Circular saw bench (Rip saw)

Generally used for cutting in line with the grain. As with the panel saw as well as risk from contact with the blade there is also a risk of being struck by an ejected workpiece. A riving knife must be fitted and adjusted to within 8mm of the blade. As well as acting as a back guard this stops the wood from closing up onto the blade and being ejected. The riving knife must be thicker than the plate of the saw but less than the kerf (thickness of cut). A range of riving knifes may be required if different saw blades are used. The take off table should extend so that the distance between the saw blade spindle and the rear edge of the table is at least 1200 mm. It may need to be longer for a tall operator, long enough to prevent any contact with the blade when taking off.

top guard
The top guard should be adjusted to cover the gullet off the blade tooth to prevent the ejection of splinters. When a fence is used it should be positioned with no more than an 18mm overlap of the blade to reduce the risk of ejection.
minimum diameter blade
The minimum diameter of the saw blade used should be 6/10ths that of the maximum size blade that can be fitted. When deep cutting, the blade must be adjusted so that the tooth at the top is completely through the wood. Deep cutting cannot be done in two passes. The saw can be used with a jig to produce fillets.
Push stick
Push sticks should be a minimum of 450mm in length and constructed of sound material, with a bird mouth cut on the end. They should always be used for the last 300mm of a cut.

Stake pointing on a circular saw

Stake pointing on a circular saw

The most efficient way to point stakes (up to eight feet in length) is to use a circular saw with a properly designed and constructed jig.

Information sheets & Circular saw poster

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Updated 2023-05-11