How to Cut Perfect Tapers on the Tablesaw
Make tapered legs of all types, quickly and safely.
Synopsis: Found across a range of furniture styles, tapered legs are popular because they are good-looking. They break up a square, boxy piece of furniture and direct the eye toward the center. But cutting them accurately and safely can be a challenge. This tapering jig for the tablesaw makes it easy to set the location of the workpiece accurately for perfect cuts, and because it has a built-in clamp, keeps your fingers far from the blade. An L-shaped guide clamps to the rip fence to guide the jig, and a hardwood strip keeps the workpiece in place. You can use it to cut tapers on two, three, or four sides of a leg.
It’s no secret why woodworkers taper the legs of tables and chairs: It improves the appearance of the entire piece. Tapering breaks up that boxy square look, lightens the visual weight, and helps direct the eye toward…
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Comments
Worst Instructions ever!!!!
No dimensions provided for placement of the fence on the sled, location of threaded inserts, depth of recess in fence for the toggle clamp platform, clearance to platform to allow for angling fence. No guidance on platform height based on anticipated workpiece thickness(es). Just gotta eyeball it from drawing I guess.
I would imagine the exact location of the fence on the sled, location of the threaded inserts and other "missing" dimensions depend on the kind of work you are doing and could vary from one woodworker to the next. The base height is given in the exploded view as 3/4 in.
I like the fence guide system and the way it prevents the jig from being pulled up or down by the blade. The only thing I will do differently is to mount the toggle clamp directly to the fence, as the author's set-up limits the range of adjustment.
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