OK, I got a 10" table saw for xmas and seeing how I'm a sucker for my daughter's every whim. I have been given the chore of making birdhouses for our backyard. I have the designs and cut lists all worked out.

My question is...

I have a number of 1x4x8 pieces that I need to rip 45s into for the roof lines. How do I do this as safely as possible?!?

TIA!!!

I'm going to assume that you are ripping thin 1/8" to 1/4") pieces on a 45 degree angle to make shingles?

1. Try to make your cuts with longer pieces yet not too long so that the length and weight of the piece makes it hard to control. 4' long is manageable.

2. Set the blade height just barely above the top of the wood to be cut.

3. Slow and steady and use a push tool.

4. Your saw came with some ridged anti-kickback pieces on either side of the blaDe guard. Make sure you have them installed.

5. Get someone else to help feed from the opposite side of the saw.

6. Watch your work. When it starts bouncing and you can't control it, STOP! That means it's getting too small.

7. Keep your fingers at least 2" away from the blade.

Note: I've been using a table saw for several decades. I have all ten fingers. But - one of them doesn't feel very much (except cold). That's the one we had to sew back on after I cut it off. Golden Rule: The table saw always wins.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jaybee,

I go buy a blank table plate, lower the saw all the way, set to 45 deg., change the plate, start the saw up and crank the blade back up.
Do it this way makes what's call a 0 clearance plate so the parts are less likly to be sucked under the blade.

I'm not as worried about the blade pulling little pieces down under the saw as I am throwing them all over heck and gone.

both are signs you are using the wrong darn tool. table saws are not for little bitty pieces of wood that are too close to the blade to use the guards and too short to both be held down with a push stick in front and the riving blades in back.

this is using nukes to kill flies. wrong darn tool. and everything that isn't a fly suffers.

if you carefully block out your work, you should be able to cut the miter for all sides in one pass, then use a chop saw or (horrors!!) use a crosscut hand saw to separate the birdhouse pieces.

there are few, very few, times I don't have the guards and safeties on my tools. when the need arises, it is really vital to have blocked out what is really going on, not just what I wanted when I put the empty can down, where the oh-foo issues could occur, and have appropriate personal safety stuff on.

since I can be a little jumpy when startled, I also very loudly announce "SAFETIES OFF! DO >NOT< MAKE NOISE OR GET CLOSE!" because I'm concentrating on the power tool process. I've had to wreck a piece or two of good oak in the name of safety, and you can't make that decision if you are not paying attention. there's always another tree someplace.

we've got two serious pros who have commented here on this. one has admitted to having to search for a finger, one has not. that's a 50% chance of the saw taking over. consider that exists every cut.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: swschrad,

joint the 1 X 4's together till you reach a little wider than you need for the roof.
Make the board a little longer than twice the length of one side of the roof
At the exact center, cut the board to a 45 degree angle
Flip one board over and you now havethe angles you need to join the two board.
Before you glue and nail (?)them together, cut them to the exact length you need
This is the safest way to make a roof from small pieces of wood

I did see a cute roof done on a bird house one time with pennys.
Once done it looked like a copper shingled roof.