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Tutorial · Tool Skills

How to Use a Table Saw: Setup, Ripping and Crosscutting

Two cuts do most of the work: a rip along the grain, guided by the fence, and a crosscut across it, guided by the miter gauge. Each has its own setup, hand positions and finish. These are the steps SawStop and DEWALT give in their manuals, in the order you do them.

Written by
BenchRoot Editorial
Published
Reading time
4 min
Level
Beginner
Plate —The two basic setups. Rip: the fence guides the work along the grain and a push stick feeds it between blade and fence. Crosscut: the miter gauge carries the work across the grain, with the fence moved clear so the offcut is never trapped.

Setup before switching on

Every time, before the motor starts

  1. Read the manual's set-up pages

    For a saw new to you, the guard, riving knife, fence and insert pages first. The safety guide explains the reasons behind the rules.

  2. Check the guarding system

    Guard, riving knife and anti-kickback pawls on for any cut that goes through the work. DEWALT: inspect them for alignment and clearance with the blade before connecting power, and again after every change of bevel angle.

  3. Check the blade

    Clean, sharp and undamaged, the right one for the cut, teeth pointing the way of rotation. See cleaning and adjusting the blade.

  4. Set the guide for the cut

    Fence locked and parallel for a rip, with the miter gauge off the saw; miter gauge set and the fence moved clear for a crosscut. Never both.

  5. Set the blade height

    SawStop and DEWALT both give about 1/8 in above the top of the work.

  6. Support and space

    Support behind the saw for work longer than about 4 ft (SawStop), level with or slightly below the table (DEWALT); a clear table and floor; nobody standing in line with the blade.

  7. Protect yourself

    Eye and hearing protection; no gloves, loose sleeves or jewellery; long hair tied back. A push stick within reach.

Ripping with the fence

A rip cut

  1. Lock the fence at the width

    Set the width with the fence's scale or a rule, lock it, and remove the miter gauge. For a bevel rip, DEWALT says to put the fence on the side of the blade so that the blade tilts away from the fence and your hands.

  2. Place the work

    Flat on the table and against the fence, about 1 in in front of the blade (DEWALT), with a straight edge against the fence. Never rip warped, twisted or bowed stock.

  3. Stand out of line

    To the side of the blade, never directly behind it.

  4. Start the saw

    Let the blade reach full speed before the work meets it.

  5. Feed steadily

    Push the work at an even pace against the direction of the blade's rotation, keeping it against the table and fence. Apply the force between the blade and the fence, never on the piece that will be cut off. A featherboard can hold the work to the fence.

  6. Hand over to a push stick

    SawStop: when a hand comes within 6 in of the blade, take it off the work and continue with the hand nearer the fence, then a push stick. DEWALT: a push stick when there is 2–6 in between fence and blade; under 2 in, its narrow-rip fence and a push block.

  7. Finish past the blade

    Push the work fully past the blade and the pawls, then turn the saw off. Never pull the work back with the blade turning; leave the offcut until the blade has stopped.

Caution— Small pieces

DEWALT says plainly that it is unsafe to rip small pieces, because it puts hands close to the blade: rip the part from a larger piece instead. If the blade jams, DEWALT's manual says to turn the saw off and unplug it before clearing the jam.

Crosscutting with the miter gauge

A crosscut

  1. Clear the fence

    Remove the rip fence, or move it well away from the work; for repeated lengths use a clearance block, as miter gauges describes.

  2. Set the gauge

    In the slot for the cut — for a bevel, not the slot the blade tilts toward — at the angle you need.

  3. Line up the cut

    Hold the work firmly against the gauge, lined up with the path of the blade, an inch or so in front of it. Keep both hands away from the blade and its path.

  4. Start the saw and push through

    Let the blade reach full speed, then push the gauge and work slowly and smoothly through the cut, holding the work flat and against the gauge face.

  5. Clear the cut

    SawStop: shift the work slightly away from the blade before drawing the gauge back. DEWALT: or turn the saw off, let the blade stop and slide the work out. Never touch the cut-off while the blade turns.

For wide boards, small parts and repeat cuts, a crosscut sled carries the work more fully than a gauge. For panels too large to push safely, plan the cuts first — the cut list optimizer lays parts out on sheets — and consider a guided circular saw or track saw for the first cuts, as cutting wood straight describes.

Non-through cuts

Rabbets, grooves and dadoes leave the blade buried in the work, so the guard comes off. Fit the riving knife where your saw's manual allows it, hold the work with featherboards, take deep cuts in several passes and refit the guard as soon as the cut is done. Dado blades covers the setup in full.

Setup before switching on

  • Guard, riving knife and pawls on, or removed only as the manual allows for this cut
  • One guide only: the fence for a rip, the miter gauge for a crosscut
  • Blade about 1/8 in above the work, or as your manual sets it
  • Work flat and straight-edged, support ready for long pieces
  • Push stick and push block within reach
  • Body out of line with the blade; eyes and ears protected

Sources

Steps follow SawStop's and DEWALT's manuals for their saws, which agree on the essentials and differ in some figures, noted where they do. Your saw's manual controls.

  1. 1.

    Owner's Manual, 10" Professional Cabinet Saw, Model PCS31230. SawStop.

    Used for: The rip and crosscut procedures for the Professional Cabinet Saw: blade about 1/8 in above the work; rip fence for rips, miter gauge for crosscuts, the fence clear of the work; hands at least 6 in from the blade, then a push stick; a featherboard to hold the work to the fence; support past about 4 ft; shifting the work away from the blade before drawing the gauge back; not touching the cut-off until the blade stops.

  2. 2.

    DWE7491 10" (254 mm) Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.

    Used for: DEWALT's ripping and crosscutting steps: fence locked and the miter gauge removed for rips; blade about 1/8 in (3.2 mm) above the work; work held flat and against the fence, starting about 1 in from the blade; a push stick with 2–6 in between fence and blade and the narrow-rip fence and push block at 2 in or less; for bevel rips, the fence on the side the blade tilts away from; ripping small parts from a larger piece; never pulling the work back with the blade turning; the rip fence removed for crosscuts; work support level with or slightly below the table.

  3. 3.

    DWE7485 8-1/4" (210 mm) Compact Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.

    Used for: Standing out of line with the blade; feeding against the direction of rotation; never the fence and miter gauge together; feeding at an even pace, and switching off and unplugging to clear a jam.

About this tutorial

Written by BenchRoot Editorial. How BenchRoot sources, checks and corrects its pages is set out in the Editorial Policy. If something here is wrong or unclear, the contact page explains how to tell us.

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