60-minute bookcase

Step 2 Cut boards

In this step, we're going to create our 16 6" x 12" boards.

How you create these boards isn't important. Keeping to the exact specified dimensions isn't necessary either. What is important is that all the boards be identical to fairly tight tolerances. One way to get there is the following procedure for cutting these boards out of a quarter of a 4' x 8' plywood sheet.

First, cut a 12" x 96" plank out of your plywood board. Set the rip fence of your table saw at 12" and pass the board through the saw once. You will only use that plank for this project -- use the remaining 3/4 of that board for something else (or else, build 3 more of these bookcases). (Actually, feel free to adjust this width to your taste).

Next, adjust the rip fence of your table saw to a little bit less than 6". Rotate the plank you just created 90 degrees, and subdivide it into sixteen identical 6" x 12" boards. Remember to pass the last board through the table saw, just to ensure that it's exactly the same size as the others.

Also: always use a push stick when moving wood through the table saw! I don't want to hear no complaints from any of you fingerless whiners. "I used to program computers for a living." "I was an artist" Wah wah wah. Use a push stick.

Comments

[timlawyer]

WARNING - DO NOT USE THE RIP FENCE to make the series of 6inch cuts shown here. Use a miter or cross cut saw guide. The way it is described here, you are essentially cutting off 6inch ends from a long rectangle that is perpendicular to the saw blade. DO NOT USE THE RIP FENCE because if the cut off piece pinches between the rip fence and the very back of your saw blade - THE 6inch CUT OFF WILL FLY BACK AT YOU AT OVER 100MPH - ENOUGH TO KILL YOU.

[alanemartin]

A properly equipped table saw should have a splitter behind the blade to help prevent this very issue. And most miter saws don't have the depth capability to make the 12" cut (only the 12" sliding saws can do it.)

There's no reason to not use the table saw IF you pay attention and use proper safety measures.

Personally, I wouldn't try to cut 6" pieces off the end of an 8' strip of plywood...use the circular saw to cut it into more manageable pieces first (say 2' long), then slice off the smaller pieces.

[smokehill]

This can happen with radial arm saws, too, as I found out the hard way.

On radials, the piece usually shoots out the back, rather than the front, of the saw. While paying not nearly enough attention, I shot a small piece of plywood about twenty feet, almost hitting my partner's head. It made a quite visible dent in the new drywall, and scared the **** out of both of us.

Power saws are downright dangerous, and you have to pay attention.

[Eye Poker]

My first and only kickback mistake with a table saw sent a six inch piece of particle board flying like a ninja star about 150 yards.  Luckily, I was outside and no one was in the way.

[mysterygirl154]

In our shop class there is a huge dent in the blackboard on the other side of the room from when someone did that. It's incredibly lucky that it didn't hit anyone.

[innerbubba]

Tim is right. I live dangerously, but my life is worthless. You should be careful.

[_soapy_]

Better yet, use a handsaw and wear boxing gloves.

[gollihughj]

innerbubba... your life is not worthless... just in this Instructable you have given me hope that I might outfit my "library" wtih shelves that I REALLY need (to get my books out of boxes), in a way that will be attractive and super helpful to me and my family. I'm sure you so many other useful and even valuable things... like attracts like. Be more positive and you will attract more of that to your life! And so it goes and you'll feel and, even, BE an even better person than you already are in little to no time. :)