I often use the sliding table to establish the two first perpendicular faces and even squaring boards when the workpiece width is under the maximum protrusion of the saw bale and shorter than the carriage length. That method enables for the workpiece to be squared into the same cycle but surfaces are not as smooth as only a planer can do. Actually establishing the first square angle replaces the planer-jointer and squaring substitutes for thicknessing.

As rough stocks are most of time twisted I start laying the little face on the sliding table next to the blade, pinched between the two stops of the edging fixture. Typically four millimetres sticking out the carriage are enough to get the first flat face. The regular over blade guard allows for cuts up to 85 mm (3"½ ) and you may also see the transparent angled one enabling for full blade cuts (100 mm, 4") in the small octagon picture all along that paper.

The flat face lays now on the carriage and trimming one edge forms the first right angle. I have got two perpendicular faces as a planer-jointer can do. Hence the workpiece may go through the planer-thicknesser if smooth surfaces are needed or keep on the same cycle.

The rip fence so far used as lateral guard is now reversed in low position and I parallel the two edges with the help of the infeed roller here. You may see in the octagon image that the transparent guard holder which was the power feeder has been replaced with a vertical plate.

After shifting the the rip fence in height position the workpiece goes once again through the saw blade to get a square stock. I usually saw boards that way just before sanding them square and assemble into a stuck panel.

The workpiece may equally get parallel with these methods. Here is another way that sometimes helps for dressing thinner or shorter boards. I added a base to the mortiser hold-down to make it workable on the sliding table and the trimmed stock is pushed along the rip fence extension.