Srip Ripping Setup

Here is my current strip ripping setup. I have an auxillary fence that stops just shy of the blade center. The blade is a 7 1/2" Freud thin kerf saw for a circular saw. The plywood zero clearance insert has a kerf cut on the top side. I glued in a thin strip of maple and tapered the leading edge. it is cut down below the thickness of the boards so a push stick can travel over it.


The maple splitter works really well. I cut the top kerf after I made the initial cut on the zero clearance insert. To line it up correctly, remove the insert and install another insert into your table saw. Turn the other insert over and set it down on the blade using the slot to line it up. Raise the blade as far as it will go and still allow the insert to stay flat on the table. Now bring the fence to the edge of the insert and set it. Lower the blade and set the height to about 1/8th inch or so. replace the insert and cut the groove.

Mill a piece of scrap hardwood to just under the saw kerf thickness and glue it in the top kerf, about an inch in front of the slot. Taper the leading edge and conduct a test cut. if the cut binds against the fence, stop the saw and sand the inside of the splitter until you get a smooth cut. The splitter will keep the free strip from wandering into the back side of the blade and making saw marks.