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View Full Version : Shop made Miter Gauge for TS - any examples ?


Roy Hess
10-31-2009, 2:32 PM
There many discussions here about various after market miter gauges. And I am aware of, and have read reviews of the various brands. However........

I am interested if there are any examples of shop made gauges ? I have an interest in making one - particularly with a stop block, measuring scale, and perhaps an extension ?

Any help - most appreciated !
Kyle Iwamoto
10-31-2009, 3:18 PM
Why? They're very cheap to buy. You can get a basic Incra for less than 50 bucks shipped to your door from Amazon.

Just my $.02.
Roy Hess
10-31-2009, 5:36 PM
Why? They're very cheap to buy. You can get a basic Incra for less than 50 bucks shipped to your door from Amazon.Sigh............

I know, I know But I enjoy making shop made tools ;)
glenn bradley
10-31-2009, 6:00 PM
The shop made items for this purpose in my shop are all sleds. We do have some machinists here that have done some beautiful metal work. You will want metal construction to withstand the torque on the miter bar. Can any of you metal workers chime in?
Jeff Bratt
10-31-2009, 6:05 PM
Do you mean miter fences, faces, and accessories - or the actual angle setting mechanism itself? It's easy to design a sled with an angle fence (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21487&filter=table%20saw%20sled) included - here's a pic of a (pretty fancy) sled by Kent Shepherd over at Lumberjocks:
131550

I also like to build my own jigs and fixtures, here are some fences and attachments (http://home.roadrunner.com/%7Ejeffnann/WoodWorking/JigsAndFixtures/JigsAndFixtures.html#Miter_Gauge_Fences_and_Stops) for my (purchased) miter gauge.
Roy Hess
10-31-2009, 7:51 PM
Do you mean miter fences, faces, and accessories - or the actual angle setting mechanism itself?Good point of clarification. I mean the fence, faces and accessories. I will probably continue to use the mitre gauge that came with the saw.

Thanks for the link to your site. This is exactly what I am looking for. I am surprised to see that you are cutting T slots into mdf. I would have thought that Baltic birch or solid wood would have been a better choice. Perhaps you are thinking of the stability of the wood ???
Kyle Iwamoto
10-31-2009, 7:56 PM
Oh, you wanted to build a miter sled. I stand corrected.

Very nice sled.....
I've built 3. First one is 89 degrees....:mad: Non adjustable.
Jeff Bratt
10-31-2009, 8:58 PM
I am surprised to see that you are cutting T slots into mdf. I would have thought that Baltic birch or solid wood would have been a better choice. Perhaps you are thinking of the stability of the wood ???

I've used all of those materials for jigs. For fence faces, MDF is very flat and smooth, and very stable. Occasionally, I've had BB warp on me. As for the T-slots, in the application pictured for the fence faces, the clamping forces of the T-bolt are just compressing the MDF shoulders of the T-slot - it's not a problem. In other configurations, or for heavy use, then purchased aluminum T-track might be a better choice.