Advice & Counsel Needed

[cputnam]

Related to my bandsaw blade thread, I've lately been going nuts with narrow rips. Tracksaw really cannot deal with a stick less than 7" wide. Therefore I've been trying to do this stuff on the BS but it has its own issues.

1) - the 3 TPI Timberwolf blade produces a cut that needs some effort to clean up with a plane.

2) - I am used to working from left of blade. This presents problems with the Griz fence locking handle. When adjusting the fence to a gauge mark at the end of the stick, it knocks the locking handle down. Solution, obviously, is to go back to piece and regauge the other end. Whoops, needs to be upside down too. It is more of a pain trying to cut the waste off of a long stick that has been straight-lined

I am starting to get frustrated enough that I am contemplating the purchase of a table saw. I really do not have the room for one and do not want to spend the money for a Sawstop which is about all my wife will willingly accept. So please help me avoid a Table saw.

[iclark]

In addition to mdhills reply in the other thread, is there an option for an essentially zero-clearance throat plate for your saw? Using one would likely improve the cut quality on the side of the board in contact with the BS table.

[Murray M]

Consider a panel saw. 

They aren't for everyone but for my workflow it's pretty dreamy. I'm also not feeling a ts right now--they take up too much floor space.

[fredhargis]

I've ripped quite a bit of stock that's less than 7" with my tracksaw. I just butt another piece of material against the workpiece to support the track.

[barryvabeach]

Not sure I read your post right, but is the complaint that the handle on the Grizzly BS fence gets in the way?   Someone posted a mod where they relocated the handle,  I did it, it was a fairly easy mod, it relocates it so that it is parallel to the table when open, and faces the ground when locked.  If you are interested, let me know and I will see if I can find the original post on it.

[Cooler]

  Tracksaw really cannot deal with a stick less than 7" wide. 

There are videos that show how to make narrow rips with a track saw.  It would be my first choice.  Narrow rips on the table saw can be a challenge to be done safely.

This video shows one method.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMMRQ2D07ak


And this search will yield others:

https://www.google.com/search?client=fir...RsQ4dUDCAs

[R Clark]

I'll admit right up front that I'm a tablesaw guy.  It's the centerpiece of my shop.  And yes, it's a SawStop (3HP).

I will also concede that there are woodworkers who turn out a LOT of great work without a tablesaw.

If I was in your shoes, I might consider a SawStop Jobsite Pro.  The footprint is small compared to a full-size saw, and would store away easily when not in use.  It will accommodate an 8" stacked dado.  It has an integrated cart for easy movement.  It's pricey, compared to other job site table saws (about twice as much as the Bosch.)  But at $1400, it's half the cost of a full size SawStop.  That $1400 also includes the integrated cart.

[jteneyck]

I'd never want to be w/o my TS's but if I was forced to get rid of them I'd use my BS for ripping.  I regularly cut veneer on my 17" BS with less than 0.005" deviation top to bottom, front to back, so it's possible to get consistent results.  However, the surface quality is still no where near glue ready like it is off the TS, so that's the penalty you pay for not having the right tool for the job. That doesn't make it an unacceptable solution, just that extra steps will be involved to get to the same finish quality.  

Getting a BS to cut straight is a harder proposition than with a TS.  Blades that give the best finish and are capable of doing it for hundreds of BF are carbide tipped.  They cost more than a good TS blade yet won't cut well nearly as long.  


John

[Arlin Eastman]

Related to my bandsaw blade thread, I've lately been going nuts with narrow rips.  Tracksaw really cannot deal with a stick less than 7" wide.  Therefore I've been trying to do this stuff on the BS but it has its own issues.

1) - the 3 TPI Timberwolf blade produces a cut that needs some effort to clean up with a plane.

2) - I am used to working from left of blade.  This presents problems with the Griz fence locking handle.  When adjusting the fence to a gauge mark at the end of the stick, it knocks the locking handle down.  Solution, obviously, is to go back to piece and regauge the other end.  Whoops, needs to be upside down too.  It is more of a pain trying to cut the waste off of a long stick that has been straight-lined

I am starting to get frustrated enough that I am contemplating the purchase of a table saw.  I really do not have the room for one and do not want to spend the money for a Sawstop which is about all my wife will willingly accept.  So please help me avoid a Table saw.

Curt

Why not add a few boards along side of the board you are wanting to cut.  Just use double stick tape to keep them down together.

[GeeDub]

2) - I am used to working from left of blade.  This presents problems with the Griz fence locking handle.  When adjusting the fence to a gauge mark at the end of the stick, it knocks the locking handle down.  Solution, obviously, is to go back to piece and regauge the other end.  Whoops, needs to be upside down too.  It is more of a pain trying to cut the waste off of a long stick that has been straight-lined

Not sure of your model but, this was my very quick and simple fix for the poorly designed Grizzly BS fence handle mechanism.

Pull the handle.
[attachment=27743]
Drill and Forstner a piece of scrap. Dig a bolt out of the coffee can. Just kidding but, I did have to bolt-cut it and grind the end to clean it up ;-)
[attachment=27744]
Locked position.
[attachment=27746]
Unlocked for fence nudging; no interference.
[attachment=27745]
I've been using it this way for so long I forget how it used to be until a post like this comes along.