Well I attempted ripping down 2x6's into 1 inch strips for my screen wall (typical duct liner and GOM covering).

DISASTER! I found out I am terrible at keeping the 2x6 steady as I push it into my table saw, starts binding the blade after about 1 1/2 feet (and the 2x6's are 8 feet long). I picked the straightest ones I could find but they are still not perfectly straight

Any woodworking tips on ripping these 2x6's into one inch furring strips (I've already ruined one 2x6).

Thanks

The quick answer is DON'T.

As has been noted here in other threads recently, lumber ripped into narrower widths will almost *ALWAYS* warp once it's cut. The stresses in the wood after cutting make it warp very quickly and you'll find it unuseable in short order.

You're better off buying kiln-dried wood at the correct thickness.

-drin

Just as a thought - when you setup the fence on your saw, are you kicking the 'back end' of the fence away from the blade (maybe about 1/16 in or so) before locking it down? That's what I do with long cuts, so that the fence isn't pushing the material back towards the blade at the backside causing binding. The measurement for the cut happens more at the front of the blade than the back, and you only lose a little more kerf.....

And remember to always use a 'pusher' stick of some sort to keep your fingers safe!

Hope this may help

I cut a whole bunch from 2x6's

You need two key pieces of equipment.

A push stick and a featherboard.

http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-10-005-Feather-Loc-Featherboard/dp/B000051WS9

Use the feather board to keep the stock against the fence.

Don't try to cut a one inch strip, cut one inch off of the 6 inch board. You can set the fence then cut a stack of boards, Then reposition the fence and cut another inch off. The last cut will be splitting a narrow board. One piece will be waste.

Is the blade sharp?

"You need two key pieces of equipment.

A push stick and a featherboard."


Push stick, featherboard, and a shim. After I get about a foot through the blade, I shove a shim in the cut part to keep the slot from closing up and binding the blade.
I would only cut down a 2x for furring strips in a pinch (it's 2a.m. and Big orange is closed). Otherwise, it's not worth the frustration.

Make sure the blade is sharp and square along with using a featherboard if you really want to keep at it. I would just buy lumber of the correct size from a place that deals with contractors instead of the box stores.

You are all asking to have a board kickback into you! You NEVER cut ANYTHING on a table saw that doesn't have a perfectly straight edge to place against the fence. You also should have a spreader on your table saw to keep the wood from binding back on the blade (sticking a shim in the wood after the first foot is not safe). Use featherboards and a push stick to then actually perform the cut. Table saws are unforgiving beasts!!!

The only "SAFE" way to do this is to either use a circular saw and a straight edge to rip the board first or use jointer to put a straight edge on the board. Once you have a straight edge, it will be easy sailing.

It might take more time and a little more money but the trip to the emergency room is a little more expensive and permanent than the few bucks you tried to save.

You are all asking to have a board kickback into you! You NEVER cut ANYTHING on a table saw that doesn't have a perfectly straight edge to place against the fence. You also should have a spreader on your table saw to keep the wood from binding back on the blade (sticking a shim in the wood after the first foot is not safe). Use featherboards and a push stick to then actually perform the cut. Table saws are unforgiving beasts!!!

The only "SAFE" way to do this is to either use a circular saw and a straight edge to rip the board first or use jointer to put a straight edge on the board. Once you have a straight edge, it will be easy sailing.

It might take more time and a little more money but the trip to the emergency room is a little more expensive and permanent than the few bucks you tried to save.

This is entirely correct. I would also add that, even after following this advice, you stand slightly to the side while sawing, such that the wood being sawn isn't directly in front of you. Despite all precautions, wood does occasionally kick back and it's best if it doesn't pass through you! This months Fine Woodworking has a photo of a glue bottle neatly transfixed by a thin strip of wood which kicked back. The bottle was ten feet away. All woodworkers know uglier stories...

Sounds to me like your fence isn't straight and is pushing the wood sideways into the blade. Either that, or your blade is crooked and not squared with the table anymore.

You should only rip the firring strips you plan to use that day or MAYBE the next day. Once you rip them on the saw, they will begin to warp. If you rip a bunch all at once, then they will start out OK but then dry faster and become more warped as you go. If they are newly ripped, then they are easier to manipulate when attaching to the wall.

Try to find a 12' 2X2!

I took two 12' 2X6s and ripped 2X2s out them no problem. If you want perfectly straight material for a screen frame, use MDF, not lumber.

Tom

When I ripped my furring strips, I had a blade binding problem too due to a dull blade. I replaced it with a nice diablo blade and it was like a hot knife through butter.

Good luck.

Here is a safety kit with the feather boards and the push stick. Feather board kit (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11070)

The Rockler Feather board is nicer, better quality and cost less then the Bench Dog product. I have both and prefer the Rockler.

You're better off buying kiln-dried wood at the correct thickness.

-drin

So how does one identify kiln-dried wood? Is this something I can find at HD or Lowes? I've looked but can't find it. As you may have seen in my thread on this topic below, I'm having the same problem. I can't find any appropriate wood so far that won't warp.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=830507

Guy

Most of the wood at the big box stores is kiln dried. The process is much faster than letting the moisture evaporate from the wood naturally (air dried). "kiln dried" will be stamped on the end of the board, stamped on the side or, at the very least, on the tag stapled to the end.
It boils down to this, avoid the hassle of kickback, binding, and everything else by buying the correct dimensional lumber for your project. Considering the amount your spending on the entire project, is the savings of a few cents worth the problems?

Most of the wood at the big box stores is kiln dried. The process is much faster than letting the moisture evaporate from the wood naturally (air dried). "kiln dried" will be stamped on the end of the board, stamped on the side or, at the very least, on the tag stapled to the end.
It boils down to this, avoid the hassle of kickback, binding, and everything else by buying the correct dimensional lumber for your project. Considering the amount your spending on the entire project, is the savings of a few cents worth the problems?

I would love to buy the correct size of wood to avoid having to rip, but I am striking out finding something that is exactly 1" to match the 1" Linacoustic I'm using. Note I need wood that is exactly 1" (not 3/4" like 1x material). If I could buy wood that was 1" x 1" or even 1" by 1.5" I'd do it in a heartbeat. I spent a whole morning at HD and Lowes and came up empty handed, so I'm open to suggestions.

Guy

I would love to buy the correct size of wood to avoid having to rip, but I am striking out finding something that is exactly 1" to match the 1" Linacoustic I'm using. Note I need wood that is exactly 1" (not 3/4" like 1x material). If I could buy wood that was 1" x 1" or even 1" by 1.5" I'd do it in a heartbeat. I spent a whole morning at HD and Lowes and came up empty handed, so I'm open to suggestions.

Guy

Go to a harwood suppiler and get 4/4 (four quarter) pine s4s. It is surfaced on 4 sides and planed down to 13/16". Thick enough for linacoustics.

I would love to buy the correct size of wood to avoid having to rip, but I am striking out finding something that is exactly 1" to match the 1" Linacoustic I'm using. Note I need wood that is exactly 1" (not 3/4" like 1x material). If I could buy wood that was 1" x 1" or even 1" by 1.5" I'd do it in a heartbeat. I spent a whole morning at HD and Lowes and came up empty handed, so I'm open to suggestions.

Guy

Home Depot has corner boards. I would safely assume Lowes has them too.

Corner boards are 5/4" (1" exactly as you know measurements are always off these days) x 4" (or 3.75"ish). Larger widths are also available.

I still choose to rip them in half but you may not if you want to just spend more money and use them in the original width.

Should be about 5 dollars for an 8 foot board.

I used 1/2" plywood. I know 1/2" plywood is slightly less the 1/2", something line 7/16" or 15/32". I ripped them into strips 2" wide and then laminated two together. The result was a piece of material that was almost 1" x 2" and being plywood was less likely to warp. Lots of work but the end product was worth the effort. The strops worked great with the Linacoustic.

Home Depot has corner boards. I would safely assume Lowes has them too.

Corner boards are 5/4" (1" exactly as you know measurements are always off these days) x 4" (or 3.75"ish). Larger widths are also available.

I still choose to rip them in half but you may not if you want to just spend more money and use them in the original width.

Should be about 5 dollars for an 8 foot board.

OK, that sounds like a good possiblity. What are corner boards and any idea where I should look in HD? Are they usually with the trim, the 1x boards, the decking, etc? Are corner boards for external use or internal?

The more details you can give me the better, so maybe I can find them.

Thanks,
Guy

Guy - I had a hard time finding them at first and nobody at HD usually knows what they actually sell in the store...so with that said - they are located with the various widths of pine, cedar, oak section with the 1x's.

Corner boards are usually used on the exterior of a house at corners of the house. They are pine boards. You will want to look very carefully at each tag on that isle at HD. You should find a tag for corner boards or 5/4"x4"x8'.

Good luck.

You can also get 5/4 White Primed Lumber in various widths that they use for exterior window construction. You usually can't miss in in HD its in 16' lengths and what I used for my prcenium panels.

How about brick moulding? I thought it might be a great alternative to firring strips if you are doing removable panels. If I recall correctly, it is 5/4" x 1.5" and comes in 8 or 10 foot lengths. You can buy it in wood or PVC. The PVC is soft and you can nail through it easily. It does have a routed corner on one side. You can put that edge on the outside for a slight bevel edge or hide it on the inside while making panels.

What is brick moulding? It is trim that is used around a window on the exterior of the house. You can find it in the wood trim area. I think Lowes sold it in full length pieces and HD sold it by the foot. If I recall correctly, the by the foot price was surprisingly cheaper.