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In this video we begin our series on videos for beginners, with basic instructions on how to use a table saw safely. With the help of a little bit of trick photography for the title page, we go on to show proper table saw setup and usage.
To start of with, you need to make sure the saw is set up properly. ALWAYS, unplug the saw to disable power to the motor before doing any of the fine tuning and adjustments that might need to be done. Table saws can come out of alignment with all the use and vibration, so they need to be checked from time to time, and if you have never done this, now is a good time to start. First, check to make sure the blades is running parallel to the mitre slot, next the fence also needs to be exactly parallel to the mitre slot.
How to Use a Table Saw: Woodworking For Beginners #1
If you have a Riving Knife or Splitter with blade guard, you need to make sure that these are in perfect alignment with the saw blade. If they are not, you may need to purchase or manufacture shims to adjust the positioning. I use brass sheets from the metal store, they are not expensive and last for ever, but any thin metal will work, you may need a few of different thicknesses to accommodate different blades.
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I can see now why Scoll Saw woodworkers refer to scroll saws as "arguably the most versatile woodworking tool". I have not done a lot of scroll saw work with the exception of some small rudimentary projects. Since we have received quite a number of requests and queries over the past couple of years on Scroll Sawing, I decided it needed at least a novice's look.
To start off with I went to the computer, opened Google and typed in Scroll Saw Patterns, then clicked on the link "images" as at Google menu option.
What I was greeted with was overwhelming. I had no idea there were so many different things that a woodworker could do with a scroll saw. The screen was filled with brilliant ideas with so many different kinds of woodworking projects from Intarsia (which is like a wooden puzzle), to small figurines like chess boad pieces, to pictures, signs, bird houses, quilt racks, boxes, accent pieces for doors and furniture, the list just went on and on.
A Scroll Sawing Introduction
The first thing to remember about a Sroll Saw, is that it is a saw! I saw that can cross cut and rip, just like any other saw, but that can also make very tight turns, and this sets the scroll saw apart.
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Safety with power tools is boring but vital topic and there's not a lot that can make it interesting. I have always been paranoid about loosing digits or parts of digits and to date - after 50 years of woodworking I still have all of them intact, and I intend to keep it that way.
RULE #1 - STOP, LOOK and PLAN. I never attempt any cuts with the table saw that I even think will land me in trouble. If I have any hesitation about making a cut, I look for an alternative method or a safer way of doing things.
In the past generation when power tools started to become popular, the pioneers in power tool woodworking lost fingers and parts of fingers because they were not aware of safety procedures and in many cases there were not the safety shields on machinery that there are now. They taught us that safety IS important.
Part of the problem today, is that many manufacturers that produce inexpensive table saws are, in many cases, unable to manufacture things like blade guards, slitters, riving knives that are truly safe. And what I mean by that, is once you get some of this equipment home and set put it all together, the problem is that some of the safety equipment is so crappy that you need to take it OFF the machine to make the machine safer, because wood is getting caught in and under there supposed safety features and in fact are making the machinery less safe.
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One of the main reasons many woodworkers purchase bandsaws is because of their ability to re-saw wood. This might mean re-sawing logs to make boards (usually short boards) or re-sawing existing boards to make thinner boards for projects like small boxes where you might want a 3/8" or 1/2" board. Planing down a 3/4" board to 3/8" is a waste of good lumber and a waste of time if you have a bandsaw.
The most common bandsaw is 14 inch. With some brands you can also purchase a height adjustment block which raises the top wheel of the bandsaw higher and therefore allows for wider cuts. If you are planning on doing a LOT of re-sawing you might want to look seriously at 16" or even 18" or larger bandsaws.