I use my Festool TS55, paired with a rail, to rip off the wavy live edges from boards: it”s a safe, fast, easy way to get a straight edge.
Festool TS55 Ready to Rip
I wet the top to look at the sapwood of my air-dried walnut – trying to decide on using it or not. Using the white sapwood would definitely look nice as a contrasting stripe down the middle, and echoed in the legs as well – but ultimately I decide to go more “elegant” and remove the white sap.
Sapwood is White on Air-Dried Walnut
Again – I use the TS55 to rip the sapwood off. The boards are so long, I have to use Festool rail connectors to gang up my 55″ and 106″ rails in order to make a single cut!
Two Festool Rails Connected to Rip
Morton is a furniture designer builder working in Harvard, MA. He reviews tools for Highland Woodworking on YouTube. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter @morton, and his own YouTube channel.