# Cutting staves on a tablesaw



## JTTHECLOCKMAN (Dec 31, 2011)

I would like to see some jigs used to cut small thin staves on a tablesaw safely. Does anyone here do this and do you have photos of your jig and a brief explanation how it works. Thanks​


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Stave is a little vague. What are you building?. If you are just making bucket parts I would just rip them on a table saw and use a push stick to keep my fingers away from the blade. If you are making a barrel where the stave is wider in the middle than the ends I would cut them on a band saw.


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## JTTHECLOCKMAN (Dec 31, 2011)

Making pens. Thus the small staves. Thus the need for a jig. Straight pieces, no curves and no compound cuts. Just plain staves. When done I will wind up with a 1" round blank.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

Use a band saw.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

JTTHECLOCKMAN said:


> Making pens. Thus the small staves. Thus the need for a jig. Straight pieces, no curves and no compound cuts. Just plain staves. When done I will wind up with a 1" round blank.


That sounds like a real tough one. I don't know how many pieces per pen you have in mind. I'm picturing about a dozen pieces cut on a angle, pie shaped, looking at them from the end. If you have a lot of them to make I believe I would make a table saw sled with a stop. You would just take a thin piece of wood run the edge first to get the angle then turn the board over slide it up to the stop and cut your part. You would have to retrieve your part before you bring the sled back. Then repeat the process until your blank is too small it width to safely hold. You would need a blade that was very sharp and keep the elevation to where it barely cuts through the wood. For safety reasons I would not stay at that for very long at a time. It's small tedious parts and monotonous. You will get tired quick and end up reaching for a part while you are pulling the sled back. If you are setting up in production I believe I would rig compressed air to blow the part off the sled when it gets past the blade. That way there is no reaching.


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