Woodworking: Table Saw Essentials

Name: Woodworking: Table Saw Essentials
Rating: 4.6 (71 reviews)

This extensive woodworking course will help you safely and effectively use your Table Saw

Created byGeorge Vondriska

Last updated 11/2019

English

What you'll learn

This instructional course provides you with must-have information for setting up and safely using your table saw.
How to rip and crosscut, set up a stackable dado head, cut rabbets and more.
What differentiates one blade from another and when they should be used.

Course content

1 section • 6 lectures • 1h 37m total length

Getting Comfortable with the Table Saw1:11
Getting Started46:18
Before making any cuts, let's make certain your table saw can do everything you ask it to do. We will look at:
Parallelism between the blade and fence
Getting perfectly square cuts
Calibrating your rip fence and blade height
Choosing the correct blade
Ensuring your blades are sharp, clean and ready to cut
Taking care of your saw
Using the Table Saw20:36
Starting with safety, we’ll take you through how to rip boards, including when to use a push stick and how to position your hands and body. Then we’ll move on to crosscutting techniques, including a great tip for easily crosscutting wide material.
Rabbets require a sacrificial fence, and resawing requires the use of a featherboard. This session shows you how to make your own sacrificial fence and how to use it, and how to safely position and use a featherboard.
Thin Rips, Bevels, Cutting Metal14:43
Many woodworking projects call for exceptionally thin pieces, such as edge banding and splines. We’ve got a great approach that allows you to cut these small parts safely, with your guard in place. We’ll also show you how to set perfect angles on your saw blade and miter gauge.
You may not know this, but the table saw provides a great way to cut thin walled non-ferrous metals. This session teaches you about the perfect blade for this work, and how to safely make the cuts.
Dadoes, Rabbets & Grooves14:23
Stackable dado heads are a must-have if you plan on doing joinery on your table saw. This session shows you how to stack the dado head so you don’t chip a tooth, a great trick for setting the height of the dado head, and how to safely cut dadoes.
Making a wide cut doesn’t always mean using a dado head. With proper set up, you can use a standard rip blade to cut custom-sized grooves and rabbets.
Class Summary0:33
A table saw is often the center piece of a shop. Refining and practicing the techniques you’ll learn in this course will make you a better woodworker, and help you create more and better pieces.

Requirements

No, there are not any course requirements or prerequisites for this course.

Description

It’s hard to imagine a woodworking shop that doesn’t include a table saw. Whether you’re rough cutting stock to size, taking it to its final dimensions, or doing the joinery required for your woodworking project, a table saw has you covered. This instructional video course, produced in conjunction with the Woodworkers Guild of America, provides you with must-have information for setting up and safely using your table saw.

STARTING OUT

Your table saw won’t be much good to you if you don’t have it set up correctly. You’ve got to check the alignment of the blade to the miter gauge slot and the rip fence, and make sure the saw is cutting at 90-degrees. We’ll show you high- and low-tech methods, so you can choose the approach that works best for you.

It’s important to use the right tool for the job, and this is very true of table saw blades. Alternate top bevel, triple chip grind, flat top grind, hook angle, tooth count….what does it all mean? What differentiates a rip blade from a crosscut blade? You’ll learn exactly what you need to know to make certain you’re always putting the right blade on the saw.

SAFETY

Ripping, crosscutting, or cutting dadoes, you need to make sure you’re safe. This course provides you with safety rules for the table saw, and shows you where to stand, how to position your hands, and how to stay out of harm’s way.

TECHNIQUES

With the saw properly set up and safety techniques at your fingertips, you’re ready to get to work. Woodworkers Guild of America Instructor George Vondriska will teach you how to rip and crosscut, set up a stackable dado head, cut rabbets, and even how to cut non-ferrous metal; essential techniques for getting the most out of your saw.

In addition to the detailed video instruction you’ll receive, this course provides you with some downloadable resources and helpful information to print and keep, including: A detailed Class Guide you can follow and use as a reminder for the key points of the class instruction; and a resources document that will help you find the products and elements you’ll see in the course.

Who this course is for:

Woodworkers interested in learning more about working with their table saw