Cross-cutting on the table saw can be one of the most dangerous types of cuts you will be making while building your guitar. Most table saws come with a miter gauge for this purpose but they are inaccurate and unsafe. A better solution is a cross-cut box.
Cross-cut boxes are way safer than a miter gauge because of the long fence supporting the stock on both sides of the blade that keeps the piece in place as you cut. This greatly reduces the possibility of kick-back, and trust me, kick-back on a 3HP saw will scare the hell out of you at the very least and can result in injury.
You an make a cross-cut box easily and with few materials. A piece of 1/2″ plywood, a couple of 1-1/2″ pieces of hardwood, and a pair of stable runners for the slots in surface of your saw, and you are on your way.
For the runners, I use UHMW which is a high molecular weight plastic but any stable material will do. Do not use wood for the runners. The wood will expand and contract with humidity and will either bind or wobble in the slots.
A free set of drawings are available for members for the cross-cut box pictured above. Visit the Member Benefits Page and sign up.
