Popular Woodworking 2008-04 № 168, страница 62

One strategy for short pieces. f you need to cut a board shorter than 4" long, one safe solution is to use a second block that is notched out to hold your work in place.

in place. Once a cut has been made through this sub-fence, it is ready to go. Remember: This fence is disposable. I suggest that when you change angles on the saw that you dispose of the existing fence and put on a new one. Imagine how easily this new fence will help you to align those 45° cuts. It is also possible to place a sub-table on your saw if you are experiencing tear-out on the bottom of your boards.

Miter Saw Limitations

Miter saws are not commonly used or recommended for ripping lumber. They do, however, do a perfect job at crosscutting in a range of 90°. Unfortunately these saws do have limitations. The user must always be aware of all three dimensions — length, width and thickness.

The length limitation can be considered at both the long and short ends of the scale. In terms of long, you will be limited only by your physical surroundings. In terms of short, you must follow the 3" rule. It is possible to safely cut wood down to 4" inches in length as long as your holding hand is 3" away from the guard. If your work is shorter than 4" and your holding hand is closer than 3" to the guard, then it will be necessary to use some type of hold-down or safety device to keep the wood from moving during the cut.

The width limitation is where most problems occur with miter saws in terms of limitations, and if you are

How to stretch your saw. Sometimes we need to squeeze out a little more crosscut capacity from our power miter saws. One strategy is to lift the work into the spinning sawblade (top), a technique I do not recommend. The safer way to do this is to place your work on a thick piece of scrap, giving your work access to the larger diameter part of your blade (bottom).

using a sub-fence it will even reduce the potential depth of cut. Obviously the larger the blade the larger the width of cut, but most 12" saws will cut through a 2 x 8 at 90° with a little room to spare. As the miter changes from perpendicular, so will the limits of the cut.

There are a few ways to get more width from your saw. Both ways have some risk. The first is to simply lift the edge of the board once the cut has been bottomed out. With the blade still rotating and in the down position, the leading edge of the board can be lifted slightly to present the board being cut to more of the diameter of the blade. This might give you an extra V2" of

cut, but it will also cause you to forfeit a fair amount of control.

The second way is to take advantage of the diameter of the blade by raising the table to capitalize on the diameter. This is a safer method than the first method because it keeps the board stable during the cut.

The thickness limitation is again affected by the blade size. Generally speaking, most 10" saws will cut through 2V2"-thick wood and 12" inch saws will cut through 3V2"-thick wood. However you will find that if you are cutting very thin stock it might be best to support or place under the piece a sacrificial board to prevent small stock from shattering or tearing out.

52 ■ Popular Woodworking April 2008 MX