So one problem I’ve had with cutting the lumber down is waste, not only the kerf but the last few cuts on a board that would get chewed up if I tried to squeeze them out because the blade would grab them and pull the pieces into the throat.
After watching some Youtube videos the other morning I determined what I needed was something called a Zero Tolerance Throat Plate. Of course I didn’t find one available for my little portable Ryobi table saw so left me watching more Youtube videos to learn how to make one. Of course nobody seemed to have a video for making one for this Ryobi.
Engage brain power… we have wood, we have glue, we have…. everything we need to make this Zero Tolerance Throat Plate.
What this piece does is eliminate the gap immediately surrounding the swirling blade of death and allows you to cut thinner strips without fear of them getting snatched. So how do we make this ???
I started with making two little pieces that could slide into the channels on either side of the blade. These are little T slotted channels and made a perfect place to anchor the jib onto the table and keep it aligned with little to no effort.
Next I took a piece of nice smooth wood to make the top of the jig and aligned to the previous guides then glued and nailed it together all the while checking to make sure it would still slide into the channels.
Once that was done I lowered the blade all the way down and slid the jig into place. IT WORKED !!!! With the jig in place I turned on the saw and slowly raised the blade so it would cut from the bottom and clear a perfect slot for the blade to pass through. Once the blade was raised up I slid the jig backwards and forwards slowly to get some clearance on either end.
I forgot the name of the little tiller thing behind the blade but I made that as well and glue it in. This helps to keep the wood you’re cutting from pinching the blade.
So there I was enjoying my new Zero Tolerance Throat Plate for my Ryobi Table Saw…. but then it hit me… Why not make it a Thin Strip Jig as well since we’re constantly cutting down this lumber to make 1/4″ strips for the walls?!?!
So I measured 1/4″ from the blade, drew a line, and glued a straight piece of wood in place to give me a perfect quarter inch cut. Once it was dried I used some wood screws to secure it from underneath.
So it was time to test it. For added safety I used a c-clamp to hold the jig to the bed and then cut down a 2×4 scrap with no problem and even got a nice little 3/16″ strip of waste that was so smooth and thin.
Last night I was able to mow through six boards and cut all my strips with only 2 thin little pieces of waste and a single board that broke because a knot was the full width of the strip and it just fell out leaving me with two shorter strips.
Now I have almost all of the slats I need to work on the back wall of the shop !!!
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