Non-parallel cuts on a table saw

I have a table saw that I use a lot, but I am puzzled how to do non-parallel cuts. It is possible to fix a guide at an angle to the blade, but then of course I can't just slide the wood along the guide because it would need pass across the blade at an angle.

For example, how can I cut a length of 4x2 down to produce a taper / wedge. I know I can mark the cut line on the wood and then cut "by eye" but I think there must be a better way.

there is and good old norm made it look so easy,
new yankee workshop,he made an adjustable template.cant remember how but it was good.

You can get taper cutters or make your own like Norms but they are really only for short lengths such as tapered tabel legs, not much use for firring which it sounds like you want.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-axminster-taper-cutting-jig-prod20902/

If you have a sliding table on your saw then the timber can be held at an angle on that in which case the length of cut will be limited to your table length.

You can also fix a length of wood to your 4x2 at the required angle and run that against the rip fence, this works well but if a bit of a pain if you have lots to do

Jason

Jasonb said:

You can get taper cutters or make your own like Norms but they are really only for short lengths such as tapered tabel legs, not much use for firring which it sounds like you want.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-axminster-taper-cutting-jig-prod20902/

If you have a sliding table on your saw then the timber can be held at an angle on that in which case the length of cut will be limited to your table length.

You can also fix a length of wood to your 4x2 at the required angle and run that against the rip fence, this works well but if a bit of a pain if you have lots to do

Jason

Click to expand...

thats the thingy

That jig looks fine for short lengths and it would be easy enough to knock up something like that. Longer cuts are still a puzzle. Also still a puzzle is what the angled guide is for on my table saw. I can fix a guide at an angle to the blade but can't figure out any way to use it.

I don't have any specific job in mind. I am just trying to understand how to use the saw properly. I have one or two projects planned where I am likely to need long tapers though, so it would be good to understand it when I get that far.

Its likely what you have is a mitre guide, this is for cutting the ends of pieces of wood at an angle for example 45degree cuts to make a picture frame.

The last method I suggested of fixing one piece of wood at an angle to another works well, give it a try.

J

Yes, I can certainly see that fixing one piece of wood at an angle to another would work OK. Thanks for that.

Not sure about the mitre guide idea though. How would it work? If I put the guide at 45 degrees to the saw blade, I can't run my work along the guide to cut it, so how would I use the guide?

The glide slides with the workpiece.

Sorry, which are you talking about now? The jig linked to above slides with the workpiece. I understand that, no problem.

What I am puzzled over is how to use the guide I have as a standard part of my saw table. Perhaps I have not explained that very well. Lets say the saw blade is oriented North-South if you look at the table in plan view. I stand at the south side of the table to feed wood through. On my left (the west side of the table) there is a metal rod running along the side side of the table. I can attach the left end of a guide to that rod, and move that fixing backwards and forwards, in a north-south direction, along the rod. The guide rotates about its left end (where it is fitted to the rod). When I have the guide in the correct position north to south, and rotated to the desired angle (say 45 degrees to the blade) I can clamp it in position. This guide then does not (cannot) slide with the work piece, so how do I use it?

Jasonb said:

Its likely what you have is a mitre guide, this is for cutting the ends of pieces of wood at an angle for example 45degree cuts to make a picture frame.
J

Click to expand...

Its no use for tapering long lengths

It is no use for anything as far as I can see. How can I use it for cutting mitre on the ends of work pieces?

the angled guide should run in a slot in the table

No, that can't be it. The angled guide fixes on a rod at the side of the table and is clamped firmly in place so it cannot slide.

I though I must be missing something that should have been obvious but maybe this is not so simple as I thought it should be.

The way that I set up for making a taper is like this -
say I want to cut a 6" plank 4 ft long, from one corner to the other, making 2 triangles.
get a bit of 2x1 the same length as the plank - or a bit longer - to use as a slider
put the 2x1 along the fence
put the 6" plank next to it
slide the fence in till the whole lot just fits to the blade - ie. set the fence to the width of the plank plus the additional 2x1 (8").

put the far end just at the first tooth of the saw
then at the end of the plank furthest from the blade (nearest you)- slide a short 6" spacer between the 2x1 and the plank - so that this end of the plank moves out from the 2x1 (which is still against the fence).
Now you should have a bit of 2x1 running along the fence & your plank at the desired angle (look along the blade to check the line to be cut)

At this point it is a good idea to fix the plank and the 2x1 batten together at the far end, and the 2x1 spacer and plank at the near end - using a couple of scraps of ply & pins or screws on the top face (you do leave some scrap at the end of each cut don't you).

once secure - switch on the saw and run the whole lot through - cutting a diagonal along the plank. Be carefull that they both are fed through without sliding against each other or it will jam and kick (hence the need to fix them together).

If you have a lot to do you only need do this once - every following cut you just use the first diagonal wedge piece as a spacer - making sure that they don't slip against each other as you cut of course.

Careful to use the same first wedge every time, or the angle will change as each successive cut adds to any cumulative inaccuracy of the one before it.

This is also a good way of cutting off a bow or bulge from a plank, put the concave side against 2x1, then cut off convex bulge - to give a new straight to run along the fence to remove the remaining uneven side.

SDMCF said:

No, that can't be it. The angled guide fixes on a rod at the side of the table and is clamped firmly in place so it cannot slide.

I though I must be missing something that should have been obvious but maybe this is not so simple as I thought it should be.

Click to expand...

HI SDMCF
It might be a bit easier to start with what you are trying to achieve