I’ve been try to clamp a long board and then rip it with my Skil Saw but it’s always sketchy at the end when there is minimal material left. Thanks So Much, Dan
Discover a concrete-free foundation option that doesn't require any digging.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
If it has to be that accurate, I suppose a shoot board would help steady the saw and give you as perfect a cut as your 12 ft. shoot board could give.
For tapers say for sleeper, I chalk a line and rip by eye. Placing another 2x6 next to the one I'm ripping gives a place for the saw base to go.
Ahhk! this should go to Dan - no way to quit in the new improved BT.
Like Calvin said, give the saw foot a place to ride by placing another 2x next to it.
Back to the original question - how to taper a 2x6x12'. The answer depends upon how "perfect" the taper needs to be.
1) Chalk and rip by hand, perhaps with a second 2x next to it for saw foot support.
2) Shooting board - 2nd best.
3) Start with a second piece of 1x material - this piece must have 1 straight edge. 1x must be as long or preferrably longer than the piece you want to cut on a taper; 1x must be as wide or wider than the piece you want to cut on a taper. 1) Rip the 1x on a table saw to parallel with the known straight edge of the 1x.- do not move table saw fence after ripping the 1x. 2) tack your 2x ontop of the 1x at the desired taper (2x will be sitting at some angle to the 1x) 3) using the 1x as a guide against the table saw fence, rip the 2x on your table saw. This will yield an excellent cut on the 2x.
#3 can be readily converted to a fixture / jig for multiple cuts. A recent project required 30 or so tapered 2x4's to apply to the top edge of 2x12's to provide pitch for an EPDM roof. Tapers were 3" to 0" over 12'. Made one of these and ripped, 15 - 2x4's, twice each - measure once, cut 30 pieces - done.
Jim
Yeah, if I had a TS available, and wanted a precision cut, I'd do your #3, only use a piece of plywood if I could find one long enough.
12 foot taper kind of rules plywood out.
I use finger-jointed and primed 1x stock - available out to 16'. Generally pretty darned straight to start with.....
Jim
You can also improve your method by using a shooting board longer than the material being cut and laying the works on a surface so some scraps can be used to support the saw base as it goes past the board's end and your saw won't be the wiser.
The downside to shooting boards with typical framing lumber is they don't allow for the crowns and your tapers are shy the thickness of the crown.
mike's suggestion is best, i
mike's suggestion is best, i would probably chalk the line, set saw about 1-3/4 deep, throw down a few pieces of foam board (at least as long as board), put 2x on top, and cut away. this way both parts are supported all the way to the end of the cut.
Stop your cut when you get to the point where you can't guide it steadily anymore, and finsh the cut with a hand plane.
Or a portable power planer. I used to doubt the usefulness of a PPP, until I got one and started using it more all the time. With a little experience, it's amazing what good quality they can give, and they are fast.
For the best quality of a large number of rips such as tapered redwood rips under a roof deck for a trellis. I hand pick two very straight 2x6 boards and true them up on the table saw with an 8' fence. Then put a shim between them on one end the amount of the rip you want (say ripping 1/8" per foot over 11') leaving as much of the original board in tact as possible. Then this tappered board has a piece of ply attached to the buttt end to support the boards to be ripped. Saw is reset and a board to be ripped is set alongside the tappered board and the works run through. This also allows you to see how straight each board is before it's ripped. Any with a crown are cut so they are in contact with the tappered jig at the point where it goes through the blade so the taper is correct once they are screwed down flat.
If I remember right it was something like 4 hours to build the jig and get good rips on 50 ten footers.
Having said that, if the wood will sit flat a good quality track saw such as the Festol can cut down to a sliver with a great quality surface finish. On a good quality ply or material that's been flattened/straightened this would be feasible, but the tablesaw works well for most building tasks. I have tapered bed posts with the Festol because surface finish was important with good results.
i just join two of my EZ guides together and rip away..
16' rip
Where in the world would you find a table saw with an 8' fence?
If such a thing does exist, who would have one on a construction site?
I was thinkin' that 8' fence
I was thinkin' that 8' fence could sometimes be very useful on my site, but quit thinkin' about it when it came to transportation issues. :^)
Jim
Now that you mention it, an 8' fence could be very useful on a construction site if it were long enough to close off the entrance so thieves can't get in. :)