# Need Some Suggestions On Table Saw Riping Jig?



## jaustin (Jan 19, 2014)

Anyone have a safe jig or a way to rip 1" t x 2" w x 5"l scale blanks on a table saw?

I have a bandsaw but some of the woods really bog it down and I can not get it tracking correctly.

I need to do some upgrades to it to get it working right.


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## ghost1066 (Jan 19, 2014)

I do pieces all the time that are as thin as 1/8" x 2" x 12". I set up my fence then adjust it to the thickness I need on the opposite side of the blade then run them through. If you have a zero clearance insert for your table that helps. Or you can build a simple sled.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## cabinetman (Jan 31, 2014)

jaustin said:


> Anyone have a safe jig or a way to rip 1" t x 2" w x 5"l scale blanks on a table saw?
> 
> I have a bandsaw but some of the woods really bog it down and I can not get it tracking correctly.
> 
> I need to do some upgrades to it to get it working right.



What have you decided?


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## jaustin (Feb 1, 2014)

Still haven't found a safe way that I like on the table saw.
I got my bandsaw to cut a little better. I went to a narrower blade and a couple more teeth that help some. 
I just run it thru the sander to get a smooth side.


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## brown down (Mar 9, 2014)

this is the only jig i use on my table saw when up against the fence. you can make a sled very easily but when ripping anything this is my go to tool. you can rip down to ⅛ slivers!
 http://www.microjig.com/products/grr-ripper/gr-200.shtml

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike1950 (Mar 9, 2014)

brown down said:


> this is the only jig i use on my table saw when up against the fence. you can make a sled very easily but when ripping anything this is my go to tool. you can rip down to ⅛ slivers!
> http://www.microjig.com/products/grr-ripper/gr-200.shtml




I try the link Jeff and get invalid URL


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## brown down (Mar 9, 2014)

hmmmmmm i did too lets try that again 
http://www.microjig.com

Reactions: Like 1


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## BarbS (Mar 9, 2014)

What you need is a sled... thin stock with a piece on the underside to run in the miter slot. Run the whole large sled through the 
blade and your edge will be exactly at the blade cut, then determine your width of workpiece along the back fence. Use levered
hold downs to keep it in place so your fingers aren't too near the blade.

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1


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## brown down (Mar 9, 2014)

BarbS said:


> What you need is a sled... thin stock with a piece on the underside to run in the miter slot. Run the whole large sled through the
> blade and your edge will be exactly at the blade cut, then determine your width of workpiece along the back fence. Use levered
> hold downs to keep it in place so your fingers aren't too near the blade.


I use those miter bars for bandsaw and such. rarely will i have the need for that with my sleds

I have two sleds and unless you doing custom work, two is all you'll need. I use my large one for crosscuts and such and I have a smaller one for angled cuts .
both sleds cut very very square! and like barb said, those hold downs are key especially cutting the same length over and over again. 

sleds are the way to go. if your ripping smaller stuff than a jig that keeps your fingers as far away from that blade the better! 

I use my sleds for cross and angled cuts but always use my ripper for fence ripping, jointing and on the router! without a doubt has saved me multiple trips to the ER


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## Lola Ranch (Mar 10, 2014)

jaustin said:


> Anyone have a safe jig or a way to rip 1" t x 2" w x 5"l scale blanks on a table saw?
> 
> I have a bandsaw but some of the woods really bog it down and I can not get it tracking correctly.
> 
> I need to do some upgrades to it to get it working right.



Is the size you indicated the finished size or the starting size? If you started with longer pieces, 1" x 2" is very managable with the table saw using just push sticks and then cut to the 5" length last. If you are starting with the small pieces and going smaller, I'd buy a new blade for your band saw. If that is not an option then use a sled. I have a small sled I use on the TS for cutting lots of little pieces for segmented turnings. For safety sake it's nice to have a tight kerf which, if your sled is well used as mine is, can be made like new again by simply adding a piece of 1/4" plywood to the top of the sled.

The photo shows my one of my old beat up small sleds set up for cutting small compound angled little tapered pieces. Those little tapered off fall pieces can be wicked if they get in between the blade and the insert so the 1/4" plywood makes it zero clearance again.

I don't know if this helps but I tried, Bret

Reactions: Like 1


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## jaustin (Mar 10, 2014)

I found the grr-ripper jig that was posted above last week, i was going to go and look at it this weekend but lost power Friday and it just came back on Monday at 930 pm.
But looking at the videos it look likes it will do what i want to do.

lola thanks for the info. 
I haven't figured a way to make a jig ,that to me would be safe enough for me.


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## dycmark (Mar 14, 2014)

If you have a sled that is square and you take the time to square the rear fence also you have 2 perfectly parallel faces that facing each other inside the sled. I simply cut a piece of 1/2 inch Baltic ply that is a few thousandths smaller than the depth of the sled and a bit longer than the right side surface. The 1/2 inch was all I had access to at that moment.

At the edge that is closest to the blade I laminated 2 more layers that were about 2.5 inches wide and the depth of the sled and laminated these to the larger piece along the edge closest to the blade.

Once I had this piece I carefully fit it on the right side of the sled to fit tight but slid easily left to right. I made mine about 1/2 inch longer than the right side of the sled.

This essentially formed an insert for the right side of the sled that added a sliding rip fence to the crosscut sled. I added some hardwood uprights on the front and back of this insert at the same height as the sled front and rear fence and tight to each to allow the sliding fence insert to be clamped in position both front and back. I slid this into place but fully covered the blade slot in the sled. Clamped it in place and made a finishing cut to assure that my face was perfectly parallel to the blade.

With that done I added a stop on bottom of the slide insert surface on the 1/2 inch piece of ply that still protruded out the right side to prevent me from ever sliding the fence into the blade. I then added some toggle clamps to the top of the fence to hold the piece in place.

The toggle clamps cant be engaged until you have the quick clamps or whatever you use to hold the fence in place tight.

In my opinion this is as safe as any crosscut sled and provides perfect small piece ripping every time.

I have considered adding a top rail to the crosscut sled that the top of the clamping rails could index against. Properly implemented the existing toggle clamps or perhaps 1 dedicated to positioning could make adjustment even faster and eliminate the need for loose clamps.

I have also considered the addition of a precision threaded adjustment and the addition of a dial indicator. Building this was actually very very quick. I built it and finished the project I built it for in 1 long evening in the shop. I would have included pictures but I have only been in the shop 1 time in the last 4 month since my dad got sick.

I hope this one can help you keep your fingers and toes clear of the blade. Pictures to follow if I ever get back into the shop. If i have few min i may try to so a quick sketch-up since i am learning that anyhow.

Mark

HMMM, Couldn't resist, i am going to get serious with this now that I have the base design i guess...

Reactions: Like 1


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## dycmark (Mar 14, 2014)

I guess I need to add, this looks a lot like what Barb was suggesting just painfully more detail.


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## sbwertz (Mar 21, 2014)

We also use the grr ripper. Worth every penny. We used it to rip several hundred feet of thin strips for edge banding.


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