If you’ve never worked with a table saw before, you may be wondering how to cut the angles at the corners of the baseboard without your blade landing on one of the walls.
The answer is that it’s not hard to do, and hopefully, this guide will help make your next woodworking project easier than ever!
If you want to add a bit of flair to your home, you can use a table saw to cut baseboards and make them look more attractive, especially if they’ve been neglected or damaged over time.
What You’ll Need
- Clamp
- Hammer
- Screwdriver to assemble the stand
- Your table saw
Make sure that everything is securely fastened before you begin using it to prevent table saw kickback.
Assembling the Stand
The first step is to assemble the base of your table saw stand. This will be used to hold the saw itself. You’ll need a pair of C-clamps and a hammer. Simply follow the steps below:
- Attach one clamp across the top, with each arm of the C facing outward at an angle where they cross.
- Attach the second clamp, but with each arm of the C facing inward at an angle where they cross.
- Place a 1”x2″ piece over the top and clamp it to the table saw.
- Attach one end of a 2×4 across the top, and use a hammer and screwdriver to fasten it into place.
- Repeat the process with the other end of the 2×4.
- Attach a 1”x2″ piece of wood across the bottom, and secure it in place.
Now that you have your stand set up, you should test it out. Make sure that everything is firm and stable before you proceed, and ensure that you’ve sharpened the table saw blade.
Mounting Your Table Saw
Mounting your table saw will be different for every saw, but these tips should be useful whether or not your saw has a mobile base or not:
- Attach clamps to the top of your saw’s stand.
- Align the front of your saw with the clamps.
- Lift up the back end and slide it forward toward the front of the stand until it is securely fastened into place.
How to Use a Table Saw to Cut Baseboards
Now that your table saw is set up, it’s time to cut some baseboards. It should be relatively easy if you’re using a saw with a mobile base. If your saw has a fixed base, you’ll have to improvise.
- Start by marking the size of the baseboard that you want to cut on the inside of your wood stack. This will make it much easier to cut the baseboard. Simply line up an edge from one end of the wood stack with an edge from the other end, and make a mark with your pencil. Then measure out exactly four inches, marking across both ends of the board.
- Take your saw and cut through all four pieces of wood along both edges. You may want to use a piece of scrap wood as a guide to keeping everything straight and even as you go along.
- Cut all the way through the baseboard.
- Make a final cut on the outside of the board, along both edges, to make certain that it’s perfectly square.
How Do You Cut Baseboard Angles on a Table Saw?
If you plan to cut baseboard angles on a table saw, a simple method will make it easier and save you some time.
Most table saws have an auxiliary fence rail which is used to align the blade with the workpiece.
To use this, clamp the rail in place to the top of your workpiece and secure both ends of its arm with clamps. Then set your table saw blade height so that it will just pass through the auxiliary fence arm.
Using a 2×4, clamp it to the table saw fence. Move the blade up or down one tooth and clamp it again. The last thing you want to do is accidentally slide the blade all the way up or down the track while cutting your angle.
Then move your workpiece over so that it is flush against the auxiliary fence rail. Clamp the bottom of your workpiece to the rail.
Now, you can set your blade to its highest position and cut your baseboard angles. Using this method and keeping the blade high will get a cleaner cut.
If you clamp down too far or move it up or down, the piece can slip off or be forced out of position so that there are gaps between the clamps and the workpiece.