1 hour ago, Artie said:

Stick, thank you so much! This is the stuff I got no idea about! I figured the minimum the blade was above the cut, the safer I was. I will be doing some cutting tomorrow, so I will do that.  Thank you again (and I will happily take all the advice you choose to send my way!).

I like roughly half of the gullet showing at TDC which is usually at around 3/8'' of exposure... maybe a fuzz more...

many like 1/8 ~ 3/16'' of blade body showing under the tooth at TDC...

too shallow and the material could climb up on the blade.. - now we're in the realm of kickback...

as a side note.. hook angle and type of blade matters here too...

Edited September 16, 20188 yr by Stick486

you have riving knife on your saw???

Looking good Artie.  Nice fit on the joints.

9 hours ago, Stick486 said:

you have riving knife on your saw???

YES! I have only made one cut with out the roving knife, and blade guard. (They are together on the ShopSmith, I do have just a separate riding knife, but have not used that yet)

7 hours ago, HandyDan said:

Looking good Artie.  Nice fit on the joints.

Nothing the belt sander can’t fix      Thank you

Artie,  the higher the blade is, the easier it is to get kick back. Funny too for I don't ever know if that is true but in my way of thinking , it is. 

17 minutes ago, Smallpatch said:

Artie,  the higher the blade is, the easier it is to get kick back. Funny too for I don't ever know if that is true but in my way of thinking , it is. 

It's actually the opposite Jess. If the blade is set at max height, the force of the blade is pushing the board down on the table, not away from the table. The lower the blade, the potential for kickback is greater as the blade is pushing the material away, or even possibly up.

 

To Artie, you'll get comfortable with your own process's in time, as someone who is starting out it's always a good idea to follow manufacture guidelines. Once you become comfortable and more sure of your machines, you'll set things they way you feel is best. Personally I set my table saw blade pretty high, often times an inch and half or more. Depending on what I'm cutting I'll set it at max height, inches above the material, also a blade guard is necessary, always use them when you can.

I don't use any protection, guards or splitters , just a blade sticking up there so I attribute safety to the low blade.  I don't listen to music or talk to people when I'm using tools in the shop.. Its me against the sharp things in my shop..   So  I would not be a very good teacher would I?

Seems as if everyone has their own, individual way to set the height of the saw blade. For ripping, I'm in the "higher is better" camp. For cross cuts...diferent blade on a different saw...the gullet doesn't quite show above the work. 

Don't ask my reasons, cuz I don't have any. It just works for me.

9 hours ago, Smallpatch said:

So  I would not be a very good teacher would I?

Are you kidding me? To be a fly on the wall in your shop, while you are working. I'd do it for a spell, till my wings got tired!

In other words, I'd love to watch the master clock-man at work!

I will take all the advice I can. I’m not sure I have enough time left on this planet to learn all this just by doing it. I’ll take all the shortcuts I can. This is just something fun for me to do, so safety is the major priority for me. I’ve only done one cut without the riving knife, and maybe 3 without the blade guard. I bought a Sharkguard for the SS, and it’s a huge difference in how much sawdust is there without it. The table saw function is the one that I’m most cautious with. (I almost said scared, but that wouldn’t be accurate) I should probably be more cautious with the band saw, router, jointer (which I’ve yet to use), they just don’t seem as dangerous as the table saw to me. I still have a DeWalt 735 Planer I bought, which hasn’t even been plugged in yet. I really REALLY, need my friends to stop asking me for electrical work, and get some time in the shop.

14 minutes ago, Artie said:

I really REALLY, need my friends to stop asking me for electrical work, and get some time in the shop.

That's right!!!!!

I know how hard it can be to say no Artie, it takes practice.

4 hours ago, Artie said:

I really REALLY, need my friends to stop asking me for electrical work, and get some time in the shop.

Think I saw this somewhere...The clock of life is wound but once. Just sayin'

33 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Think I saw this somewhere...The clock of life is wound but once. Just sayin'

It’s like a perfect storm of busyness. My son got engaged and they bought a house (which has all sorts of things that need attention), and 5 or 6 friends (who have been there for me, so I gotta be there for them). Right now I’m hoping to be free by the new year. Having said that, the manger wil be done on time, or it’s the Lords’ will for it not to be.

So, it was suggested to me that drywall/sheetrock screws are not the best selection for use in fine woodworking (or even my stuff LOL), because of their bugle head. So I bought some modified trusshead screws, and some wood screws. I think I am now a real woodworker, because now I have glass jars with metal screw-on covers, full of screws, in my basement. They don’t have the covers nailed to the joists for easy access like at my Grandfathers, but I haven’t reached that level yet LOL.

Artie, here's a couple different screw options.

http://www.spax.us/products-overview.html

https://www.mcfeelys.com/8-x-3-4-self-drilling-wood-screws-305-stainless-steel-bugle-head-square-drive-qty-100.html

Artie, you said you plan to use pocket holes in your work. You want to be sure that you use the recommended screws for your pocket holes. Course threads for soft woods and fine threads for hardwoods.

14 minutes ago, Artie said:

They don’t have the covers nailed to the joists for easy access like at my Grandfathers,

Man, that brings back memories! My dad must have had a hundred glass jars full of assorted fasteners and whatever, all held to 1x3's with two screws through the lid, and the 1x3 screwed to the bottoms of the joists. Every once in a while, he would flip a board over, catching a jar and knocking it free. Glass tends to shatter when it hits a concrete floor! I learned some interesting words that way!!!

John

BTW, those drywall screws tend to twist the heads off in harder woods. Another good reason to avoid them.

41 minutes ago, It Was Al B said:

Artie, you said you plan to use pocket holes in your work. You want to be sure that you use the recommended screws for your pocket holes. Course threads for soft woods and fine threads for hardwoods.

Al I bought the Kreg Jig, and I bought their screws also. Unless the price difference is vast, and there seems no reason for it, I tend to buy the matching parts. I did read their manual and learned me the part about coarse and fine threads and which woods they recommend them for. What seems to be an unobtainable goal is to have enough time to use the Incra-I-Box jig, and make me a box with finger joints to hold my better treasures from the beach. Ahh well, I guess it’s important to have dreams.

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

Artie, here's a couple different screw options.

http://www.spax.us/products-overview.html

https://www.mcfeelys.com/8-x-3-4-self-drilling-wood-screws-305-stainless-steel-bugle-head-square-drive-qty-100.html

Hi Gene, I thought that the trusshead screws needed a counter bore for proper seating, and wood screws needed a counter sink for proper seating, but that the bugle heads wouldn’t seat properly in either. This is not me arguing (I know it reads that way), but me trying to learn.