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No table saw? Build a $15 Sawboard for your small budget project!
DrewKaree:
--- Quote from: M3talhead on September 26, 2005, 10:01:49 am ---'Bout time you started contributing to this community...
Nice tip, BTW.
--- End quote ---
If you weren't hangin' out in EE all the time, you'd see the other stuff ;) ;D
M3talhead:
--- Quote from: DrewKaree on September 26, 2005, 10:39:20 am ---
--- Quote from: M3talhead on September 26, 2005, 10:01:49 am ---'Bout time you started contributing to this community...
Nice tip, BTW.
--- End quote ---
If you weren't hangin' out in EE all the time, you'd see the other stuff ;) ;D
--- End quote ---
Oh yeah, well your dumb!
DrewKaree:
--- Quote from: M3talhead on September 26, 2005, 10:50:52 am ---
Oh yeah, well your dumb!
--- End quote ---
Nuh-UH! You are!
* DrewKaree mutters something about glue, sticking, and bouncing
OK, here's my MDF sheet cut. 2 pieces to be used as rip guides. Notice the fact that one is wider than the other? I'm gonna show you the drastic miscalculations that you can get away with, as well as how "off" these things can be and STILL turn out right.
On the first pic, I've labeled the edge I DON'T want to use as my guide so I don't forget and have all my cuts end up all effed up. Go ahead and laugh. Just make sure to reply in this thread that it was the right thing to do when you screw it up and think to yourself "so THAT'S why he labeled the side he cut as the scrap side!"
The second pic shows the difference in widths I cut these at. I did this purposely. I actually have a big "guide clamp" that I used to cut these, but the reason I tend to often turn to my sawboards is that the clamp, with just the wrong amount of pressure on it, can and will tend to bow the piece or come off the workpiece, plus I have to do a lot more ciphering with the numbers and such, and I don't like taking my shoes off just to add some numbers. What ends up happening is that I miss that it's not actually ON the workpiece and the shoe of the saw slides under it, making it a nice straight cut leading into a nice big gouge that isn't worth fixing.
For this demonstration I used it because I didn't have to do any measuring, just get kinda close to half. I'll show the guide clamp in another pic....and I was extra careful to make sure it stayed down while I sawed this panel in half.
p.s. in case you need to know, the lighter area on that MDF is from the reflection in a mirror next to that...didn't realize it was there :-\
DrewKaree:
OK, after losing the entire post I had typed in due to my friggen picture not being web-friendly-ized, I wanna say that having to refresh or hit the back arrow IS sometimes needed for something OTHER than your session timing out >:(
In the picture below, you'll see the usual culprits. That is the saw that I am making these sawboards for. For the love of Pete, do yourself a favor. Make a new sawboard for whatever tool you want to use one for, and then write the name of that tool on the ripping guide part of your sawboard. No sense in cutting down a larger one to make it work for a smaller tool's baseplate. I priced out hardboard today in 1/8" - $2 and some change. 1/4" - $3 and some change. I'm amending my price range above accordingly. You can make a new sawboard for $5 and some change, plus a bit of your time.
I prefer to make my sawboards with some "substance" to 'em, so I don't like the thinner materials (I think they flex too much and may warp easily), but to each his own. Try the thinner stuff, if you like it, great. If not, you're out a few bucks. Pack a lunch for work tomorrow and you'll be back to even ;)
You may notice the cleverly disguised guide clamp and ask why I don't just use that instead of going through all this hassle of making a sawboard. Stop getting ahead of the process. I'll explain it soon enough if you haven't cheated and read ahead yet.
That guide clamp is accurate for "eyeballin' use", but not really practical for more than ONE cut ::) and I even question setting it up. It seemed like a STELLAR tool idea when I bought it long ago, but as you can see by the new look of it, you quickly learn that it's an exercise in frustration to use one of those things as a guide for your saw. It CAN be done, and I DO use it for that purpose, but this here sawboard is the hot ticket.
DrewKaree:
In this pic, you'll see WHY that guide clamp is a pain in the ass ::)
Every time you set that thing up, if you HAVE to be precise, you MUST measure from your cut line over to where you need to set up your guide clamp. This means measuring your cutline, then adding the measurement of your saw's shoe to that masurement, marking THAT line and clamping the guide down, or trying to "lightly clamp" the guide down and moving it enough for your cut. You can see how quickly measuring several times EXTRA for each cut can get annoying and the additional chances for error you are introducing into your project, and then multiply it by each cut you have to make. Not so with the sawboard. You'll see why when this is done, or perhaps you can already see why.
Have I mentioned that you align the guide clamp for EVERY cut? EVERY ONE? :P
Oh, and while I'm thinking of it, here's something to warm your hearts and pockets. Click here to check out Festool's cutting guide. Same idea, same method, machined out of metal and a manufacturer's label slapped on it. :o :o :o
*edit*
They seem to have discontinued these. The price was in the $300 range, and evidently there seems to be too many folks with more sense than money ;)
Remember, you can build a sawboard for $5. The saw IS included with Festool's system, but compared to a sawboard, I think you've gotta have more money than sense to buy that setup.
If you are the owner of more money than sense, I'm willing to offer my services and build you a custom sawboard up to 8' long for half the Festool's price ;) Remember, it will be CUSTOM! OOOOOOOOO! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! I'll even fire up the woodburner and customize it with your name, address, or whatever else you want on it too! ;)
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