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I have a standard 10" table saw. I want to split a 2 X 4 vertically.
In other words, I want to saw a 2 x 4 in half and
make 2 pieces 3.5" X .75" thick.
Problem is, the piece of wood I want to split is only 12" long.
It is not a piece of a longer board.
How would you split this?
I was thinking of raising the blade to 2" high, then making 2 passes,
flipping the board over after the first cut.
That way, my hands would be protected from being cut.
Any problems using my method?
Something I am obviously missing here?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
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I have done that a number of times, just with longer boards. I would probably do it in 2 passes on each side, keeping the same side of the board against the fence (raise blade to 1" cut length, flip board, cut the other side. Raise blade to just less than 2", rinse and repeat. Of course you realize you will end up with 2 scant 3/4" thick boards, unless your original is at least 1-5/8" and you layout the fence perfectly (so no planing/cleanup of the cut faces)...
Exercise extreme caution and use a zero clearance insert...
Good luck
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I would leave a 1/4" web in the middle by staying below the mid-point of the piece on both sides. Then cut the web with a hand saw. I find trying to keep both short pieces stable at the end is a bit tricky and the web keeps them together allowing you to separate them in a safer manner.
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I do this fairly frequently. Make the cuts in several passes raising the blade each time. Leave a half inch in the middle and use a handsaw to hack the pieces apart. This technique is perfect for a pull saw and goes fairly quickly. Use your preferred method to flatten the sawed faces.
Mike
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But not today...
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Put the same face to the fence. Use a finger board and push sticks and don't stand directly behind it when you make the cut. A thin kerf blade will save a bit of wood. Starting with a truly flat and square board will give better results.
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I agree with Phil. I feel comfortable making the cut as you describe. But only with jointed material. Not sure I would feel as confident with a random 2x4. It's still fairly safe in my mind though. Using a push stick and standing to the side.
Know that you won't end up with .75 and . 75 though. You'll be short...
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(03-19-2017, 08:08 AM)LongLook Wrote: I would leave a 1/4" web in the middle by staying below the mid-point of the piece on both sides. Then cut the web with a hand saw. I find trying to keep both short pieces stable at the end is a bit tricky and the web keeps them together allowing you to separate them in a safer manner.
^ THIS
Especially with a piece 12" long.
Other thoughts:
1) For the low price of a 2x4 buy one and use a longer piece to separate if you must use wet wood for whatever you are doing?
2) Seeing that it is wet wood, don't expect that piece you expose the middle of to stay stable. Bring home 10 2x4's and lay them on your shop floor, and walk away. Come back in 2 days and you will find 6 pieces still looking like a 2x4, and 4 looking like a corkscrew. Opening a piece of wood you expose the inner aspect, which always has a different moisture content than the outer aspect, and the ends will also be drier than the middle. So you are taking a piece of wood that in the whole will 40% of the time corkscrew if just left alone, and now introducing newer wet wood you will almoist* (created a new word there) certainly move the % of pieces that will twist, and turn upward to 90%. IOW, you will not likely get a workable piece of wood from what you are going to do. Even with Kiln dried hardwoods, what you are doing is sometimes a bit of a gamble.
3) There are sources where you can buy dried pine that is 1/4" thick to 3/4" everywhere. Most BORGS have a rack full of it, and you'll not expose yourself to a potentially dangerous cut.
4) This is what BS's are for BTW.
5) Can you do it on a TS, sure, but you can also drive 120MPH while drunk. Does the latter sound like a safe plan to you?
Worst thing they can do is cook ya and eat ya
GW
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This is the type of cut, principally due to the 12" length, that lights up the part of my brain telling me to find another way. Is it doable on a TS, no doubt. Can it easily go wrong, perhaps catastrophically, yes. Band saw, hand saw, buy more 2x stock and plane it down, life I saw too short to embrace risk, at least for me. YMMV.
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If you are talking about a construction 2X4 you will not get 3/4" thick material when done to start with. if you need flat pieces you may not get that either depending on how dry the wood is and if there is no internal stress. Why not buy a piece of pine and cut to what size you need. No that will not be 3/4" either but it will be closer and no surprises when cut.
If you must the quality of your blade will tell a lot of how much you can cut in one pass. I make 2 passes with the same side up against the fence and leave a center section and cut with a handsaw If you have a bandsaw that is the better way to go. Less waste and cleaner cut.
John T.
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I do it all the time and with shorter pieces but if it worries you, make your first cut then screw a short 1.5" wide x 3.5" piece of 1/2" ply on the ends and finish the other cut. Set depth of cut at 1.8".
This is where the kick kill switch on my saw comes in handy- if I hear or feel something going wrong, I shut it down without having to move my hands.
By all means- take the advice that makes you most comfortable.
I have a short splitter on my saw for such work.
