thin kerf fence for inlay cutting

[okiebugg]

With all of the talk lately of inlay, this is a simple project to make to be sure that the inlay material you cut is consistently the same thickness. Takea about an hour and saves the headache of not knowing if your inlay materiak is the same thickness. cut the fence to the width you desire. I used 3"

I sure hope I posted this correctly.

The reason I'm posting this, is I made this fence a few years ago. I was cutting deer antler without using this fence, feeding it by hand when I hit a soft spot in the antler and......I got banged. cut my fingernail in half, cut the end of mi left index finger into the bone, and nicked the first joint on my finger. Had to remove the fingernail and 8 stitches

Using your bandsaw fence, cut a kerf with the bandsaw 1/2 the length of the board

Cut the top fence 1 1/2" wide the same length as the first board

slide the board with the kerf into position with the blade just clearing the wide board in the center.
Put the narrow board on top of the wide board close to the blade. Clamp lightly. Using a small ruler, set the upper fence the distance from the blade that you want the inlay material thickness. Clamp at both ends. re-measure your desired width and adjust in necessary. Lay your material on top of the bottom board,against the upper fence and feed slowly into the blade. The slower you feed, the more consistent your cuts will be.

from another angle

finally, a piece of maple cut for inlay

another view

 

[Crashmph]

Can't see the pictures...

 

[markgum]

thanks for sharing

 

[cwolfs69]

Question

will not a good adjustable rip fence serve the same purpose, or am i missing something. was looking at and thinking about making one of these and then realized, i have a rip fence on my saw now. will it not work for the same purpose.

 

[sbell111]

will not a good adjustable rip fence serve the same purpose, or am i missing something. was looking at and thinking about making one of these and then realized, i have a rip fence on my saw now. will it not work for the same purpose.

As I understand it, the point of the OP's jig is that the blade rides in the kerf cut in the lower piece of wood so it is less prone to flexing one way or the other.

 

[okiebugg]

fence

will not a good adjustable rip fence serve the same purpose, or am i missing something. was looking at and thinking about making one of these and then realized, i have a rip fence on my saw now. will it not work for the same purpose.

The problem as I see it is the width of the opening around the blade both on the table saw and the bandsaw is wide enough to have the pieces you cut (if small) sucked out of your hand and thrown down below the blade and your kerf insert to the inside of your table saw and to the ground in the case of the bandsaw. I was cutting deer antler against the regular fence when I got grabbed by the bandsaw.

 

[Woodlvr]

Thanks Steve and Jim, I was in the dark until you guys explained it. This sounds great to me. I love learning new tips like this from our forums great minds.

 

[cwolfs69]

will not a good adjustable rip fence serve the same purpose, or am i missing something. was looking at and thinking about making one of these and then realized, i have a rip fence on my saw now. will it not work for the same purpose.

The problem as I see it is the width of the opening around the blade both on the table saw and the bandsaw is wide enough to have the pieces you cut (if small) sucked out of your hand and thrown down below the blade and your kerf insert to the inside of your table saw and to the ground in the case of the bandsaw. I was cutting deer antler against the regular fence when I got grabbed by the bandsaw.

good point i had not thought of that. my cut out is about 30 years old and believe me, it has room for a thin piece of wood. have small pieces get caught there all the time. i stand corrected.

 

[randyrls]

Jim; That is excellent!!!

I once had a small cutoff drop thru the table and get wedged between the blade and wheel. The blade parted at the weld joint with a LOUD BANG!!

 

[beck3906]

Here's another thought. This keeps the strip to the outside of the blade. This could be easily reproduced in your shop.Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig - Rockler Woodworking Tools

Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig - Rockler Woodworking Tools

 

[Sylvanite]

For really thin slices (like veneer), do a Google search for "vacuum fence", and you'll find plans to build a jig that will safely cut segments as thin as 0.025".

Regards,
Eric

 

[okiebugg]

Tablesaw jig

Here's another thought. This keeps the strip to the outside of the blade. This could be easily reproduced in your shop.Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig - Rockler Woodworking Tools

Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig - Rockler Woodworking Tools

That my friend is a good idea. I may have to aquire one for my tablesaw.

The reason I put up the tutorial for the bandsaw is it is my go to piece of equipment. The fence is small, cheap, unobtrusive and sets up in a second. I don't see much advantage to the offset fence insofar as safety. I could be wrong

 

[manik]

I have one of the Rockler Thin Rip Tablesaw Jigs.

Maybe Norm could get repeatable thickness cuts using it, but I could not.

The issue is that this jig stays put and, after each cut, the table saw fence is moved.

The little bearing in the Jig that the wood registers on is only about 1/4" high. This yields a very small surface an it was easy to compress the wood by a bit when moving the fence for the next cut.

If one is looking for 1/8" (0.125") +/- 0.01" or so then this will work, but I found a measurable difference, one that would be noticeable on something as small as a pen.

YMMV.

 

[RetiredJake]

Zero clearance insert

Maybe I'm missing something, but don't you use a zero clearance insert on your saws? This is just a shop made insert with no slot for the blade. Put it in place, clamp with a board, turn the saw on and raise the blade through the insert. Now, nothing can fall between the blade and the insert. Steps are different for a bandsaw, but the same concept applies to it also. Just my 2 ¢ worth.

Jake

 

[cwolfs69]

MY SAW IS OLD AND DOES NOT HAVE AN INSERT. JUST A SLOT IN THE TABLE OR THE BLADE.

 

[okiebugg]

Viable

Maybe I'm missing something, but don't you use a zero clearance insert on your saws? This is just a shop made insert with no slot for the blade. Put it in place, clamp with a board, turn the saw on and raise the blade through the insert. Now, nothing can fall between the blade and the insert. Steps are different for a bandsaw, but the same concept applies to it also. Just my 2 ¢ worth.

Jake

Your input is indeed a variation on the theme. I faintly remember from back in the day that you could purchase a zero clearance insert. The reason I put this up at all, is there is much activity of late for doing inserts with both wood or metal. I was using deer antler while pushing against the fence. Hit a soft spot and spent 8 hours in the local ER and finger surgery to repair a tendon cut loose in my folly.

I am highly safety minded especially around the bandsaw and was worried that one of these less experienced young men/women could hurt themselves cutting narrow pieces against the fence. The fact of the matter is I am the butt of the joke.