Which side of the fence do you run on?

[max]

Ok, in a post a month or so ago I picked out of another topic that people rip with the useable piece to the left of the blade. This doesn't make sense to me. I have a $400 fence tweaked to be accurate, align the saw to death so there is no burning, machined a custom splitter and use magnetic hold downs. To rip multiple pieces of the same width I adjust the fence, and run the piece until I have as many pieces as I need. To make more than one with the good piece on the left, I would have to move the fence each time and I doubt I could get the pieces critically accurate. So... Which side of the fence do you rip on? max

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Only exceptions are" need thin strips (see the "can the bandsaw do this" thread) or plywood that I need wider than my 30" capacity. I'll cut 11 7/8' off a 48" piece to get 36"

Right about the accurate fence. Why screw around otherwise?

[J]

Do you mean which side of the blade? Clearly, most tablesaws are set up to have the wanted piece between the fence and the blade (that is why there is a measuring scale for this) except when circumstances indicate otherwise (not enough room to do this, some strange bevel etc...) and that is how everyone I have seen working has used them.

-j

[bluemax1811-newsgroups]

Fence to the right, waste to the left.

[Patriarch]

max wrote in news:BE37A808.47104% [e-mail]:

Left. Left tilt Unisaw.

Except when I use the right side, to rip a long board out of a panel. And even then, I'll likely come back and clean up the factory edge, on the left side of the fence.

But what do I know? That's how I was taught. Aren't you the guy who ran the cabinet shop for several decades?

Patriarch

[X]

The side the blade is on :)

[Jim]

Whichever side is the handiest to make the cut. Jim

[Slowhand]

Other than cutting less than 12" from a full sheet of plywood (which is not very often) everything gets cut (or ripped) on the left of the fence. SH

[Leon]

Which question do you want answered? Which side of the blade or which side of the fence?

For normal standard 90 degree ripping the keeper piece should be on the left side of the fence and right side of the blade.

[mac davis]

left? right?

how about good part of the stock (finished dimension?) between fence and blade or not between fence and blade...

hell, that's just as confusing!

I was taught that the piece you're "saving" goes up against the fence and the "waste" piece goes on the side of the blade away from the fence.. I do reverse this if the piece I'm cutting is too thin to (IMO) safely cut between the fence and blade, especially if I only need one cut..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Art Lindquist]