On 2/2/15 2:27 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm learning stuff...
As my kitchen upgrade continues, I had the pleasure of ripping about
100 linear feet of 1 x 6 Poplar this weekend. The pieces ranged in
length from a few that were over 60" to large number between 25" and
35".
I was using a 40 tooth GP blade, Freud D1040X. The ripping went very
smoothly and I got a pretty good edge on all boards, but I did run
into an interesting (at least to me) situation.
I learned that the darker the Poplar, the greater the internal
tension and the more apt that the kerf was going to close around the
splitter. In some cases I wasn't able to rip more than halfway
through the board before it would bind up. Early on I was pulling
the boards back out (with the saw off, of course) flipping them and
coming in from the other end to complete the rip.
I eventually got to the point where I was putting the darker boards
aside, ripping the "lighter" ones with the splitter installed, and
then (somewhat nervously) ripping the darker ones without the
splitter/guard. I don't know for sure that all of the darker ones
would have jammed around the splitter, but I can say for certain
that none of the lighter ones did.
I have a 24 tooth ripping blade, but it is in serious need of
sharpening. (In fact, I dropped it off at a saw and knife shop this
morning) The 24 tooth cuts a wider kerf than the D1040X, so I might
not have had the binding problem, but I don't think it was sharp
enough to have given me such a clean edge. I have read about
internal stresses causing kickback and other issues, but this was the
first time that I actually experienced it first hand - not kickback,
but the closing of the kerf on the splitter.
In any case, the ripping is done, I now have to wait for a decent
dado set to magically appear in my shop so that I can start on the
grooves and stub-tenons.
That's an interesting observation.
One I'll keep in mind next time rip some poplar.
By the way, next time that happens and the board starts to pinch the
splitter, try sticking a shim in the kerf to keep the two sides pushed
apart.
--
-MIKE-
"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com
---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply