I'm diving into a restoration project and need to saw a strip of wood that's 1/8" thick, 1.5" wide, and 48" long into two widths of 0.75" each. I've dabbled in carpentry but I'm a little new to fine woodworking. What tools should I use for this? Should I go for a table saw, jigsaw, scroll saw, band saw, or just use a straight edge and a razor knife?
3 Answers
If you go with a table saw, consider using a specialized jig designed for making thin strips. Just a note, those jigs are typically for cutting larger pieces down to thinner ones, rather than ripping a thin strip, but they can help with stability.
I'd recommend sticking with the table saw, but make sure to use multiple feather boards to keep the strip secure and aligned. Just a heads-up, you might end up with slightly less than 0.75" strips depending on the type of blade you use.
Using a bandsaw is probably your best bet here! It's safer for cutting such thin strips and will minimize the loss of material from the kerf. The table saw could be risky since cutting it down the middle might not end well.