Why would you want to get rid of the auto feeder? I wish I had one, HUGE safety advantage.

Bill H.

Power feeders are great, for big production jobs, that's what they're made for. I've used them in professional shops.

For the amount of strips needed for one boat they are overkill. I have one (for sale) which I used to use for cutting strips.

You must have a big expensive saw with a cast iron top. Set-up and take down time is not quick. Clear the decks to pull out the big saw into the middle of the shop. If your shop is small this is major. Been there, done that, no thanks.

I leave my big Delta saw for cutting plywood and making furniture.

I have the smallest Dewalt portable saw DW745, which I highly recommend (DWE7480 newer version) which has a great fence AND a riving knife.

I use a simple set-up with one featherboard over the saw blade. See Photo. I press the board into the fence with my left hand using the rounded end of a push stick as a low friction guide and feed the board with my right hand. Simple set-up and fast.

Dust collector and 6 feed stands with a strip "catcher" table (plywood piece with curbs on feed stands) are used with this saw set-up. Long boards run out front and rear shop doors. In my previous shop I cut a hole in the back wall to feed long boards through as I cut strips.

For most of my strips I precut boards into 3/4" widths and then cut strips from these smaller pieces. This makes handling and cutting strips much easier.

I do this because I've realized the old way, cutting strips off the edge of a big board, creates a lot of imbedded problems.

First, when you go to the lumber yard you're looking for a board near your strip width of 3/4". This limits your choice right away. Then working under that limitation you have to find the color and grain you hope will look good on your boat. You're looking at the edge of the board trying to imagine how the strips will look, since this is the only glimpse of how the wood might be on the finished boat.

Strippers. - It's all about the wood.

When I go to the lumber yard I look at all the wood, different thicknesses, but I focus on the wide face of the boards for color and grain. I look for treasure and inspiration! You know it when you see it!

I can use any board because I will cut the broad face into 3/4" widths, turn these on their sides and cut my strips off this, so the grain and color I see in the lumber yard will reveal all it's glory on the finished boat.

This method gives me more boards to choose from, I see the exact color and grain I want on my boat, and I'm handling small 3/4" thick pieces of wood to cut my final strips from. All good.

And saw set-up is easy, quick and cheap.

Scroll down this page for details on saw set-up. http://www.laughingloon.com/shoptips3.html

Rob