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I wanna build a rip fence for rough sawn lumber.....ideas?

david n

Diamond
Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Location
Pillager, MN
O' course a straight line rip saw would be nice but $$$ and space are a concern..............Does anyone have a design for a rip fence/guide for rough sawn lumber? It would need to work with various width boards and 4/4 up to 8/4 material. Even thicker if I can mount a 16" saw on it............I need a rail/guide/fence at least 12' long that I will be mounting a sliding head that hold a circular saw. Right now I have a piece of 3/8x3"x12' 6061 that I clamp to the board as a guide. I want to build something that I can just toss in a piece of wood, clamp, and cut. Idea'rs? Any products out there? I know there are track saws of all kinds, but most seem rather hobbyish/light duty...................
 
If this isn't for production you might rethink the track saws. I've had the smaller 55mm Festool for over 10 years and it's by no means a powerful saw you can run all day through 8/4, but for one off pieces its hard to beat considering it takes up virtually no space, accurate and can be setup and broken down quickly. The larger 75mm version has a bigger motor and cuts a little under 3" thick. Unless they changed their policy you can run the saw for a month and if you don't like it or it doesn't work for your application you can send it back.
 
Like Rocketdc's mine is no production tool either but works well. I think I stole the idea out of one of Tage Frid's books. Mine is a strip of 3/4" plywood. It has a guide strip rabbeted into the back. The groove the strip goes into needs to be straight as possible along the long side of the plywood. I think my plywood strip is 12" wide and 8' long. On the top side I put a beech wood cleat on one end that's perpendicular more or less to the length of the plywood. And then put some long wood screws, drywall screws I think I used, through this cleat. Then slide the jig down through the table using the guide strip in the table saw groove and cut the edge of the plywood. Obviously the guide strip needs to be placed so when you first run it down through the saw it will cut the plywood.

Then to use it just lay the board on the plywood, push it down so the far end digs into the screw points, hold the other end down and rip away. I originally had planned to use toggle clamps to hold the board down but never used them.

I don't think this would be great for 8/4 and not good for longer than 8' boards but it does work well for 4 or 5/4 and up to the length of the jig.
 
O' course a straight line rip saw would be nice but $$$ and space are a concern..............Does anyone have a design for a rip fence/guide for rough sawn lumber? It would need to work with various width boards and 4/4 up to 8/4 material. Even thicker if I can mount a 16" saw on it............I need a rail/guide/fence at least 12' long that I will be mounting a sliding head that hold a circular saw. Right now I have a piece of 3/8x3"x12' 6061 that I clamp to the board as a guide. I want to build something that I can just toss in a piece of wood, clamp, and cut. Idea'rs? Any products out there? I know there are track saws of all kinds, but most seem rather hobbyish/light duty...................

Something like this but with your circular saw ?
Hud-Son Lumbermaker Lumber Maker Chainsaw Board Boardmaster | eBay
 
How much lumber do you need to process?

I’ve had a chainsaw mill hobby for many years and cut lots of boards like you are doing. For a few pieces, I snap a chalk line and cut freehand. For more I use a guide board. Depending on how flat your lumber is, you might try building a stack near the same height and then screw the guide board so it hangs off about an inch. Then you slide the piece to be ripped against the stack and under the guide board. Run the saw on top of the workpiece and along the edge of the guide board to rip off the edge off your workpiece.
 
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Was this idea in the works before 2 x 4 x 8 studs went over $8? 23/32 plywood T & G sheathing was $95 when I was window shopping at HD after buying some electrical items this past Sunday.
 
I plan on ripping a few hundred board feet at a time........................I don't want flimsy track saws, don't want to snap chalk lines, or want to clamp on a straight edge................just want to be efficient.............

The guy in this vid is not a metal worker, but his concept is what I'm after.................he fabbed his track and I want to find an extrusion that could work.............I may be dreaming and have to fab anyways..................

 
The only difference in function between the one made in the video and the festool version he compared it to is it lifts the saw further up from the surface of the board requiring a larger blade diameter to accomplish the same depth of cut.

When you make/design your own, if it's going to be set on the workpiece like the other track saws, definitely use foam strips on the bottom. I've rarely, if ever, had to clamp the track to the workpiece because of the foam. I would also try to source an extrusion or design the sled so the saw rides closer to the workpiece. If you already have a saw to use that can cover the extra depth of the track when ripping 8/4 it won't matter.

A few hundred feet at a time is low volume, any decent saw can handle that.
 
The only difference in function between the one made in the video and the festool version he compared it to is it lifts the saw further up from the surface of the board requiring a larger blade diameter to accomplish the same depth of cut.

When you make/design your own, if it's going to be set on the workpiece like the other track saws, definitely use foam strips on the bottom. I've rarely, if ever, had to clamp the track to the workpiece because of the foam. I would also try to source an extrusion or design the sled so the saw rides closer to the workpiece. If you already have a saw to use that can cover the extra depth of the track when ripping 8/4 it won't matter.

10-1/4" saw will more than handle the thicker material....................there will even be some 3" stuff to rip in the near future.................................I may just pick of a stick of either 3/8"or1/2"x10"x12' 6061 and make the track outa that...............I like the foam idea................some kind or urethane foam rubber would work well..................and to make the saw slide, a piece of delrin or even UHMW made into a skid/trolley to reduce friction.............(no metal to metal contact).........................still head scratchin though........:scratchchin:
 
10-1/4" saw will more than handle the thicker material....................there will even be some 3" stuff to rip in the near future.................................I may just pick of a stick of either 3/8"or1/2"x10"x12' 6061 and make the track outa that...............I like the foam idea................some kind or urethane foam rubber would work well..................and to make the saw slide, a piece of delrin or even UHMW made into a skid/trolley to reduce friction.............(no metal to metal contact).........................still head scratchin though........:scratchchin:

The plastic glide strips will help, especially with the larger 10-1/4" saw. Any foam or rubber that's soft enough to bite on the wood should be fine. Only other advice I'd give is make your track longer than the cut length so the saw is fully supported when it enters and exits the cut. It will give you a cleaner entry and exit that still utilizes the straight edge for the full cut. No need to overthink it, slap one together and plow through some lumber, if you need to make any adjustments you're more than capable.
 








 
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