Replies

1. 
   ring | Apr 05, 2010 06:10pm | #1

   Maybe I don't understand the difficulty...

   If you need to remove a slice off each face, going from 0 to 1/8", then one end of your piece will remain at 3/4" x 2" and the other end will become 1/2" x 1 3/4", right?  I'd just lay out the lines and plane to them.

   If you've got to make many of these pieces then you need to saw the taper as you suggested.  The ratio is 1/4" divided by 34".  A calculator with trig functions will give you the angle for that tangent.  I don't have one handy.  But it's gonna be so small that in any case you'll need to set up the taper jig and tweak its adjustment until you get the right result.

2. 
   RalphBarker | Apr 06, 2010 09:00pm | #2

   I agree with David - setting an angle that small in terms of degrees would be difficult, at best. Making the settings directly on the taper jig would be easier, after marking the starting and ending points of the cut. A straight edge against the saw blade (with the saw unplugged, of course) can project the cut line down the stock for alignment.

   Think about whether the taper needs to be the full length of the stock, or starting at an offset point (e.g. to allow joinery at the top). And, don't forget to account for the already-made cut when doing the second cut on the other edge, depending on the design of the tapering jig.

3. 
   hammer1 | Apr 07, 2010 08:16am | #3

   I'm not a fan of your typical taper jigs. I often set my rip fence 6" +- and cut a strip of plywood. Now I know exactly where the blade will be cutting. The piece I'm tapering can be attached to that piece of plywood, aligning the intended taper with the edge of the ripped plywood. There isn't any math or angles of degree needed, simply a mark on your work piece. You can cut a notch in the plywood that the work fits into or you can attach blocks and clamps to the plywood to hold the work in position. A simple shop made clamp works well. I make a T, wood top, screw leg, block under one end of the T top, work under the other. Essentially, you are building a ripping sled. It can be guided by the rip fence or you could attach a slide to run in the miter way (one or the other, not both). Those metal taper jigs don't allow you to clamp the work, you sure don't want them to contact your blade. For in close work, I think they are potentially dangerous. I prefer a lot more control over the work piece.