Table saw is the centerpiece of any wood shop and a must-have in the studio of a woodworker. Table saw is essential for cutting large panels of wood and wooden sheets.
Having the right table saw won’t help you to make the most out of it, but knowing how it works and how to work it will surely do. We’re here to assist you in utilizing your table saw to its full potential with the following tips and techniques.
1. Use A Featherboard
Featherboard is a safety tool which helps you in keeping your wooden work board steady while ensuring you get straight cuts. It usually consists of narrow finger-like cuts, which holds your workpiece firmly against the fence so you could make your cuts accurately without the risk of cutting your fingers.
2. Set Up Outfeed Support
Making cuts on a longboard can be difficult and dangerous if you don’t extra help or support. That is why you should install an outfeed support as it is flexible, inexpensive and can also be built by yourself easily in a day.
An outfeed support allows you to make safe and clean cuts without the help of other people. When not in use outfeed extensions can be folded to save space and minimize clutter.
3. Invest In A Dado Set
A dado set is a great investment and has many possibilities which can improve your woodwork. There are two types of dado sets, a stacked Blade dado set and a wobble blade set.
Regardless of which dado set you choose to purchase, know that a dado set makes it possible for you to make grooves and other joinery cuts onto your material.
4. Attach A Fence
Fence is the most important safety tool of a table saw. It acts as a guide for woodworkers to make safe and precise cuts.
You must use a fence when doing most of your woodwork to avoid kickbacks and make precise angled cuts.
5. Keep The Tabletop Clear
Woodworking is a messy job, and it leaves crumbs of wood, chips, sawdust everywhere and if you want to make your woodcutting a smooth and steady process, you must keep your table saw neat and free from any hindrances.
For that, you can invest in a small vacuum cleaner to clear out smaller particles and then spray a woodwork-friendly lubricant on your table saw surface to prevent rust and keep it shiny.
6. Use the Right Blade
It doesn’t matter how great the table saw functions or how well you’ve maintained it as long as you don’t have the right blade to accompany the table saw. An experienced woodworker knows the importance of a good blade, but if you’re in the initial stages of using a table saw, you won’t know how a wrong blade can ruin your projects with bad and uneven cuts.
Purchase the right blade for the table saw to make the best use out of it, take advice from experienced woodworkers to avoid wasting your money and time.
Before purchasing the blade you should have a good-quality table saw, check out some of the best reviewed table saws and their types here at Thesharpcut.com.
7. Protect Your Hands With Push Sticks
All of the tasks and tools used in woodworking are dangerous. But there are many tools designed for your safety and one such is the push stick. Push sticks help you guide your hand safely if your hand starts to reach nearer to the blade of your table saw.
These were a few techniques and tips to help you get the most out of your table saw while being safe.
