Hey Gary:
I was working on a kitchen door the other day that was out of square. I decided to cut shims that went from 1/2″ to nothing over a distance of 30″. After unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to set the correct angle on my, as of yet, unused taper jig I finally surrendered to cutting the angle on my bandsaw. I would like to know how to figure out angles such as this as well as making tapered legs in the future using the taper jig. Is there a straightforward answer to this procedure or a publication somewhere that would explain how to do this?
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Hey,
Well it's a good thing you didn't cut the shim on the taper jig. Too dangerous. As for figuring this stuff out, you can figure your rise and run to figure your angle on a taper jig.
But I'd do it this way. Take a piece of 1/4" mdf or plywood longer than your required taper. Mark out the length of 30" on it. Then mark out the shape of the taper you want on it. So 1/2" in at the 30" mark and tapering out to nothing. Cut out this shape, perfectly or as close as you can, on the band saw. This piece then becomes your holder. If you want you can glue on another piece of mdf or ply underneath it to support your workpiece.
This holder keeps your wood in place at the correct angle for a band saw pass. Tapering to nothing and only 1/2" to hold onto is too small for the table saw. But this idea works as well for larger tapers.
As for a tapering jig, be sure it has a clamp or hold down at the rear end of it to protect your fingers as you pass it by the saw blade. With any taper jig, measure out the amount you want cut off at the top of the cut at the proper full length for the taper. The easy way to do this is with a scrap piece of 1/4" ply or mdf cut into a template. This way you can play with the angle until it's right.
I hope this helps. Gary
thanks, I'll give it a try.
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