leg tapering

I find it best not to use damn wood. You are very lucky that all it does is move!

I have to wonder if there is a problem with your blade or fence. I have a jig that I tapered a pencil post bed with. I use a 20 tooth rip blade with it. The Forrest blade I have uses too much horsepower for heavy ripping. I was ripping 3" stock with a 1 1/2 hp saw. I now rip on a bandsaw.

Are you using the hinged kind like Norm uses? I never even tried one they look too unstable.

I use one like this that rides in my miter slot.

Patt wrote: > Can someone offer some advice on using a jig to cut tapers on legs on a > table saw. I made a jig I saw in a book but the damn wood being cut for the > leg just moves all over the place and binds in the blade.

I made one following the NYW proportions after my Craftsman unit broke and it works quite well.

Not sure I understand your problem.

Lew

How are you holding the wood? It should rest against the jig, there should be a "foot" at the bottom that acts as a stop, and you should be holding the wood to be cut at the same time you use the jig against the fence.

Ahhhhh! When you say "holding" against the fence you mean with a 'push stick' or 'push block' right?

I use a commercial variety of the tapering jig that Norm uses

Bandsaw and plane or jointer reduces the guesswork on double tapers and provides greater safety anyway.

Y'think he's trying to feed in the wrong direction, cutting up taper rather than down?

Please allow me to suggest that your problem would go away if the damn wood were held down with a toggle clamp or otherwise confined so it can't move. Duh.

I hope you mean you push the wood against the *jig*, and push the jig against the fence...

Yes, That's what I mean, but I use a push stick, so I don't endanger my digits.

I cut a lot of tapered legs and finally settled on one similar to the one in Fine Wood Working magazines 2005 "Power Tools" issue.

Scroll down to in the photographs at "Taper Jig" on the page below:

opinion, these are the way to go. Safe, accurate, and very quick and easy to make up.

The same jig can easily do one to all sided tapers.