Latest shop project: TUTS

[Doug Miller]

Photos of my latest shop project, TUTS (The Ultimate Taper Sled), here:

is a distillation of several taper sleds I've seen online, including Swingman's -- thanks, Karl -- plus a few ideas of my own.

Sled is 3/4" Baltic birch plywood attached to a UHMW runner that rides in the

*left* miter slot so that it can be operated from the end of the saw -- the reach is much easier, and I'm well out of the way of anything that might kick back.

Front and rear stops ride on short pieces of T-track, three in all. Stops are made of 8/4 poplar (to all but eliminate any possibility of the stop marring the workpiece), cut to a blunt point for improved positioning of the workpiece.

The range of movement on both stops is the same -- about 1.5" -- but the range of the front stop is about 3/8" closer to the cut line. That way, the blade will enter the end of the stock and exit the side. I have found this to make cleaner cuts than the other way around -- which seems to be the way all commercial taper jigs are made.

Overall length of the sled is 36"; T-tracks are positioned at approximately 2",

22", and 33" from the rear fence to accomodate legs of either end table or dining table length.

Sled width is approximately 8-1/2" -- made oversize, then trimmed to zero clearance after attaching the rear fence and runner.

Hold-downs are DeStaCo 207-U toggle clamps with the hex nuts replaced by wing nuts for easier height adjustment. Hold-downs will accomodate work from 1-3/8" to 2-1/2" thick. Thinner stock can be clamped by using shims, or longer clamp studs; thicker stock gets cut on the bandsaw.

Stops are 2 1/8" high -- so that even if I inadvertently position one of the stops so that the clamp overhangs the cut line, the blade can't hit it. Stops are thick enough to double as handles; they make a very good grip.

[Swingman]

*left* miter slot

easier, and I'm well

made of 8/4

workpiece), cut to a blunt

of the front

end of the stock

around -- which

2", 22", and 33"

clearance after

stock gets cut

stops so that the

to double as

No, thank you! :)

I like it much better than mine. I'm saving your photos for the next iteration. Well done.

[Doug Miller]

Swingman wrote in news:wrKdnToTKZFpOWnSnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

Thanks, Karl. This is the third, and hopefully final, iteration for me. Fourth iteration, counting the commercial jig I started out with. This one has all of the good features of the previous versions, plus a few more, and none of the bad ones.

Of course, after a couple of years of using it, I'll probably think of one or two more features I should have put in...

[tiredofspam]

Agreed, nice version. Wish I had thought of that. Very simple. I would make it a little more capable of a wider piece. Since I have had that need. But I like the design.

[Doug Miller]

tiredofspam wrote in news:jpOdnaH3FLbrTWnSnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

My initial drawings had it capable of pieces about an inch wider -- until I realized that with the workpiece sitting on top of a 3/4" sled, the maximum *thickness* I can cut is limited by the height of the blade to only about 2-1/2". Since the only thing that I have ever needed a taper sled for -- and hence my purpose in designing this -- is cutting tapers on square table legs, I decided there was no point in building a sled that would accomodatd a 3-1/2" width but only a

2-1/2" thickness.

[Mike M]

realized that with the

limited by the

needed a taper

square table legs, I

width but only a

Elegant, saved the link for future use.

Mike M

[tiredofspam]

realized that with the

limited by the

ever needed a taper

square table legs, I

width but only a