Sawing Large Pieces on Table Saw

Larry Bohen · 2003-12-16T20:43:42+00:00

I just had new floors (ceramic tile and hardwood) installed in our home. Wepreviously had carpeting. Some doors now do not open all the way because ofthe added height of the new floors. I'd like to make a nice straight cut offthe bottom of the doors and would appreciate some tips on how to do thissafely on my table saw.Thanks in advance

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mike 22 years ago

Larry, DO NOT use your tablesaw to cut a door for height. Hopefully you meant hand held circular saw.Take a piece of 1/4" plywood and nail or screw a straight edge to it. The plywood has to be as long as the widest door and wide enough to clamp to door { 10" is usually enough}. Run saw base against straight edge and thru plywood. This will give you blade setting and protect door from scratching by saw base.Clamp this jig to door. Because you are unfamiliar with trimming doors I will show you the safe way to get a perfectly clean cut. Put a sharp combination blade in BACKWARDS in your saw ( 40 teeth in a

7 1/4" blade will do}.Set for 1/4" depth of cut, then make this scoring cut.When done, turn blade around the correct way. Set base so blade will be a full tooth below door, then cut. You do not have to tape the cut or knife it either. Now for those people that are more familiar using a skilsaw, don,t bother putting blade in backwards. Instead start at end of cut and PULL saw backwards with a 1'4" depth of cut. Then set saw base as usual and push saw thru to complete cut. This method can be used to cut veneered panels, laminated doors or anything that is prone to chipping. You simply make a shallow score cut then finish cutting with full depth. Mike

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bambam 22 years ago

Depends on the door and how much you cut off.

If it's a hollow core door ... there may be only about 3/4 inch of wood along the bottom.

Two solutions: 1) run the strip you've cut off through the table saw to remove the panel on each side, then glue and brad it in, fill and paint. .

2) rip a 2 x 2 to width and insert it.

Easiest way I've found.

Ken

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Xlat 22 years ago

Why not use a nice handheld electric planer? My Makita would make short work of that job....

Remove the nospam from my address to email me!!

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Eric Ryder 22 years ago

Wrong, wrong, wrong! The OP asked how to do this on the TABLESAW...

Place door on tablesaw (bigger is better). Then proceed as below:

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Bay Area Dave 22 years ago

yeah, and I said he shouldn't use a TS. what's your problem?... besides reading comprehension...

dave

Eric Ryder wrote:

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Bay Area Dave 22 years ago

Mike, begging your pardon, but I have to take exception to your advice. If you want to "score" something, 1/32" cut is more appropriate; 1/4 is more like the depth of many dados!

dave

mike wrote:

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Greg G. 22 years ago

Bay Area Dave wandered in from the void and babbled something like:

Not to be smart or anything - But perhaps YOU have a problem with reading comprehensionl... It was a joke.

Place the door ON a tablesaw... Then cut with a straight edge and circular saw...

Read carefully before flaming... ;-)

Greg

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Rich 22 years ago

I suspect that BAD and FOW are the same person.

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Greg G. 22 years ago

Rich wandered in from the void and babbled something like:

Probably not, unless using another posting host for his 'alter-ego'...

BAD newssvr25.news.prodigy.com

FOW typhoon.sonic.net

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Juergen Hannappel 22 years ago

On YOUR table saw it's probably not a good idea to try (otherwise you wouldn't ask), but i would maybe take the door to the woodworking business a few streets away and have it cut on their table saw, wich is a "real" one with the crosscut sled large enough to cut an ordinary door with ease.

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Eric Ryder 22 years ago

ty Greg, nmsg:)

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Bay Area Dave 22 years ago

Greg, Rich isn't the brightest bulb on the string...

dave

Greg wrote:

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Bay Area Dave 22 years ago

mea culpa.

dave

Eric Ryder wrote:

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Frank J. Vitale 22 years ago

If you use the circular saw, be sure to score the top edge to minimize chipping. A piece of painters masking tape will also help minimize chipping.

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Rich 22 years ago

Greg,

Even a moron could figure out how to set up multiple news accounts. Oh, wait, I guess that's giving him too much credit.

Rich

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Greg G. 22 years ago

Rich wandered in from the void and babbled something like:

Well, it would involve paying for two providers - neither offer access other than to subscribers - Sort of a waste of money... ;-)

But an impromptu route trace DOES show that both servers ARE in the Santa Rosa/San Francisco area...

Hmmm....

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The Cabal 22 years ago

Greg G. wandered in from the void and babbled something like:

Don't assume we wish to involve ourselves in derogatory public discussions, but curiosity got the best of us. Perhaps there is something in the Bay Area water supply - DON'T DRINK THE WATER!

Both own a Powermatic tablesaw, both hate Delta products, both own a PC557 biscuit joiner, both live in the Santa Rosa/San Francisco area, both are diabetics, both are audiophiles, both top post...

If there ever was a doppelgänger...

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John from Pronghorn.biz 22 years ago

------------------------- Hi Larry, The best way to trim the bottoms of doors may not be on the table saw. It's awkward and possibly dangerous, and the chances of making a mistake are high. I usually use a clamped-on straightedge and a straight bit chucked in my router. Make each cut in several passes to avoid stressing the tool or the bit . Increase the depth of cut about

1/4" after each pass. If you have hollow core doors and you're removing more than 3/4", you may have to replace the material at the bottom of the door (usually a softwood 1x2). Just glue and clamp a new piece in place. You may need to invest in a long straight bit. If you'd prefer not to, you can make half the cut, then turn the door over and start from the other side. An alternative is to use a circular saw with the straightedge. However, as the blade emerges at the top of the cut, it can play havoc with veneers. An 80-tooth plywood blade helps. So does scoring. This involves running a sharp utility knife blade across the door against a straightedge, following the cut line, before you make the saw cut. After you make the cut, sand the edges lightly with a block: this will give you a more uniform edge. I suggest you tackle a closet door or some less conspicuous one first, rather than one which is used frequently. Good luck. John

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Sawing Large Pieces on Table Saw

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