Acute angles (or not so cute)

[asianflava]

I started on my floor tonight (last night for you I still haven't gone to sleep so it is still tonight), no break for the neighbors I was cutting wood at 1:00AM.

One thing I had to do was to put a bevel on the front and rear edge. The angle was like 50deg and my saws only go to 45. I know there is a way, but how do you cut these? I guess you can cut a 40deg cut on the perpendicular face but how do you rip a board like this. Mind you, I have a table saw that I borrowed, nothing special like feather boards or push sticks (just dumb luck).

Is there an easier way?

What I ended up doing is to just to cut it at 45deg then finish the rest with the belt sander.

[Flyfisher]

Set your table saw to 40 degrees and flip the board to the other side. Any angle you set your saw at, the other side is 90 minus that angle. A 60 degree cut can be achieved by setting you blade at 30. You just have to figure out which side and if you cut on the top or bottom of the board to get the desired angle you want.

[angib]

Flyfisher: sadly that's not right. What you are describing would only work if you then cut with the board standing vertically (ie, on its end) above the sawblade - this isn't really possible, it certainly isn't accurate and it certainly isn't safe. If you set the blade to 40deg and then put the board the other side, you still get 40deg.

Asianflava: cut at 45deg and then get your plane (power or hand) out - if you're cutting plywood, where the plies are cut acts like a guide so you can see if you're getting it right.

Andrew

[Dan]

Andrew

I have to disagree with you. Flyfisher is right.

Normally, on a table saw, the good piece of wood is on the right and the scrap piece cut off is on the left. However, if you set the saw at 40¼ and flip the board over and cut it with the good piece of the left and the scrap on the right, you end up with the desired 50¼ angle.

Flyfidher, isn't this what you meant?

Dan

[Flyfisher]

Andrew is right. I had to go back and sketch what I did in the past. I actually think I have cut that angle several times thinking it would give me what I wanted when I flipped the board over. That's why I always cut a piece of scrap on angled cuts first to make sure it is what I actually wanted as part of that measure twice cut once philosophy. I did have a solution I had come up with that I felt comfortable with but others may not. The two rules I follow is 1. My hands must be away from the blade a safe distance (in case of a slip) and cannot be pulled into the blade if something goes wrong. 2. The blade can not cut into any part of a jig I make to help me make a cut. This brings me to something I missed in the original post. Make yourself some push sticks. A simple one can be made in a matter of minutes and keeps your hands away from the blade.

[McTeardrops]

Asianflava

I would suggest shimming the sheet off horizontal to get the additonal angle you need. Trial and error on scrap should get you close enough before you cut the good stuff.

[mexican tear]

You can cut a 50 degree angle by setting the blade at 40 degrees and then keep the piece that is normaly the cut off side. Calculate how much you have to cut off the board to leave the right size board with the correct angle.

kai

[Larry Messaros]

I started on my floor tonight (last night for you I still haven't gone to sleep so it is still tonight), no break for the neighbors I was cutting wood at 1:00AM.

asianflava,

A little word of caution, late night woodworking, lack of sleep, and trying to cut difficult pieces can add up to something unexpected.

If your tired, don't push it. I speak from experience after grazing a cutoff saw with my hand near the end of the day. I was tired and not paying attention and had the horrible experience of being sent to 2 hospitals trying to find a plastic surgeon on duty to sew my hand back up. After 2 months it was usable again, but it stills feels sorta numb. (this was almost 20 years ago now!)

Follow Flyfisher's rules:

The two rules I follow is 1. My hands must be away from the blade a safe distance (in case of a slip) and cannot be pulled into the blade if something goes wrong. 2. The blade can not cut into any part of a jig I make to help me make a cut. This brings me to something I missed in the original post. Make yourself some push sticks. A simple one can be made in a matter of minutes and keeps your hands away from the blade.

So please make sure you do it safely.

[asianflava]

If your tired, don't push it.

Who's tired at 1:00? That's just after lunch. Actually I work night shift, have been for almost 10 years. I still keep the same schedule on my days off, maybe I shift it an hour or 2 so that I can get up before noon on weekends.

The problem I have is light, I think I may have fixed that last year when I was doing my engine swap. I installed 2 2 bulb shop lights on both of my garage openers. Then I installed 8 more to replace the other 2 incandescents. I have over 100 ft of light in my garage when I want to. Kinda cool because I don't even need a flash when I take pictures.

[Larry Messaros]

Who's tired at 1:00? That's just after lunch. Actually I work night shift, have been for almost 10 years. I still keep the same schedule on my days off, maybe I shift it an hour or 2 so that I can get up before noon on weekends.

Ah, that's good. Just thought I would add the friendly reminder, but I never thought about the night shift thing.

The problem I have is light.....

Good lighting is definitely one of the more important things in a shop. I currently use 3 - 8 foot fluorescent lights with each one having 2 tubes. I will be adding another 3 more in the near future (as soon as I find a replacement for the ones in my wifes dog grooming shop as she doesn't like the buzzing that comes from the high output ballasts, which are designed to turn on in cold temperatures).

[Guest]

Asianflava,
I've read that Thomas Edison wouldn't sleep when he was really involved in a project, relying on short "catnaps" and I know it works, because I find myself in that situation sometimes.
A few weeks back, a supplier was about a month late getting a shipment to me. I had to play "catch up" to keep from putting other trades behind schedule. It's not fun, but it works. (Part of the joy of self employment)
One nice thing about working at night, there is less interuptions. I do work at a slower pace though, because of the light situation. I'll use portable work lights in a central location, if I'm doing any kind of fabrication. (like around my chop saws and field table)
I wear a modern version of a miner's light on my head while installing.
It has LED bulbs and it takes three AAA batteries and yes it will last way more than all night.

[asianflava]

Asianflava,
I've read that Thomas Edison wouldn't sleep when he was really involved in a project, relying on short "catnaps" and I know it works, because I find myself in that situation sometimes.

That happens sometimes to me too, but I usually chalk it up to my brain being too busy thinking when it is time to sleep.

One nice thing about working at night, there is less interuptions.

Ahh yes, no managers, no supervisors, no engineers no one to interrupt you. You are on your own, as long as your works gets done everyone is happy. Oh yeah, and shift premium is nice too.

[Dave M]

I am surprised to see that no one mentioned using a hand plane? You know they had bevels to cut long before the table saw folks

[asianflava]

Andrew mentioned it in the 3rd post. I don't have one but I have a belt sander.