One of the reasons there are so many different woodworking jigs is that one jig that does a specific job, may not necessarily perform a similar job when needed, or it may be too cumbersome to use. Such is the case with this Table Saw Mitre Gauge attached Tapering Jig or Wedge Making jig as some call it. This jig is not well suited for making things like tapered legs where there are tapers on all 4 sides. This is because when you taper 2 opposing sides, the last 2 sides need support in order for them to make equal angle cuts, and you also need to compensate for the width of the saw blade with something like veneers. It can be done, but this jig is very cumbersome for that kind of cut. This jig I made in a previous video is far better for making tapered legs and for trimming uneven edged wood, you can check it out here.
Watch it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/embed/jzc5uil5_-s
This tapering jig is far more suited for smaller, one or maybe 2 sided cuts. I like it because it is variable in many ways including the thickness of stock, width of stock and quite wide variable angles of wedge or tapered sizes. I made mine replicating a 30 - 60 degree triangle, only because it gave me different lengths of the triangle to work with ...
>>>> Link to Woodworkweb Amazon Affiliate Store - https://www.amazon.com/shop/woodworkweb <<<<
I'm not going to give plans here, only some guidelines because everyone who makes this could have a different size. Let me explain ... since this jig is basically attached to the mitre gauge on your table saw, most table saws have a different length between where the mitre gauge comfortably engages the mitre slot to push forward. If you make this jig to long, it becomes awkward to use.
I used 3/4 inch plywood and cut 3 strips that were 3 inches wide. I wanted significant height in order to easily handle the wood being pushed through the saw blade. I estimate that the longest side of the triangle wanted to be around 14 inches as this was the fit for my table saw. I cut a 60 degree angle in one end as you can see in the video. This was the key piece that I then used to figure out the rest of the sizes of the triangle as you can see in the video and how I marked them. One thing to bear in mind, this triangle does not need to be accurate in angle in any way. You will be constantly moving it to adjust to your wedge or taper needs so if your triangle is off a bit, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that the triangle be assembled so it's sturdy and lies flat on your table saw.
After cutting all three sides to length, next came the attachment. I first thought about using a 5 minute 2-part epoxy glue, but then opted to use wooden dowels instead, which could be drilled by hand and any suitable doweling material glued in, but I used my Dowelmax jig just so I could get even holes and nice tight fits.
After the holes were drilled and dowels glued in and allowed to dry, I trimmed off the protruding dowels, did a light sanding to make the surface flat and at that point, the jig is ready to use.
The way the jig is designed to be used is that a flat wooden backing board is attached to your the miter gauge of your table saw. This backer allows the triangle jig you just made, to slide back and forth along the length of the backer board, while the angle of the mitre gauge controls the angle of your finished taper or wedges.
This is a quick and handy, easy to use a jig that I know I will get good use from as I always seem to be needing wedges in various sizes and lengths for all sorts of projects and builds.
Copyright Colin Knecht
woodworkweb.com
