Making a tricky cut with a table saw

[zxcvbob]

Reposted from alt.home.repair

I'm trying to make a couple of folding sawhorses. My own design. :-) (like there's not enough different sawhorses already.) Two 36" 2x4's for the top, fastened together along the bottom edge with a pair of door hinges. On each end of each 2x4, I'll cut a 20° angled notch 5 1/2" wide to inset a 30" long 1x6". (and the 1x6's will have their ends cut at 20° to make them sit better on the floor and look neater at the top.) When the sawhorses are set up, the legs will splay out and the 2x4's will close up the gap at the top. When they are hanging on the garage wall, the top will open up to a 40° V and the legs will hang down. If my geometry is right, when they are set up they'll be about 28" tall.

I'm using a 10" tablesaw to make the cuts. The blade only tilts to the left for angled cuts, and the rip fence only attaches on the right of the blade. I made a practice cut in a scrap of 2x4 and quickly found the one little detail that I overlooked in my design. How do I cut the notch on the other end of the 2x4s?

I fed the 2x4 into the blade to a depth of 5 1/2", removed it from the saw, and finished making the cut with a hand saw. Looks pretty good even tho' I haven't cleaned it up with a chisel yet. (the 1x6 leg will eventually be attached with construction adhesive and roofing nails.) Now how do I make the cut on the other end? I can't safely feed the board in from the back of the saw...

Several possibilities. I can measure with the saw all the way up, lower the blade, clamp the board to the back of the fence, turn the saw on and raise the blade to make a plunge cut.

Or I can feed the board from the back WITH A STOP CLAMPED TO THE FENCE in case it grabs the board and tries to pull it in. I don't like this because either I'm reaching over the fully-extended blade or standing at the back of the saw, but it might be OK with the stop in place. I could also stand to the side of the saw; will have to test how awkward that is (with the saw OFF, of course.)

Maybe I can use the little wedge scrap that I cut off as a shim under the 2x4 so I can cut the end notches using a dado? It looks like it would work.

What say the experts? There's probably really easy solution, but I'm out of practice and can't see it. I'm liking the dado idea. A coworker showed me his missing fingertip to remind me to be careful. Thanks.

Bob

[Chris Friesen]

This seems odd. My left-tilt saw allows the fence to be placed on either side of the blade.

I'd use a bandsaw with the table tilted, or a handsaw.

This would probably be fine.

Sounds like a recipe for danger. I wouldn't do it.

This would also be fine, but you'd want two shims to support the 2x4 properly. I suggest taping the shims to the board so they don't shift.

Chris

[Leon]

Assuming a through cut, can you turn the piece upside down?

This is a common practice for making the first through cut in a zero clearance insert. You may want to clamp the board to the table however.

NO NO NO

Don't do what your gut tells you not to do.

[Dan Major]

A) make a jig that fits in the miter saw groove and covers both sides of the table so you can make cuts from both sides. B) use a router to make the second set of cuts C) use a handsaw and hammer and chisel to make the cuts D) borrow the neighbor's saw, or better yet, buy a case of beer and give it him *after* he makes the cuts for you on *his* saw E) buy the exact same thing at the local hardware store without doing any cuts F) decide you didn't really want a set of saw horses anyway and go lay on the couch and take a nap... hopeithelps...

[zxcvbob]

That's how I did it. It worked really well, and I didn't have to change the 20° setting on the saw that I still needed for other cuts.

A bandsaw would have worked a lot easier.

Bob