On 2/3/2015 1:37 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 2/3/15 2:00 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 1:11:46 PM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
On 2/3/2015 8:35 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 5:40:26 AM UTC-5, dadiOH wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

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've used a fair amount of poplar and have never encountered
that problem. I'm fixing to need another 150-200 board feet of
it so hope I never do

The only times I have ever had a kerf close up is when ripping
white wood 2x4s for this and that. I just stick a wedge in
the kerf.

...Snip...

dadiOH


I mic'd the blade and the splitter. They both read 3/32" with a
digital micrometer that reads down to 1/64". It seems like it
wouldn't take too much movement to get things to bind up.

Is your ripping blade a full 1/8"?

Maybe I should sand the paint off of the splitter. ;-)


No, get a blade that has a 1/8" kerf. That helps with all kinds of
issues that are introduced with think kerf blades. If a thin kerf
blade flexes in the cut it can cut unparalleled to the fence and
cause the wood to pull away from the fence. A thin kerf can flex
if it get hot or hits hard and soft spots in the wood.

But that 1/32" of an inch is a waste of our natural resources. How
will I sleep at night? ;-)

OK, now this may be a really stupid question:

Many have mentioned that they insert a wedge in the kerf to keep it
open. OK, where should this wedge be placed? I assume that it should
go into the kerf after it has passed splitter, but what if the board
hasn't made it past the splitter yet?

I don't recall the exact situation, but I think I remember times
when the board bound up before it was past the splitter. Is it safe
to put a wedge just behind the (stopped) blade and then continue
ripping, letting the wedge fall out (?) when it contacts the
splitter? Something just doesn't sound safe with that method.


IMO, if your board is binding in the couple inches between the back of
the blade and the splitter, there is something wrong with your set-up.

As as already been discussed, although it is improbably that the
splitter is wider than the blade kerf, it is very possible for the
splitter to be left or right of the blade kerf due to poor set-up. The
arbor could actually be NOT perfectly perpendicular to the miter slot
and fence. There are ways to adjust that which could involve a sledge
hammer, if there are no adjustment bolts. :-)
The splitter could be bent in any number of ways. The splitter could
need shimmed left or right depending on the blade. Just a tiny bit of
deflection in any direction in the splitter is enough to cause what
you're describing.

Even in a board with high tension, you should be able to get past the
splitter before needing to insert a wedge. I have run across a board or
two with extreme tension that started to close up before the splitter,
even when the saw was set-up perfectly. You can do two things...
1. Back the board out and re-cut into the pinch. Turn the saw off
before backing out if you're uncomfortable with that procedure.
2. Raise the blade all the way up before cutting. This will actually
cut the pinched wood again on the back side of the blade. Plus there
will be less space between the blade and splitter. Careful, it may want
to lift a bit if pinching on the back of the blade. Be sure you are
pressing down as you always should. If you end up having to back out
again, the blade won't kick back as much since it is cutting in a more
downward motion.

However you end up ripping a board with tension. I would recommend
ripping to rough widths on the first pass. Then the final width on a
second pass. If you're only cutting off a fraction of an inch, there
won't be enough, or any, wood to bind.

When I bought my (used) Delta the blade guard and splitter were missing.
I used a piece of 12 gauge steel and made a splitter about 12" long.
(12 gauge is 7/64")
Never had a binding problem.