Replies

1. 
   Jammersix | May 06, 2009 12:18am | #1

   Lay it out with a tape.

   Cut to the marks.

2. 
   hammer1 | May 06, 2009 06:46am | #2

   How about some more info, Chalky. Ripping or crosscutting, table saw, are you crosscutting with the fence, size of material? It's always a good idea to use a scrap to test your set up on almost any cut or shaping operation. There are many ways to do repeat cuts that will be accurate, depending on what it is you are doing. Hard to answer when we have to guess at what you are doing.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   chalky | May 06, 2009 02:30pm | #3

   Hammer,
   I have a left tilt tablesaw. Do not have enough room to use miter sled, so I am very concerned about safety-I kind of like all 5 fingers. The piece I am cutting is 4 inches wide and has to be 6 inches long. After I cut the miters I will then rip the piece into (4) 3/4 inch pieces that will be glued together to form a square from which I will cut it into 2inch sections that will be feet of a small box i am making. I thought that there might be a certain number that you automatically added or subtracted from you finished lenght when doing a 45 degree miter. Thanks for taking the time to help.

1. 
   MikeHennessy | May 06, 2009 03:15pm | #4

   From your description, I think you are trying to make four legs that are 3/4" square, and each made up of four segments?

   Three choices: 1) make yourself a sliding crosscut jig and use it to rip the miters. 2) use a longer piece of stock and rip off one long 3/4" wide mitered stick from the edge and cut it to 2" lengths. 3) Use a chamfering bit on a router table.

   As for a formula, there is one that a gentleman named Pythagoras came up with a couple thousand years ago. ;-) But it wouldn't be particularly useful for you if I understand your problem.

   If I was gonna use a TS to do this, I'd miter one edge of the stock and set up a registration stop clamped to the table (in front of the blade - you don't want it next to the blade so the cutoff will be trapped between it and the blade) such that it positions the piece for a 3/4" wide (on the bottom) cutoff. Use the stop to position the piece narrow side up, and bring the fence up to it. Use the fence to run the stock through the blade. (The good piece will be the cutoff.) Repeat 3 more times. This solution keeps the wide part of the cutoff down against the table for more stability.

   But I would still use a longer piece if at all possible -- meaning unless this piece of wood is the last bit from an extinct species of tree and obtained at great personal sacrifice. ;-)Making cuts like this on a TS with such small stock always makes me look for a better solution. Especially your final cut from what will then be just a sliver of wood. If I absolutely had to do that, I'd glue the good stock onto a piece of scrap to make it wider so I'd have more control going through the saw.Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PAEverything fits, until you put glue on it.

2. 
   RalphBarker | May 06, 2009 06:12pm | #5

   I'm not sure I understand the orientation of the feet once assembled, nor how you'll be attaching them to the bottom of the box. A picture of the design might help.Regardless, you're probably looking at some sort of jig that will allow the work to be clamped in position, so your fingers are kept well away from the blade.I recently did a couple of boxes with edge-molded feet, mitered at the corners. I used wider stock, 3/4" x 2", ran the edge profile on the router table, and then cut 2" long segments, alternating between the miter saw and the table saw for the square end cuts. The assembled feet were wide enough that they extended far enough under the corner of the box to allow the off-cuts to act as glue blocks on the inside of the box corners. I also had to fabricate glue-up frames, since the 2" segments were too small for my standard picture-frame clamps.

3. 
   hammer1 | May 06, 2009 06:51pm | #6

   With 45s, you are cutting an equallateral triangle. The two 90 degree legs are the same length. That means your extra for the miter is the same as the thickness of your work. Add the thickness from the short point of the miter. Other angles would differ from angle to angle. I'm not sure why you are beveling a 4" piece when it will be ripped. Longer bevels are more difficult to cut and any run off will make the rips vary, effecting consistency. I would typically add a wood fence to my miter bar that extends a little beyond the blade. I glue some sandpaper to the face of the fence for good grip. When you cut into the auxilary fence, you have the perfect indication of where the blade is cutting. On a left tilt, I would run the miter bar to the right of the blade. I would rip out my pieces, cut one end at 45, then clamp a small stop block to the auxillary fence to cut all the pieces the same length. I would not use the rip fence as a guide for crosscuts, especially with bevels on a 4" work piece. That's asking for a board lunch. As you probably know, it's important that your saw has been tuned. The blade is parallel with the miter slot, you are using a sharp blade, the miter bar fits the slot without side play, the throat plate is level with the top and the slot is minimal. You always want to keep your hands in line with the miter slot. It's better to only make a forward cut, not backing up after the cut, where the blade could rub on the completed cut. Keeping your hands in line with the slot on returning the miter bar is most important for safety. Some forget and just pull the bar back. If your fingers are near the end of the miter head, you can back them over the blade. If you are cutting small pieces, make a holding stick that will get your fingers back. With very small pieces, you can make an L shaped fence so they are supported on the bottom and back.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match