How to Make a Cross Cut With a Table Saw

A cross cut is a cut perpendicular to the grain of the wood. You can use your table saw for crosscutting as well as ripping. Making a cross cut is a relatively simple procedure that can be done by following these steps:

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Take the rip fence off of the saw blade.

2. Put the miter gauge in place. Set it to either zero or 90 degrees, depending on the brand of your saw, and turn the knob to lock it. Some brands use a range from 90 degrees to 30 degrees on the miter gauge, whereas others use a range of 60 degrees to 60 degrees, with zero being the midpoint, so the degree at which you set it will depend on your particular brand.

3. Set your blade to the necessary depth for the piece of wood you will be working with.

4. Turn on the saw and allow it to run a little while in order to reach its maximum speed.

5. Begin to feed the piece of wood onto the blade, gripping the wood with both hands as you do so.

6. Keep the hand farthest from the saw on the wood as you feed it through the saw, while keeping the other hand on the miter gauge knob.

7. Feed the wood through the saw until it is cut through. Turn off the saw, then remove the wood from the table.

Tips & Warnings

• Before sawing the actual workpiece, try experimenting with a piece of scrap wood first. This will help you avoid making mistakes on your real workpiece.
• Do not use the rip fence when making a cross cut, since this could cause kickback and possible injury.
• Keep the wood clear of the saw before turning it on.
• Wait until the blade has completely stopped before you remove the wood from the table.
• Always wear safety goggles and use necessary caution when working with your table saw.