Used all of these Suggestions throughout my woodworking career and this gentleman is a true tradesman. The only thing I've never attempted is the hand held feather board.
The fact sir, That you have enjoyed a lifelong career in woodworking and you still have all of your fingers pretty much verifies your attentiveness and care!!
Love your tips and plans. I intend to build the glue-up jig. I'd like to make a suggestion when using the digital protractor to set your blade: zero it out on the table saw not the insert plate. They may not be co-planer so you may get a false reading. The saw surface is what holds the wood, not the insert. If the insert is proud of the saw surface you may have all sorts of problems. Again, thanks for the tips and all you have contributed to this great hobby and community. Rickster
I made a spring loaded metal jig with ball bearing rollers that I use instead of a feather board. It clamps to the left edge of my table. It contacts the wood in 2 spots with a slight spring which helps hold the wood nicely against the fence.. The rollers have less sliding friction so pushing the material is easier. It also allows for ripping wider pieces than a feather board.
I agree with all you say, I do the same things. Now I have a challenge for you. Using the Shopsmith duplicator, duplicate rosettes. I have done it but I would like to see you do it. Your idea for doing it might be better than mine. My rosettes were designed in 1908. I hope you will try it.
Good of you to notice. When I was writing books, we were careful not to use professional machinery in the photos so readers would relate. We're doing the same here.
For a quick improvised zero-clearance throat plate for a few cuts, lower the blade all the way down and lay a strip of wide tape over the saw blade slot in the throat plate. Start the saw and raise the blade through the tape. Aluminum duct tape works great for this. Painter's tape will also work pretty well.
Nick. Thanks a ton for all of your helpful tips. But, showing how to make the zero clearance insert has changed the way I use my table saw. I can't thank you enough.
I enjoy watching the stuff you do. I have been swinging a hammer since I was 14 and I have a little wood shop now my question is do y'all mess with laythes
Hi Nick. I have the full set of your "Workshop Companion" books, and am amazed at just how much workshop expertise you have to offer. Clearly, this has been your lifelong activity because you REALLY know what you're doing! One thing I've long sought after however, is a plan for your table saw work station! Is there a plan listed somewhere I have overlooked? Thanks!
We've had several requests for that, and we'll get to it sooner or later. If you want to jump the gun, you can find all the information you need in my book, "Workbenches and Shop Furniture." I show how to put together the station from five simple components on pages 61-62, See workshopcompanion.selz.com/item/workbenches-and-shop-furniture .
Noticed a general purpose blade in the table saw. For critical cuts, swapping to a cross-cut blade for cross cuts, and rip blade for ripping boards will also yield much better results.
Because of the way my saw is constructed I had problems with the zero clearance inserts popping up during a cut. I epoxied four rare earth magnets to keep them in place. (Also handy to stick them to the sides of my saw when not in use.) You will need to add a finger hole to get the insert out though.
This ancient saw was made long before anyone thought to put finger holes in inserts. About fifty years ago, I put a little notch in my push sticks for removing the inserts and I've done that way ever since. One of the things I love about woodworking is that there are always several good ways to do something.
@@WorkshopCompanion Just found your channel and love it. Your tip on scribing a line before cutting to prevent tear out has me trying to figure a way to mount a spring loaded blade before the saw blade.
@@CerebralOrigami To prevent tear out on plywood or melamine I first set the blade just high enough to score the bottom then set the blade at the finished height and make the final pass.
@@WorkshopCompanion Mine too. It's a Rockwell that I purchased in 1984. Unifence also. I make my inserts in the same fashion but set the bearing to ride on the original little nub then cut the top half of the nub off and the insert won't pop out.
Get yourself a specialized hollow ground faced tooth blade. I cut melamine faced MDF/Chipboard with no chip out whatsoever. Works well on plywood as well as solid timber. Check it out..
Great tips, sir, and I love your workshop companion. (Just miss having Dusty as well.) Top 3.5: I don't understand the need for the elaborate effort of marking both sides of the dado.
Hi Nick, as a new subscriber, I'm fascinated with all the tips and tricks you show. I just wanted to know if your books can be purchased in the UK. Thank you.
Make a cut with the miter gauge, slide it back and mark the table along the cut edge. Mark the wood on the edge that will contact the blade first. Line the mark on the board with the mark on the table that shows the edge the saw leaves.
Something I've always questioned with featherboards- I want to put it right at the blade because that's where the pressure is for it to push off. And I can hold it tight to the fence myself ahead of the blade. So its pretty rare that I use them. I get the feeling that I either really don't understand them, or that they're there for people who are concerned with getting too close to the blade.
Featherboards can also help with keeping small kickback under control. Beyond that though, I have two lines if thought. I put them up near the saw as well, for the same reason. However, I find that the featherboard helps me keep more even pressure, especially when ripping boards where the offcut edge is nasty or uneven. I am not having to keep my hand moving to adjust for those gaps and splinters. On top of that, I really like to think about where my hand would go if the board suddenly disappeared due to kickback or just a slip on my part. Even if I am putting pressure through my fingers, they could pretty easily slip *sideways* into the blade front. That kind of taking cut sounds pretty much like a worse case scenario in terms of reconstruction to me, so I would rather avoid it.
Zero clearance insert - use your normal insert, put blade down, cover slot with wide painter's tape, turn saw on and slowly crank blade up through the tape.
There are no riving knives available for this 60-year-old saw. We have an overhead guard with anti-kickback pawls, but have to pivot it out out the way for videos because it obscures your view of the action.
If the 0-clearance insert is a tight fit (which it should be if you are not going to secure it to the table otherwise), it's a very good idea to drill a hole to remove it with BEFORE testfitting it, or you might have to be quite creative to get it out again. Also, make sure to extend the slot to allow for the riving knife to get through (with a jigsaw or similar). ... You ARE using a riving knife, right...?
Good point. You can also remove it with any slender tool with a hook or notch on the end, such as a hooked pick. I use a slender push stick for this task.
I find that painter's tape stops some of the tear-out, but not all. It also seems to depend on the plywood veneer. Oak tears out much more easily than birch or cherry.
Your Table Saw has a bad bearing, grease might fix it or you might have to replace the bearing. THAT is what the "squealing" is coming from when your saw is running.
Noted. We've actually been keeping an eye out for a newer saw that will fit our saw cabinet and affords some more modern features, such as adjustable tilt stops and a riving knife.
Your ON/OFF switch is the only one I've seen located right next to the blade, a very handy location. Mine are all mounted just under the front rail so I can bump the saw OFF with my upper leg in an emergency, another handy location. You blade guard permits that switch location, but not everyone has that option, but it's great! A tip for those whose factory insert is just the slightest bit too loose. Wrap the factory insert with a wrap or two of painters tape to make it a "smidge" larger when you rout against it with the flush trim bit.
Thanks a million Nick. Great, short and sweet and to the point. I love you're, no babbling..........less is more. Your channel is awesome.
Thanks.
I very much appreciate you showing your work in mostly live time so we are not left assuming we know what you did off screen.
Most welcome.
Used all of these Suggestions throughout my woodworking career and this gentleman is a true tradesman. The only thing I've never attempted is the hand held feather board.
Iim liking that saw control switch up above
the table.
Yep. Combine it with a knee switch (wired in line with the over-the-table switch), and you have two ways to shut the saw down in an emergency.
Best collection of table saw tips on the ‘tube.
Thanks.
Great techniques to use and stay safe. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge with us.
Most welcome.
I have agonized over making a zero clearance insert for my Shopsmith. Never thought of using a pattern router bit. Thank you Nick!
You're most welcome.
Thank you very much. I'm learning a lot from your videos.
Thanks for saying.
The fact sir, That you have enjoyed a lifelong career in woodworking and you still have all of your fingers pretty much verifies your attentiveness and care!!
I rather thought it attested to the fact that I have not yet lost a heathy fear of saw blades. My heart still jumps a little every time I turn one on.
@@WorkshopCompanion Well said... Familiarity can breed contempt....
@@kellyklingbeil5802 I thought familiarity bred contentment. ❤
@@seanflanagan2441 it can
Awesome tips! So appreciate your videos.
Thanks.
great ideas, especially the zero clearance routing....cheers, Paul
Thanks.
Great tips, thanks. Safety first!
Love your tips and plans. I intend to build the glue-up jig.
I'd like to make a suggestion when using the digital protractor to set your blade: zero it out on the table saw not the insert plate. They may not be co-planer so you may get a false reading. The saw surface is what holds the wood, not the insert. If the insert is proud of the saw surface you may have all sorts of problems.
Again, thanks for the tips and all you have contributed to this great hobby and community. Rickster
This channel is great! Thanks!
Most welcome.
I made a spring loaded metal jig with ball bearing rollers that I use instead of a feather board. It clamps to the left edge of my table. It contacts the wood in 2 spots with a slight spring which helps hold the wood nicely against the fence.. The rollers have less sliding friction so pushing the material is easier. It also allows for ripping wider pieces than a feather board.
More great content. Thankyou
Most welcome.
I agree with all you say, I do the same things. Now I have a challenge for you. Using the Shopsmith duplicator, duplicate rosettes. I have done it but I would like to see you do it. Your idea for doing it might be better than mine. My rosettes were designed in 1908. I hope you will try it.
Great stuff! Thanks
Great tips Nick. I have a Mark V. Welcome back to videos
I like to see do more woodworking hack. Nice to see a wood worker use more home hobbiest shop tools.
Good of you to notice. When I was writing books, we were careful not to use professional machinery in the photos so readers would relate. We're doing the same here.
For a quick improvised zero-clearance throat plate for a few cuts, lower the blade all the way down and lay a strip of wide tape over the saw blade slot in the throat plate. Start the saw and raise the blade through the tape. Aluminum duct tape works great for this. Painter's tape will also work pretty well.
Nick. Thanks a ton for all of your helpful tips. But, showing how to make the zero clearance insert has changed the way I use my table saw. I can't thank you enough.
Most welcome.
I love using featherboards, they are so essential for doing fine carpentry
I enjoy watching the stuff you do. I have been swinging a hammer since I was 14 and I have a little wood shop now my question is do y'all mess with laythes
Certainly. See: ruclips.net/video/SkSRPM_zu0c/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/9g_7-9LRNEE/видео.html
I started when I was 14 and still going at it full time I’m 61 now God bless and good luck in your shop!!
thank you
Thank you!
Hi Nick. I have the full set of your "Workshop Companion" books, and am amazed at just how much workshop expertise you have to offer. Clearly, this has been your lifelong activity because you REALLY know what you're doing! One thing I've long sought after however, is a plan for your table saw work station! Is there a plan listed somewhere I have overlooked? Thanks!
We've had several requests for that, and we'll get to it sooner or later. If you want to jump the gun, you can find all the information you need in my book, "Workbenches and Shop Furniture." I show how to put together the station from five simple components on pages 61-62, See workshopcompanion.selz.com/item/workbenches-and-shop-furniture .
@@nickengler3447 for some reason that link doesn't work any longer
Tip #2! Why didn’t I think of that. 😉
The try square for lining up the mark with the blade is absolute genius
Tip 3 should have been used in tip 1. You will never need a square to line up the blade with your intended cut.
@@justsittinhere72 you underestimate my laziness for making aux fences
@@MatthewMakesAU Yeah, I get it. Me too sometimes.
Hi.!
- - Thank you.
9:30 You could do this or use a miter sled. I find having a miter sled a very good way to avoid losing the part.
Good tips! Not 100% sure about the first one though. I’m too lazy for all that, so I just use painters tape to prevent tear out on plywood.
Noticed a general purpose blade in the table saw. For critical cuts, swapping to a cross-cut blade for cross cuts, and rip blade for ripping boards will also yield much better results.
Fantastic tips.. but the hand feather board seemed overkill a piece of wood with a an angle cut on it would do the same yes?, ty
One of the most beautiful sounds in the world is wood being passed through a dado blade.
Twin Shopsmiths!! Is the one in the background a parts donor?
Because of the way my saw is constructed I had problems with the zero clearance inserts popping up during a cut. I epoxied four rare earth magnets to keep them in place. (Also handy to stick them to the sides of my saw when not in use.) You will need to add a finger hole to get the insert out though.
This ancient saw was made long before anyone thought to put finger holes in inserts. About fifty years ago, I put a little notch in my push sticks for removing the inserts and I've done that way ever since. One of the things I love about woodworking is that there are always several good ways to do something.
@@WorkshopCompanion Just found your channel and love it. Your tip on scribing a line before cutting to prevent tear out has me trying to figure a way to mount a spring loaded blade before the saw blade.
@@CerebralOrigami To prevent tear out on plywood or melamine I first set the blade just high enough to score the bottom then set the blade at the finished height and make the final pass.
@@WorkshopCompanion Mine too. It's a Rockwell that I purchased in 1984. Unifence also. I make my inserts in the same fashion but set the bearing to ride on the original little nub then cut the top half of the nub off and the insert won't pop out.
@@justsittinhere72 Great tip. I use the same process to score plywood before cutting a dado.
Get yourself a specialized hollow ground faced tooth blade. I cut melamine faced MDF/Chipboard with no chip out whatsoever. Works well on plywood as well as solid timber. Check it out..
I wouldn't hold the plate insert with my hand while raising the blade. Better to put the fence over it or tape it down
Good point. I normally wedge it in with toothpicks.
Great tips, sir, and I love your workshop companion. (Just miss having Dusty as well.)
Top 3.5: I don't understand the need for the elaborate effort of marking both sides of the dado.
Hi do you offer in person classes?
No, sorry.
can i join you,,i need that experience,am really interested
Hi Nick, as a new subscriber, I'm fascinated with all the tips and tricks you show. I just wanted to know if your books can be purchased in the UK. Thank you.
Make a cut with the miter gauge, slide it back and mark the table along the cut edge. Mark the wood on the edge that will contact the blade first. Line the mark on the board with the mark on the table that shows the edge the saw leaves.
Several older saws have pencil-friendly plastic inserts in the table for just this purpose.
Something I've always questioned with featherboards- I want to put it right at the blade because that's where the pressure is for it to push off. And I can hold it tight to the fence myself ahead of the blade. So its pretty rare that I use them. I get the feeling that I either really don't understand them, or that they're there for people who are concerned with getting too close to the blade.
Or for repetitive cuts that is.
Of course, I probably just made my old shop teacher (from the 70s) roll over...
Featherboards can also help with keeping small kickback under control. Beyond that though, I have two lines if thought. I put them up near the saw as well, for the same reason. However, I find that the featherboard helps me keep more even pressure, especially when ripping boards where the offcut edge is nasty or uneven. I am not having to keep my hand moving to adjust for those gaps and splinters. On top of that, I really like to think about where my hand would go if the board suddenly disappeared due to kickback or just a slip on my part. Even if I am putting pressure through my fingers, they could pretty easily slip *sideways* into the blade front. That kind of taking cut sounds pretty much like a worse case scenario in terms of reconstruction to me, so I would rather avoid it.
Zero clearance insert - use your normal insert, put blade down, cover slot with wide painter's tape, turn saw on and slowly crank blade up through the tape.
Nice tip. Would make a usable if short-lived 0C insert.
May I ask how do mitigate against kickback without a riving knife on your saw?
There are no riving knives available for this 60-year-old saw. We have an overhead guard with anti-kickback pawls, but have to pivot it out out the way for videos because it obscures your view of the action.
@@WorkshopCompanionCompanion Wow 60 years it looks brand new. Thank you for the reply really enjoying the content.
If the 0-clearance insert is a tight fit (which it should be if you are not going to secure it to the table otherwise), it's a very good idea to drill a hole to remove it with BEFORE testfitting it, or you might have to be quite creative to get it out again.
Also, make sure to extend the slot to allow for the riving knife to get through (with a jigsaw or similar).
... You ARE using a riving knife, right...?
Good point. You can also remove it with any slender tool with a hook or notch on the end, such as a hooked pick. I use a slender push stick for this task.
the camera audio in this vid is only in the left channel, rather annoying on headphones..good tips as always of course!
do you have patterns for sale
Yes; you can visit our store at workshopcompanion.selz.com/
Very useful knowledge, but am I the only one that has audio problems?
Couldn't you put painter's tape over the cut line to stop that tearout?
I find that painter's tape stops some of the tear-out, but not all. It also seems to depend on the plywood veneer. Oak tears out much more easily than birch or cherry.
@@WorkshopCompanion So this is like using the scoring blade on a straight line ripsaw or sliding saw?
@@pleappleappleap It does the same job.
Your Table Saw has a bad bearing, grease might fix it or you might have to replace the bearing. THAT is what the "squealing" is coming from when your saw is running.
Noted. We've actually been keeping an eye out for a newer saw that will fit our saw cabinet and affords some more modern features, such as adjustable tilt stops and a riving knife.
I would recommend against that string on the end of your plastic push stick. It could get grabbed by the blade and yank your had towards it.
If you put 2" painters tape on either side of your blade up tight to the blade, you'll have no need for a zero clearance insert.
Your ON/OFF switch is the only one I've seen located right next to the blade, a very handy location. Mine are all mounted just under the front rail so I can bump the saw OFF with my upper leg in an emergency, another handy location. You blade guard permits that switch location, but not everyone has that option, but it's great!
A tip for those whose factory insert is just the slightest bit too loose. Wrap the factory insert with a wrap or two of painters tape to make it a "smidge" larger when you rout against it with the flush trim bit.
Thanks for sharing.
tricks on making feather boards
Your audio goes to just one head phone when you start talking. Your intro is stereo
I only hear your voice in my left channel. :-(
A bit annoying with headphone.
Thumbs up and a comment for the algo. but I hate TS
Sorry to say but most of the time the volume is too low.😎
Nick’s audio dropped off the video!
Tip #1, I can see someone doing this on 300 pieces during a construction project................NOT.
Do the same for tip 1 as he did for tip 3.
feathers? I've only seen the term, spelching