most of my regular viewers know I'm a big proponent of table saw safety but there is one safety rule that I think is overapplied and sometimes viewers of my videos see me breaking this Rule and they wonder how I could be so reckless the fact is breaking this particular rule will make you a better woodworker because your Cuts will be more accurate and your project parts will just fit together better so first I'll show you the rule I'm talking about then I'll show you some specific instances when you may want to break it and I'll explain why doing so will not compromise your safety while using the table saw so here's the rule as many people understand it you should never use your rip fence and your miter gauge together for example if I want to cut say 5 in off the end of this board I can't set my rip fence to 5 in put the board end right up against it and with the miter gauge push it through the cut why not because when this offcut becomes free of the end of the board it's very likely to turn slightly where it can pinch between the blade and the fence and shoot back at you like a cannon so many people teach that you should never use the miter gauge and the rip fence together but that's not what I teach I say you should never use the miter gauge and the rip fence together if you are creating a loose offcut like removing the end of the board but there are exceptions even to that so let me give you some examples that will not only help keep you safe but will make your Cuts more accurate the first is the common technique of burying a data set in a sacrificial fence phase this is a great way to cut rabbits or short tenons on the end of a workpiece because the rip fence acts as a reference so you can make the same cut over and over on many work pieces with repeatable accuracy but why is it safe well it's because there is no gap between the fence and the blade where something may become trapped however not every Tenon is 3/4 of an inch long or however wide you can make your data set so what if you have to cut a Tenon in multiple passes simply cutting up to a line marked on the workpiece with no reference stop is likely to introduce air such as uneven shoulders and these airs can add up if you have multiple tenance to cut so instead you might set your rip fence as a stop then back the workpiece away and using your miter gauge as a guide begin nibbling away the waist As you move the end toward the blade you know when to stop because the end will hit the fence this ensures that all four shoulders are even and all subsequent tenants you may cut will be two this setup is different from the last one in that you now do have a gap between the fence and the blade so why is it safe because there's no loose offcut being created everything is being turned into sawdust there's nothing to kick back back at you for that same reason you can safely use a rip fence and a miter gauge together to cut Doos not only does the rip fence help you repeatedly locate the Doos on multiple work pieces but it makes the cut more accurate because it prevents the workpiece from shifting during the cut which could lead to Crooked Doos but what if you don't have a DAT set maybe you plan to make double cut tenons this means you cut the cheek with a jig that holds the workpiece on end and you finish the shoulders flat on the saw now you are producing a loose off cut so does this mean you can't use the fence as a stop you can if you do it right and there are two ways to do it you may make a cross cut first leaving the waist piece attached to the board then cut the cheek along the waist piece to Fall Away safely or you may cut the cheek first then attach a sacrificial fence face to your miter gauge and slide that up to your rip fence now it's safe for that waist piece to come loose because you're protecting from both the top and the back the offcut will not kick back towards you as long as you push it past and clear of the blade all these cuts are made more accurate and repeatable by using the rip fence as a reference and they're all safe because they have one thing in common none of these Cuts go all the way through the workpiece you're only cutting Away part of it does this mean you can never use the rip fence as a positive stop when you're making through Cuts not at all you can do it if you use a reference block like this one it's exactly 4 in wide I made it that way for two reasons first it doesn't take a math Wiz to add 4 in to any measurement so you can still use the scale on your rip fence if it's reliable and 4 in will be enough to keep my fence well clear of the offcut so I set the reference block ahead of the blade and when my offcut comes loose it's clear of both the block and the fence just don't be tempted to reach for the off cut before the blade stops a clumsy reach may still bump it toward the blade finally you can add a screw to your reference block which can act as a micro adjuster to fine-tune your Cuts it's not often that you hear me say it's okay to make exceptions to safety rules but there are some specific Cuts where both the rip fence and the miter gauge can be used together and knowing how to do it may add to the accuracy of your next project now here's something else that'll keep you safe and happy in the shop it's just a couple of cuts your ears will be fine right they will be if you have your isotunes Bluetooth earbuds in because you'd already have your ANC certified hearing protection on because you're listening to your favorite music and podcasts and you're supporting a small family business at the same time please use the link below this video to learn more and to show them you support what we do as well
