Replies

1. 
   BArnold | Sep 28, 2004 10:29pm | #1

   Wendy,

   There was a discussion of this last week in thread: 19345.1

   My first step was to make a routing template from 1/2" MDF using the factory throat plate.  It is marked with the location of the levelling screws as well.  I then use the MDF to make the actual inserts I use.  I have made the usual zero-clearance insert for a regular saw blade, two different inserts for dado setup, and a 45* insert.

   Attached below are photos of one of my inserts.  I use 1/2" plywood with levelling screws at the four contact points on my Jet cabinet saw.  I insert the four 1/2" long flat head screws in the bottom of the insert.  This process requires me to put the insert in place, check for level, take it out to make adjustments, reinsert it and check it again.  After a couple of times doing this, I can get the adjustment very close when first inserting the screws so it takes very little time to fine-tune them.

   Regards,

   Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

   ---

   
1. 
   wendy1 | Sep 29, 2004 02:35am | #2

   Hi,

   Thanks Bill for the info. Guess I'm on the right track. All I need now are a few scraps of 1/2 inch plywood.   Nice pics! Yup those are the same screws I used except I used a # 8 countersink and predrilled for the screws. I should have screwed them in from the bottom instead of down through the top. I got the idea from Popular woodworking mag.

   Wendy 

1. 
   dabhunter | Sep 29, 2004 03:09am | #3

   The Wood magazine issue with 100 projects has a page on making a zero clearance insert. They recommended using the original as tthe template and using a  router with a laminate flush-trimming bit. Sounds much easier than the way I've been making them ...Rough cutting on the bandsaw and then sanding to fit, sanding to fit, sanding to fit, sanding to fit...etc.

   I made mine from Oak but plywood would be more stable.

   Bill DeBender

2. 
   CharlieD | Sep 29, 2004 03:35am | #4

   I used solid oak so that I could hand plane and scrape for a perfectly flush fit.

   Charlie

   I tell you, we are here to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different. --K Vonnegut
1. 
   pete1021 | Sep 29, 2004 07:42am | #5

   You can buy those white plastic cutting boards from Walmart or similar stores. They are 1/2 inch thick and can be made from your original insert using a bearing straight bit. You can get about four insert from one cutting board. They sell for about 7.00 bucks.

    Pete

   Pete-- Deep in Cajun Country

   One Nation UNDER GOD

   <img src="http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/90/90613/folders/85890/874182movingplane1.gif" width="119" height="41">

    

   Edited 9/29/2004 12:43 am ET by pete1021

1. 
   woodchuckc | Sep 29, 2004 04:26pm | #6

   Yep, that is the route that I took.  I cut pieces of the approximate right size from the cutting board with a bandsaw, then drilled holes for the height adjusting screws using the original insert from my Jet cabinet saw as a template.  I screwed the two together and used a router with a flush cut bearing bit to cut the new insert to the exact size of the original.

   I made several of them - I keep one for a zero clearance insert with my regular saw blade, and have several for use with the common widths I cut with my dado set.

   -Chuck

1. 
   wendy1 | Sep 29, 2004 06:21pm | #7

   Hi,

   How easy is that plastic to cut through using a Jig Saw. I don't own a bandsaw.  What's the best blade to use?   I have a trim router bit so that will make things a bit easier.  What do you use to prevent the insert from lifting up? Some people insert a 1/8 inch piece of hardwood into a 1/8" slot cut in the top of the table insert.  I think it's better to go with an adjustable flat head screw. That way the insert stays nice and snug.

   Wendy

1. 
   woodchuckc | Sep 29, 2004 07:08pm | #8

   Hey Wendy,

   It should be no problem to rough cut the inserts using a jig saw.  The cutting board that I used was made of polyethylene (the opaque white plastic that is pretty soft), so I would suggest using a pretty coarse tooth blade.  I think that if you try to use a fine tooth blade you may generate enough heat to melt the plastic, and you will be doing the final shaping to match the original insert with the router anyway.

   I used allen socket set screws (like you would use to tighten a pully on a shaft, so there is no head) for the height adjusters.  My tablesaw has a splitter behind the blade, so that keeps the back of the insert from lifting up.  Most of the inserts I have made I just leave a little bit extra at the front of the insert, so it is kind of wedged into the tablesaw top.  On the couple that were a little loose I deformed the front edge a little bit so that you have to push it down into the insert opening in the tablesaw top.  I have never had a problem with the inserts lifting out of the top, but there is no reason why you couldn't drill into the sides of the insert and thread in a couple of set screws that you could adjust out so that the insert would be snugly held in the top.

   The plastic insert is soft enough that I didn't even use a tap for the adjusting screws - I just started them in the holes and let them cut their own threads.  That way you don't have to worry about them going out of adjustment, since they are held tightly in their holes.

   Hope this helps!

   -Chuck

3. 
   Kent_F | Sep 30, 2004 08:17pm | #9

   Clearly, there are a lot of ways to do this!

   I used 1/2' birch ply. The orignal throat insert on my TS was a bit loose, so I didn't want to use it as a template. I ripped the ply to the exact width of the throat, sneaking up on a perfect fit. Then I traced the curved ends, cut a little oversize on the bandsaw, and filed it to fit.

   Took about 30 min to make the first one, but now I have a template to rout more zero-clearance, zero-play inserts.

   The 1/2" ply was almost exactly the right thickness. I added  a couple of tape shims to get it perfectly level.

1. 
   BarryR | Oct 01, 2004 12:01am | #10

   I do pretty much what Chuck does, except I use 1/2"  birch ply or MDF, depending on what's in the scrap bin.  I use 8-32 x 3/8" setscrews as levelers, self-tapped into a hole drilled with a #29 bit.  If you tap the hole with a conventional tap, the fit might be so loose the screw might not hold it's position.  My Delta CS stock insert has a pin at the rear to keep the insert from lifiting.  I use a 16d nail inserted into a tight fitting hole, then cut off so it's about 1/2" long.  I've heard horror stories about using an insert without the pin, so I always put one in.  I also drill a 3/4" finger hole to make it easier to remove the insert.  I make several at one time so I always have a blank on hand.  Sometimes I save an insert after long use by filling the slot with Bondo or Minwax High Performance filler (same stuff - polyester resin) & recut the slot.  Guess I've been using the same insert for a year or so.

4. 
   jyang949 | Oct 01, 2004 11:42pm | #11

   Wendy, the least expensive solution is not an insert, but a board that goes on top of the existing insert. I learned about it at http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip020419sn.html

   Since you don't remove the insert, the board does not need to be thick. They suggest 1/4" hardboard. I used the composite board from the back of a broken picture frame (it may be hardboard for all I know). Anyway, it works really well.

   Janet

1. 
   wendy1 | Oct 02, 2004 03:16am | #12

   Hello,

   Thanks for the tip Janet.  Now I've never seen anything like that before. Pretty nifty. But I think I prefer the ordinary zero clearance inserts. They're really easy to make. Helps if you own a router with a trimming bit. Makes the job so easy.

   Only took me 10 min or less to make one out of solid hardwood. Nothing could be simpler.  Saved myself a bundle. Imagine paying 30.00 for a commercial table insert. LOL.

   Wendy

1. 
   wendy1 | Oct 02, 2004 03:23am | #13

   Hi,

   Now that I have my insert cut out I have yet to cut the slot for the saw blade.  What's the safest way to clamp the insert so it doesn't pop up while I slowly raise  the blade up throught the insert?  On my 10 inch contractor saw I'm not able to lower the blade far enough below the table to allow for the insert to fit in.  I will have to use my 8 inch dado blade to start the cut. Then I will switch over to my 10 inch blade to finish the cut.

   Wendy

1. 
   JohnWW | Oct 02, 2004 07:39pm | #14

   Wendy,

   A simple method to hold down a blank insert is to move the rip fence over the insert.  Obviously the fence can't completely cover the insert, it needs to clear the blade. 

   You can clamp a length of wood to the fence to keep the insert snug against the tables surface and the wood could cover the blade slot area which would prevent minor tearout at the back of the slot when the blade was raised.

   John W.