Now that your tablesaw has been correctly set-up and you have experimented with simple cross-cuts (last Issue), it's time to address the main reason why most woodworkers buy one of these machines.As you are already aware, accurate cross-cuts with a hand saw require skill but relatively little effort — regardless of the species. But accurately rip-sawing a long piece of even 30mm thick hardwood, not only demands a considerable amount of skill, itis also very often hard work and quite time consuming.To perform this kind of cut on a table-saw, the workpiece is guided by the rip fence which is generally placed to the right of the blade. (Provided the saw will accommodate it, the fence may be sometimes positioned on the left.)All that has been said previously about body balance, care in the selection of hand positions as well as speed and smoothness of cut, apply equally to rip-cutting. The hazards posed by overreaching are, however, even more important, since rip-cutting often involves handling workpieces of substantial length.
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