When ripping stock like that, keep steady pressure in one area to prevent
the board from rocking back and fourth as it is passing through the blade.
As far as tolerances for twisted wood, it really depends where the board is
going in the project. If it's a cleat or something, I'll let a little warp
go. Anywhere else and I prefer flat as possible. Crooked stuff doesn't fit
together well, and If I'm gonna take the time to build something, I'm gonna
do the best job possible. As a compromise on a jointer, I'd look into a
good hand plane or two, like a Stanley #7 or similiar. These were used for
flattening/jointing boards before power equipment, are still in use, and
readily available at most flea markets, auctions, etc. --dave


"TheNewGuy" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello All,

First off, note my moniker :^)

Second, please no replies of "buy a jointer." :^)

OK, specific scenario: yellow poplar, 4s4, 1x8. I've cut it to length
(30") and am ready to rip my widths (3"). Laying it on the TS, there
is noticeable twist - I'd say 1/8" to 3/16" across two diagonal corners
(push down one corner, the far opposite rises off the table 1/8-3/16")

So, how big a safety issue is this to go ahead and rip? Blade
guard/splitter/pawls all in-place. I went ahead and did it and got
enough resistance as the board began passing the splitter that I
actually shut the saw down and manually pulled the board back out;
could see that the wood was closing up after the kerf, though it didn't
seem that it would have been enough to cause the resistance I got;
regardless, flipped it end-for-end and completed the cut w/o incident.
The 2nd rip from the ~4-1/2" cutoff went cleanly.

That's the safety question. I DO realize that piece I was cutting for
is now not "perfectly" flat nor with "perfectly" square edge/face
corners. Eh, it might not matter in my specific case, THIS time, for
THIS project. BUT. How much twist do you tolerate before you either
work to correct it, or select different stock?

I fully admit that I'm completely susceptible to TAS - Tool Acquisition
Syndrome. Yet, because my moniker is what it is, I'm far from having
carte blanche from SWMBO :^) Jointer has to wait.

So, where do I go from here? I don't want this to devolve into a "how
flat is flat" debate. I'm just looking for thoughts on how to work
with what I have - TS (GI 50-185L), 3-1/4hp plunge router, CMS, various
bench-top and hand-held sanders.

Thanks,
Chris