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RIPPING
Ripping is cutting lengthwise through a board, (Fig. 49).
NOTE: Be sure the material to be cut is seasoned, dry and
flat. The rip fence (A) is used to position and guide the work.
One edge of the work rides against the rip fence while the
flat side of the board rests on the table. Since the work is
pushed along the fence, it must have a straight edge and
make solid contact with the table.
The saw blade guard must be used. On
Delta saws, the guard has anti-kickback fingers to
prevent kickback and a splitter to prevent the wood kerf
from closing and binding the blade. Be sure to replace
or sharpen the anti-kickback devices when the points
become dull.
A rip fence should always be used for
ripping operations. NEVER
perform a ripping operation
free-hand.
1. Start the motor and advance the work holding it down
and against the fence. Never
stand in the line of the saw
cut when ripping. When the rip width is 6 inches or wider,
hold the work with both hands and push it along the
fence and into the saw blade (Fig. 49). The work should
then be fed through the saw blade with the right hand.
Only use the left hand to guide the workpiece. Do not
feed the workpiece with the left hand. After the work is
beyond the saw blade and anti-kickback fingers, remove
hands from the work.
2. When this is done the work will either stay on the table,
tilt up slightly and be caught by the end of the rear
guard, or slide off the table to the floor. Alternately, the
feed can continue to the end of the table, after which
the work is lifted and brought along the outside edge of
the fence. The cut-off stock remains on the table and is
not touched until the saw blade has stopped, unless it
is a large piece allowing safe removal. When ripping
boards longer than three feet, use a work support at
the rear of the saw to keep the workpiece from falling
off the saw table.
3. If the ripped work is less than 6 inches wide, a push
stick should always be used to complete the feed, as
shown in Fig. 50. The push stick can easily be made
from scrap material as explained in the section
“CONSTRUCTING A PUSH STICK.”
4. Ripping narrow pieces can be dangerous if not done
carefully.
When the piece is too narrow for a push
stick to be effective - and if the workpiece is short
enough - use a pushboard. When ripping material under
2 inches in width, ordinary push sticks may interfere
with the blade guard.
When using a pushboard, the width of the pushboard must
be added to the width of the rip fence position setting. A flat
pushboard can be constructed as shown in Fig. 51 and
should be used as shown in Fig. 52.
NOTE: Guard removed for clarity. Always use the guard.
NOTE: Some special operations (when using the moulding
cutterhead) require the addition of an auxiliary wood
facing to the fence, as explained in the section “USING
AUXILIARY WOOD FACING” and use of a push stick.
Fig. 49
Fig. 50
Fig. 51
Fig. 52
A
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