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A lot of the time is setting up the tablesaw. I
raise the blade to about 1/8", using scraps of Baltic birch plywood
as a guide. Since the plywood I use in the box is perpendicular to
the sides, this depth is just a convenient
measure and not related to the thickness of the top/bottom.
I then adjust the rip fence so that edge of
the blade is right at the edge of the blank. I use a thin kerf
blade, so we'll need to make two passes for the rabbit and the dado.
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After the fence is adjusted I add a featherboard.
I also clamp a board (yep, that's mahogany--it was convenient) to the
fence so the blank is held to the table. This helps me keep the
depth of the rabbit/dado constant. I use a second blank behind the
blade to adjust the height of the clamped board.
In the foreground are my two push sticks. I tend to
be pretty chicken, so I use these sticks for just about everything against
the rip fence. |
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Before making the first cut, we need to decide which
side will be the outside and which edge the top. The idea is use the
best side and edge. Sometimes we'll need to pick one or the other--a
good side trumps a good edge. I arrange the piles so that they're
oriented correctly. It's pretty easy to get mixed up when you're
doing 8 at a time.
Once I've arranged the blanks, I start the first cut
on the rabbits.
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Here's the first cut. I didn't have the blade
quite right and left some strings. These will disappear when we sand
the boxes, so I don't worry about them. After a blank goes through
the saw, I keep the orientation in the new pile.
Eight times through the saw, and we've finished the
first cut. |
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Since the blade is not quite thick enough, I move
the fence about 1/32" closer. The featherboard is usually not
too tight, so it doesn't need adjustment. If the top board is not
holding the blanks down well, I'll give it a light tap with a push
stick. You don't want either to be so tight that the board doesn't
smoothly go through the saw. |
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I make a second pass with one of the blanks and check
to see that the Baltic birch will fit. If it does, I finish the rest
of the blanks. |
