Got this in an email from Woodworkers Journal.
http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/resource/WoodworkingTechniques/ThinCut/index.html
This should also work for a band saw.
Wow, that certainly is a SAFER tip to use than what I have been doing. Thanks for this tip.
That sounds good, but there is no mention that you need a zero clearance blade cover so that thinner pieces of wood don’t fall down between the blade and the cover and come shooting back at you when the blade is turning.
Interesting. On a quality saw this probably works well. On my cheapie Craftsman 10" saw, the fence is the weakest link and getting it aligned square to the blade is a challenge, so moving it after every cut would take a lot of time. My method is to use filler pieces between the fence and the work, adding one after each strip is cut. Of course, you need to have a supply of correctly measured fillers and that ain’t easy either.
@Chuck - I guess they thought that showing one in the pictures was enough, but not everyone would notice, so your right!
Why a filler piece?
If your blade is set 1/4" from the fence, say,
all your rips would be 1/4" without moving the fence.
Of course you need a blade cover and a push stick and maybe a feather-board.
Or a homemade sliding table.
Like in the article my finish cut is on the outside of the blade. Cutting small pieces between the blade and fence usually leads to trouble.
John Bouck said:Admittedly this is the way I do it. My fence is not nearly accurate enough to allow easy/quick adjustments.
Why a filler piece? If your blade is set 1/4" from the fence, say, all your rips would be 1/4" without moving the fence. Of course you need a blade cover and a push stick and maybe a feather-board. Or a homemade sliding table.
I will never rip wood without the sharpest of blades. “Cuts like butter” or I change it out.