. If you don’t have a of the fence flush with the outside jointer, you can use your table saw edge of the saw blade, just as the to smooth the edge. outfeed side of a jointer is higher You can see in the photo at than the infeed side. right how I’ve set up my table When using my table saw as a saw to joint an edge. It’s just a jointer, I like to use a Freud Glue MDF auxiliary fence with a piece Line rip blade because this blade of plastic laminate attached leaves a smooth surface. If you to the outfeed side. I bur- don’t have this particular blade, ied the blade in the you can use any sharp rip or com- fence by clamping bination saw blade. the fence about half- Once the auxiliary fence is way over the blade. set up, pass the board over the Then I just turned table saw holding the edge firmly { Using a table saw as a jointer takes a minimum amount on the saw and against the fence. Moving steadily, of setup. An auxiliary fence with laminate attached can raised the blade you’ll remove blade marks. be clamped to the rip fence. 2 Woodsmith.com © 2011 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. PUSH BLOCK AND PUSH STICK © 2011 August Home Publishing Co. TIPS FROM OUR SHOP PUSH BLOCK A push block doesn’t have to be a simple scrap piece that you throw away after one use. This version is designed with a comfortable, practical handle and a replaceable body. Using a push block on a table saw is workpiece through the blade, as well lots of narrow stock, you may prefer just good sense: it keeps the work- as downward pressure to prevent a block specifically designed for the piece under control and it provides chattering. The 2x4 body rides on purpose. You’ll find one in the Shop a protective barrier between your edge to put extra inches of solid wood Tip box on page 4. hand and the saw blade. between your fingers and the blade. MATERIALS. The body is nothing Unlike most push sticks that stay REPLACEABLE BODY. Ordinary push more than 2x4 scrap, and the heel is behind the workpiece and offer- blocks get chewed up after being cut from hardboard. I cut the handle slittle control over longer boards, run over the saw blade. This one is out of 2x4 scrap as well. However, this push block keeps the workpiece designed so the body and the heel since the handle is the part that will under control through the entire can be replaced as often as needed. last a long time, you could also make cut. (Shopt Note: For an improved This push block is particu- it out of hardwood, if there’s a suit- push stick design, see page 5.) larly useful for ripping thin strips, able piece in your scrap bin. The size and angle of the handle because the heel pushes both the While you’re making this push make it comfortable and practical to workpiece and the waste completely block, it’s worth taking time to cut sev- use, but that’s not the only reason for past the blade without the danger eral extra bodies and heels. This way the distinctive shape. It’s designed to of kickback (see “Using the Push you will always have replacements on exert forward pressure to push the Block” on page 4). If you need to cut hand whenever you need them. 1 Woodsmith.com © 2011 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. Construction Details ONE SQUARE Overall Dimensions: EQUALS !/4" 1 1 1 /2" x 6"x 8 /4" HANDLE (3!/2"-WIDE, 9"-LONG BLANK) A 2D!/4" RYWALL SCREW NOTE: DON'T ROUND OVER B NOTCHED SECTION MAIN BODY (7"-LONG 2x4) C HEEL (1!/2" x 3#/4" HARDBOARD) WASTE 9 HANDLE ROUND INSIDE CORNER 1!/4 5° BODY WASTE HEEL !/4 1 MATERIALS !/2 1 1 A Handle (1) 1 /2 x 3 /2 - 9 1 1 B Body (1)* 1 /2 x 3 /2 - 7 1 1 3 C Heel (1)* /4 hdbd. - 1 /2 x 3 /4 2#/4 * Replaceable parts; cut extras as desired. HARDWARE SUPPLIES 2#/8 1 (1) 2 /4" drywall screw WASTE NOTE Note: The handle for the push block is shown full size in the pattern at right. Use tracing paper or photocopy this page to make a working pattern. Then transfer the 2#/4 pattern to your workpiece (a scrap of 2x4). 3!/2 2 Woodsmith.com © 2011 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. This push block has only three parts: 1 a replaceable body (made from a 1 scrap of 2x4), a ⁄4" hardboard heel that hooks over the end of the work- piece (the heel is also replaceable), and a handle. HANDLE. The handle (A) is the key to the whole design of this push block system, so it’s worth making a good one. I cut the handle out of a 1 scrap piece of 2x4, but any 1 ⁄2"-thick stock will do.