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How do I divide a 1x6 equally to make two 45 degree edge French cleats?

Richard Faltonson
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4 Answers4

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Lots of good information in the other answers, but if your OCD is firing up, set the 45 degree blade to rip a smaller chunk closer to the fence (say, 2.5"), then run the offcut through the saw again at that same fence setting. Easier than math, and accounts for multiple slightly different width boards.

Aloysius Defenestrate
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    Even if you do the geometry of the other answers, your two pieces are going to be at least slightly different in width and you will have resort to employing the concept of this answer, i.e. you need to make to rips. – Ast Pace Aug 13 '17 at 05:43
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    Funny, I don't see any "answers above". Relative positioning references are pointless as there are 3 sorting methods and relative location can change based on sort method and vote count – FreeMan Nov 21 '22 at 18:57
  • Truthfully, I didn’t expect my answer to rise to the top… the earlier answers were perfectly good. – Aloysius Defenestrate Nov 22 '22 at 13:17
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You don't have to divide the board equally to make workable French cleats.

If you need to do multiples that match just pick a fence position that approximately divides the boards you're starting with, write down that setting so you don't forget it, then rip each subsequent one the same as the first. Attach the same wider or narrower piece to the wall each time.

Graphus
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A 1 x 6 will be 3/4" thick. A 45° cut will have an offset of 3/4" for placement. Half of that is 3/8", which will provide for the duplication you seek. Locate the midpoint of the board, move the line by that amount and make your cut. Obviously, you'll want to ensure that your angle is tilted the correct direction. In this case, it's measure twice but also check your triangles, then cut once.

cleat cut

Not to scale, but pretty darn close. The saw blade should be centered on the line in order to balance the kerf material reduction for both sides.

fred_dot_u
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I can't believe that no one gave you an exact answer using math.

The basics of the problem is that you want to set you saw fence to a position that results in the blade perfectly bisecting your board to give you two equal parts.

The two run method (set the fence and cut both pieces to same setting) works but is inefficient and wasteful. You have to make two cuts instead of one and you have an offcut or more sawdust.

The other method does not account for the kerf (width of the blade).

The third answer is correct, all of your French cleats do not have to be the same width. I have two issues with this generic answer. First, you have to remember which cleat is the widest to make all of your hangers with this sized notch if you ever plan on moving them. Additionally, perfectly cutting a board in half doesn't only apply to French cleats.

Now for where to set your fence on your table saw:

Half the width of the board - half the thickness of the board - half the blade kerf.

We could make this a little easier to read by using a few variables instead.

(W - T - K) / 2

For example, lets say you have a 5 inch board of 3/4 Walnut. Then half the width would be 2.5 inches. Half the thickness would be 3/8 (0.375 inches). If your blade kerf (thickness) is 1/8, then 1/16 (0.0625) would be half.

With these numbers, the fence would need to be set at 2 1/16 to cut two perfect halves.

AxGryndr
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    Answers don't always appear in the same order, so referring to "the third answer" is meaningless. – Caleb Nov 21 '22 at 17:09
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    The distance that you have to move the fence to account for the kerf is not half the blade thickness (K); it's (K√2)/2. – Caleb Nov 21 '22 at 17:19