Replies

1. 
   Steinmetz | Jun 20, 2003 04:18am | #1

   Gil, My idea too, I'm working on it Haven't figured how to make it adjustable yet. By adding an auxilary fence to your miter guage and gluing on a strip of coarse sanding belt abrasive, I find the stock refuses to 'creep'.  Stein.

1. 
   gpasewicz | Jun 20, 2003 04:23pm | #3

   It didn't work out as I'd hoped.  Clamping the stock to the table lifted the mitre gauge out of its slot.   There are probably ways to get it to work. 

   Cross cut sled would be a good start.  Trouble is, I have a low-end Craftsman table saw.  Not particularly accurate to begin with.  The miter gauge slots have flanges in them--making sled runners to fit would be difficult.

1. 
   BertJ | Jun 20, 2003 05:57pm | #4

   gj13,

   I was gifted with the same low-end Craftsman table saw and use it daily. With some tweaking it is very accurate. Get a good thin-kerf ATB blade and build a cross-cut sled. Yes, it will work in that stupid excuse for a miter gauge slot! Just make the runners so they are snug but still slide OK. I used hardwood and every so often I wax the runners. Works great!

   BJ

1. 
   gpasewicz | Jun 20, 2003 06:10pm | #6

   With that vote of optimism, Bert, I'll give it another shot and try to build a cross cut sled.   And I suppose it's not fair on my part to call it inaccurate.  I've cut accurate miters that only needed a little shaving with a block plane. 

   I'd like to come up with a zero clearance plate. 

1. 
   BertJ | Jun 20, 2003 06:23pm | #7

   gj13,

   With the sled you don't really need a zero clearance insert. The sled does that for you. Here's what I did. I bulit the sled using 1/2-inch baltic birch, with a stout hardwood cross piece a-la Tage Frid's model. I put my dado blade in the saw and SLOWLY raised the blade through the sled. I pushed the sled through the cross-piece and created the zero-clearance dado slot.

   Then I cut a new piece of 1/4-inch baltic birch to match the dimensions of the top of the sled--but only up to the cross piece. Using small screws I made pilot holes and countersank the screws to hold the 1/4-inch piece on top of the 1/2-inch sled. Now I used my thin-kerf blade and raised it up into the piece, much like I did with the dado blade. The sled now works for both cross-cut and dado work. Just remove the top piece when you want to do dados.

   BJ

2. 
   gpasewicz | Jun 20, 2003 07:58pm | #8

   Did the runners attach directly to the sled, or did you have to add a spacer to get past the flanges in the slot?

   Sorry for my density.

3. 
   BertJ | Jun 20, 2003 09:09pm | #9

   gj13,

   I crafted runners that look like an inverted T. The narrow portion must fit through the slot created by the tabs, and the wider bottom should be made to fit in the miter slot. I ripped two pieces of hardwood to an appropriate length with dimensions slightly  larger than my final measurements. Then I planed them to fit, both in width and depth, for the miter slot. Finally, I routed two rabbits to depth and width to fit through the tabs. I used my router mounted in the table, and used a jig to keep my hands away from the router bit. Hope this helps! I'm available if you have more questions.

   BJ

   P.S. I made the runners tall enough to keep the sled just at the top of the tablesaw. I glued and screwed them to the sled using countersunk screws. Be sure to wax them often.

   PPS. I also eased the edges that fit into the miter slot.

    

   Edited 6/20/2003 2:13:36 PM ET by Bert

   Edited 6/20/2003 2:14:57 PM ET by Bert

4. 
   gpasewicz | Jun 23, 2003 06:11pm | #10

   Given a limited amount of time, I threw together a really simple sled: an hardwood extenstion screwed to the mitre guage with a piece of 1/4" Masonite as the bottom.  Even that very basic jig makes a big improvement.  When time permits I'll add a second runner shaped to fit the slot.

2. 
   Steinmetz | Jun 20, 2003 06:04pm | #5

   Gi, Better try adding the extra piece of wood to extend the width of the miter guage  and contact cement a full length of coarse sanding belt to it. Stein.

2. 
   warrenspahr | Jun 20, 2003 02:20pm | #2

   Have you considered  using a sled instead of a your miter guage? They are simple to construct, more accurate than a miter gauge and can be easily adapted to cut angles.   These are also easily adaptable to toggle clamps to hold the stock tightly against the fence and a variety of other different fixtures.