I just got a used Craftsman table saw on Craigslist, and would like to rip some long, narrow, thin cedar strips from fence pickets. So for example, I would first rip a 5/8" x 3.5" x 6' picket into three strips of 5/8" x about 1" x 6' by making two cuts. The first cut seems pretty straightforward. The second one - cutting a 2+" strip in half - I also think I can do if I'm careful and have an appropriate push stick. The saw does have the usual blade guard, splitter, and anti-kickback pawls, and a 96-tooth, narrow steel (not carbide) blade that says it's for finishing.
But then I'd like to cut each of the three strips in half again, but this time edge-wise, so that I end up with 1/4" x about 1" x 6' strips. So that's cutting the 5/8" dimension in half.
It's that last cut that bothers me. I've watched some videos on Youtube on cutting thin material, and it looks like it would be possible to do it with Grip-Tite or GRR-ripper gizmos, but they're just beyond my budget.
But it seems it should also be possible to do this cut with clamped featherboards to lock the feed stock against the table and fence, and end by following with a scrap piece of the same dimensions, or perhaps pulling through from the other end.
Anyway, I would appreciate any suggestions on how to do this if there is a safe way to do so.