# A helper for freehand sawing on the tablesaw



## heimlaga (23 Dec 2013)

Removing the waney edge from a slab isn't very easy nor very safe. One has to draw a pencil line on top of the slap and saw along the line freehand. As it is hard to judge where the cut goes the kerf tend to get crooked and there is a risk for kickbacks. I have never felt safe doing this and not been satisfied with the result either. Though I have not been able to come up with a better way despite thinking anbout it on and off for a year or two.
I have had to do quite a bit of freehand sawing recently and somehow I suddenly remembered this practical little thing that I saw 14 years ago when I was an apprentice at a stair factory for a month as the final part of my training. I had forgotten it completely for many years.

The plywood piece is screwed to the top of a batten that is clamped to the fence high enough for the slab to pass under it with some marigin. The front edge of the plywood piece is set in line with he blade. Then it is easy to see if the pencil line on the slab is below the plywood edge and to fine adjust the direction to follow the line when feeding the slab past the blade.






I feel much safer with this thing in place. I do not need to see the blade any more so I can set the top guard much lower for increased safety. A straighter kerf and better direction control reduces the risk for a kickback a lot. There is a 5hp 3 phase motor and a 400mm blade on that saw so I have learned to be careful.


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## marcros (23 Dec 2013)

I screw a piece of something with a factory edge- mdf etc into the sap wood waste at each end. Then just run this along the fence- cutting off the waney edge parallel to the edge. I don't like freehand sawing at all. If I had a lot to process or regularly I would get a track saw for the job.


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## Jacob (23 Dec 2013)

2 long push sticks!
Sliding table is good if you have one. On a too big piece you can slide it as far as it will go, then stop and pull the table back and do it again.


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## blackrodd (23 Dec 2013)

Why not use a straight edge to draw the line to?
I have been doing this for years, make sure the "cupping" side is down and steady and firm cut along the line!
HTH Regards Rodders


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## marcros (23 Dec 2013)

A sliding table I agree, but just 2 push sticks- is that not still asking for kickback if you are not perfectly straight? I see that it keeps your hands clear, and I have seen how you use them to keep pressure onto the table but ...


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## heimlaga (24 Dec 2013)

Blackrodd. 
That is excactly how I do it but this piece of plywood helps me saw steadily along the line. Thereby it reduces the risk for a kickback.


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## andersonec (13 Jan 2014)

As Marcross states, screw a piece of ply or mdf to your work piece, make sure it goes full length (two pieces if one is not long enough) and full width, one edge must extend out past your work, screw into the sap wood on the opposite edge to the blade, the protruding edge is then run against the fence to produce one straight edge on your work piece, remove ply and use new edge to cut other edge parallel. 
Running a piece freehand is not good practice and no doubt your blade has been under some stress when you wander off the line, if this is ever done without a riving knife then call 999 before you start.

Andy


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## woodndrum (13 Jan 2014)

As andersonec says freehand on a table saw is a dangerous way to solve a relatively simple problem. Screwing a straight edge of mdf or the like to the wany slab and running that straight edge against the fence is (almost) foolproof. With a wany edge board perhaps 10-12ft long thats a heck of a long lever trying to twist a blade, I imagine that the stresses this causes in the blade are enormous. Of course others might say that they have never encountered a problem with a freehand solution to wany edge boards, but that is not to say that it is safe practice.


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## Tetsuaiga (13 Jan 2014)

I'd use a bandsaw, then plane the edge but I guess you must not have one.


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## Peter Sefton (13 Jan 2014)

I also use the MDF/Ply straight edge fixed to the waney edge board to guide it through the table saw, I find this the most productive, accurate and safest way to straight line edge using push sticks of course. If the board is twisted or thick I would use the bandsaw it's slower but safer. 
Cheers Peter


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