Power Feeder on a Table Saw

Advice on setting up a power feeder to handle wide and narrow rips with a table saw. June 23, 2006

Question
I would like to put a power feeder on my table saw and leave the feeder in one position. This setup would be used for ripping solid parts and cutting some sheet stock. I will rip stock as narrow as 1-3/8" and sheet stock up to 20-24". My thought is to put the feeder just to the right of the blade and leave it there, but the problem is most feeders have 2" rollers. Can I get narrower wheels that will work well for the small solid parts as well as larger sheet stock? Should I have a splitter and just have 2" wheels straddle the left and right of the blade?

Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor N:
The concern you have about the narrow rips is not a problem if you create an auxiliary fence. We do this with something around an 18 inch piece of ply laying flat on the table. Affix a board at 90 degrees to one end, then clap this to your fence. Note the ply or stock chosen must be less in height than the stock you care to rip.

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From contributor B:
Yes. Great idea. It is always the easiest solutions that work best. That will work perfectly. Thanks for your help!

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From contributor D:
Why not just put the feeder above the blade? Center the blade between the second and third rollers, set the blade height as to almost touch the rollers and there you have it, no auxiliary fence needed. Been doing it that way for years, and you can get rips down to 1/2 inch or smaller with no problems.

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From contributor M:
I use a 6 wheel Steff feeder on my Delta RT40 table saw. I use it for cutting molding blanks. I just removed one of the wheels and keep the blade no more than 1/2" above the work piece. I doubt you'll achieve the 20-24" rip, though. Mine maxes out at about 13".