This versatile jig not only makes tapered legs, it also makes angled cuts on sheet goods as wide as the tablesaw will allow. It consists of a sliding base, fences, and a workpiece support for tapering sheet goods.

The long fence can be used to cut tapers up to 15° on pieces up to 40 in. long. I also have a shorter fence for cutting steeper tapers on shorter pieces.

The fence locks into position with knobs and T-slot bolts that slide in T-tracks. The two hold-down clamps ride in a T-track as well. The sliding stop registers workpieces accurately. (Knobs, T-slot bolts, T-track, and hold-down clamps are available from www.hartvilletool.com.)

The right side of the sliding base features a channel that rides the saw’s rip fence for maximum accuracy. The far side of the saddle is adjustable with slotted holes for the screws, so the jig will slide smoothly over the fence without slop or binding.

To taper a leg, I first adjust the base position using the rip fence so that the jig is right next to the blade. I then mark each end of the workpiece to get the taper I want and line up the marks with the edge of the jig, which is also the cut line of the blade. After that, I move the fence up to the leg blank, butting the bottom of the leg against the stop at the bottom of the fence. Finally, I tighten the hold-downs and make the cut.

When tapering wider pieces, I use a workpiece support that straddles the blade.

Click to enlarge image.

The support is a piece of Baltic-birch plywood the same thickness as the base of the jig, with a sawcut partway through it and a fence attached to the front that I clamp to the saw’s fence rail. I have drawn a line down the center of the support in line with the blade to assist in lining up the workpiece for the cut. With this support I can move the jig as far away from the blade as necessary for cutting wide panels.

Drawings by Jim Richey.

Drawings by Jim Richey

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