Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by Kev I'm noticing a lot more people (many well known YT creators) cutting rough widths on large stock at the miter saw. Of course they would edit out any mistakes, right? I've alway been taught that it's best to do this with a jig saw for safety reasons. And, yes, I've taken this shortcut in the past and had the saw "jump" on me.. Is this people just being lazy or am I missing something? I currently have my youngest son in the shop for a few days (project for him) and we had some large stock to break down. Since my "teaching" hat is on, I have him cutting to rough length with the jigsaw and than rough ripping at the band saw. Thoughts?? Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old form by Mel Jigsaw always for rough breakdown. I don't even own a miter saw Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by Kev I do know that I had a great conversation with my son on this topic.. Was glad to know that he was into doing more research on things rather than just believing what you see on YouTube! Thanks for the input! Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by Coop I’m sure the hammers going to come down on this one but, on most pieces, large and small widths, I use the circ saw. Don’t tell your son! On thicker pieces, I make multiple passes with the correct support and am always cautious of kickback. I have a miter saw but no miter saw station. I use my ms for multiple cuts and for trim. Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by Kev I don't see a circular saw as the same in this instance as the miter saw. With the miter saw, your off hand is usually supporting the work then therefor vulnerable to being in the line of fire if manure hits the oscillator. Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by Coop I know and, I really need to quit being so lazy and change my bad and dangerous habits. The last instance I speak of was cutting to rough lengths a 22” wide X 92” long X 2” thick slab of walnut. I also trimmed off a lot of sap wood/bark using the same method. I did it in the yard on the grass and was aware of where my right leg was at all times. Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old form by Keggers I guess I'm in the minority here because I have always used my miter saw to break down rough stock with few exceptions. I always clamp down the left side of the board and keep my left hand well out of the way. I'm not suggesting anyone do things my way nor do I plan to defend my practice, but it's worked well for me for the last ten years. I can see the benefit of breaking down boards with a jig saw but with the volume of wood I run through my shop it's not practical for me to do it that way. Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by Kev To each his own. Your shop, your flow, your business. But, if you're in the profession of teaching this stuff, you should probably teach the safe methods if for no other reason than liability. Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by tmize I’m a jigsaw user also mainly because I can’t break it down on outfeed table spin around an rip it on the table saw. When I first tried it over my old method it was like a light bulb went off. Why didn’t I ever think of that Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 submitted on the old forum by bushwacked Im curious how much stock is actually getting broken down that a jigsaw is not good. I can say that I used to use a miter saw ... after having a few discussions with kev and others I have switched to a jigsaw now for rough cuts. I have a perfect gap between my outfeed and tablesaw now that I use for clearance on my blade Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 submitted on the old forum by Coop Do you guys use any tind of special jig saw blades? Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by Kev I don't really.. I do like the Festool brands that go with the saw but, have no imperial evidence that they're any better than any other blade. Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted April 1, 2020 Author Share Posted April 1, 2020 Submitted on the old forum by terrymck I use Bosch blades or Piranha (I think the latter are made by Black and Decker) in my jigsaw. But to be honest when breaking down stock by crosscutting I simply use a 22" or 24" hand saw. I have a lot of them and found they are quicker to use, don't jam up or break, don't need any setting up, don't need fancy dust extraction, don't need PPE, don't get kick back and are immediately on hand. When I first saw TWW breaking down stock (on one of his Guild videos) with a jigsaw I thought I would give his method a go but soon reverted back to my traditional method as I wasn't saving any time and found that I spent more time setting up the vac/positioning supports etc. When breaking down plywood or any other sheet good I use my tracksaw. I also use the tracksaw to apply a straight edge on any stock that is straight off the slab and has a wavy/live edge prior to running on the tablesaw. Quote "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." - Epicurus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.