hey brent,
i didn’t tell you this, but… you can make your own zero clearance throat plate from plywood, usually 1/2″ thick stuff does the trick.
rip some plywood 1/16″ or 1/8″ wider than your original throat plate. trace profile onto plywood, cut off radiused oval ends at bandsaw or use jig saw, or chop saw set to 45 deg. double stick tape or hot melt glue original plate to plywood. stick a top bearing pattern following router bit into your router table and carefully route the new plywood piece keeping bearing on the original. separate the two.
figure out where the metal “lips” are that support the throat. drill through plywood at those locations, with say a 1/4″ dia. drill bit. chamfer top of holes with countersink. drive 3/8″ long hex socket set screws into the chamfered top holes.
take blade off saw, replace with just one 8″ dia outside chipper blade from dado set. put plywood plate in tablesaw’s top. use long 2 X 4 to hold plate down. start up saw, raise blade into plate and maybe into 2 X 4. (better than raising it through your hand).
shut off saw take out new plate, replace blade with the regular 10″ and start saw raise blade all the way up, still use 2 X 4 to hold plate down. shut off saw, lower blade, take out plate.
rip real thin piece of hardwood, test fit in kerf of new throat plate. when you get a piece thin enough for just a friction fit, glue it in place. after glue dries, cures try ripping with your new splitter. sand thinner if necessary.
same concept works for dado set, minus the splitter part. you can have separate plates for 1/4″ wide dados, 1/2″ 3/4″, etc.
Replies
Use a top bearing router bit , screw the original to an oversized blank, rout the edges. You can make a dozen in an hour.Another tip, if you have problem getting insert to sit flush, put a small bead of silicon on the metal ledge. Let dry completely, then screw insert down until flush. The silicon bead does not adhere, justs forms a cushion that will deform when screwing down throat plate.Make a separate throat plate for dadoes. Make the plate high in the middle. Usually 1/16" to 1/8" higher in a gently curved form. The high spot is at the blade center. This assures the dado is consistent depth thru the length of the board. Especially handy when dadoing boards that are not perfectly flat in their length.
mike
Has anyone used 1/2" MDF for making inserts? Its such a stable material, I was wondering if it would be better than plywood? Home Depot sells 2'x4' pieces for around $6. You can make a bunch of inserts from it. How wide should the opening be in an insert that is to be used for angled cuts?
Thanks,
B.O.B.
As every one else said, but go hit the trash bin of a solid surface counter top place and get some 1/2" corian etc. much better....
After reading this post about about inserts, I talk a friend of mine into giving up some of his scrap pieces of Corian for a few new inserts. I have a few questions about this stuff though. Do I treat it just like wood? Do I need to make the first cut with some sort of other blade? Besides like an 8" one. Would you run your dado blade up through this?
Thanks Tous
Corian is basically a plastic(resin) compound but it cuts like wood. Zodiac has actual quartz chips in it, but they fracture when cut.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
I use MDF for tablesaw inserts, i find it more stable for many shop jigs than plywood. As for how wide the insert should be for angled cuts, the only thing that is passing through that gap is the blade, no extra clearance is needed on either side of the blade. Lower your blade all the way, set it to the angle you want, and with your insert held firmly in place (NOT with your hand!) raise the spinning blade through it. If you don't want to have to change the insert when you change angles, do the same thing with the blade at 90 deg. and pare out the waste in between the two kerfs. There's your width.
Jesse David
Thanks JD,
I thought it was pretty stable. You are right about the angled cut insert, that makes perfect sense. Just remove the excess material between the 45 degree and 90 degree cuts. I guess I'll go out and buy that piece of MDF, maybe a couple, I can use some jigs.
B.O.B.
I also like to include the small pin at the bottom of the back edge to prevent the possibility of the blade lifting the insert during use. As the pin is very near the bottom surface of the insert, I first build up the area with a glued on patch, then drill the hole for the pin. An alternative approach is to make the insert from 3/4" stock, then rabbit the underside of the insert where the insert will rest on the table's tabs.
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