I need to cut 450 pieces of fillet battens from 50x50 (2"x2") square rough-sawn stock. The local millwork wasn't able to provide them as they have in the past, so I need to cut them myself. I have setup feather boards on a small table saw to do this, but because the stock is rough-sawn, it often binds on the feather boards or rip fence requiring a large amount of force to get it to feed. The blade itself is sharp and is not the cause of the binding.
Does anybody have some tips on what to try? I have to finish this part of the job this week, but at my current production rate, it is going to take me 5 days to just cut the battens.
Because of the remote location (in rural New Zealand), ordering any special-purpose items will take 2 to 3 weeks to arrive. I do have access to a local DIY places (Bunnings, etc) if I drive an hour.
Here is the featherboard setup with a 50x50 piece of wood ready to feed through. The blade is at 45 degrees. I've angled the featherboards so that the teeth nearest the blade are the only ones contacting the wood to limit the friction when there are irregularities or slight changes in thickness which engage more of the featherboard teeth.
Here are the two cuts made to the 50x50 stock to create the fillet battens. I held the upper piece on there just for the photo. The bottom piece is in the process of being cut before having to stop due to a power cut.
Here is the final result. Lengths are typically 2.4m (8 feet).
Edit: Note that the upper 2 surfaces need to remain rough-sawn, the long side is the cut side and should be even, but otherwise texture isn't important.
I wonder if I can find slippery tape to put on the rip fence to reduce the friction or maybe find some rollers to install to further reduce friction.
Edit: Tools available
Cut requires cutting depth of 75mm (3").
- Table saw with 254mm (10") blade
- Router
- Track saw (but cutting depth is limited to 55mm)
- Circular saw with 185mm (7.25") blade - not enough cutting depth
Can purchase tools for this if I they are available and cost less than NZ$500.
Solution edit:
The Answer from @Caleb was the most useful as even though the blade wasn't binding, it was causing enough friction to make it very difficult to feed the stock. And I ended up using the paste wax suggested by @FreeMan, between them and the other suggestions, I was able to get the job done. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions!