Safety with tilted blade and sliding table

[Bob Davis]

I'm a relative novice whose vision outstripped his knowledge on a recent purchase. I purchased a Jet Supersaw, complete with 52" rails, extension table, and sliding table. This model only comes in Left tilt. The sliding table is on the left side of the blade. So when the blade it tilted, it tilts toward the sliding table.

I purchased a book on table saws that seemed to have a lot of spaced devoted to safety - something I really wanted to study up before diving in. The author talks about left and right tilt. His advice is to go for a left tilt UNLESS you plan to use a sliding table with beveled cuts. He says it dangerous to cut a piece with the sliding table and the blade tilted. Well in principal, I think I understand. I just find it hard to believe that a company like Jet has gone to such lengths to design the elaborate sliding table with this anti-flip hold down thing, yet its only useable with the blade at 0 degrees.

I would like opinions. Should I spend a bit more money and get a mitre guage to do bevel cross cuts from the right side of the blade? Yep, Jet leaves this item off, when you buy the sliding table.

Thanks, Bob

[Tom]

Make yourself a cross-cut sled. Tom >Bob Davis"

b Someday, it'll all be over....

[George]

They're right, but you _can_ use a sled or gage referencing the groove on the other side, can't you?

[David Chamberlain]

Don't make a sled. The sliding table beats any homemade sled nine ways to Sunday. There is no inherent safety risk in using a slidng table with a left tilt saw. The only possible danger is if you do not use a zero clearance insert and you make a small cutoff, the piece might drop down and get caught between the blade and the table. That can be prevented by using a zero clearance insert and/or planning ahead so that any cutoff pieces are big enough to avoid the problem.

[JLucas ILS]

Use the sliding table. The only danger is when the wood that is on the table to the left of the blade is loose and can lift. Remedy: clamp it down to the sliding table so that it will not lift.

[Bob Davis]

I've decided to do that. I looked at the way everything works together on this saw -- the new designed blade guard, the factory hold-down clamp that is part of the sliding table, the miter fence which is obviously designed to accomodate a tilted blade, and the near hernia I got lifting the heavy sliding table to install it.

I made a bunch of practice cuts today at different angles and different tilts. As long as the board was positioned for proper use of the hold-down clamp and extended so both sides of the blade guard covered it, I was very comfortable using it. In fact I might even say it was dream to use.

Bob