Band saw miter gauge

[Bob Dubanoski]

I purchased an older 14" Delta band saw and am in need of a miter gauge for it. I am new to this type and size of band saw, so any recommendations of type/brand and maybe place of purchase will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bob

[Van Huskey]

First, I tend to rarely use a miter gauge with my bandsaws though I do keep a Incra 120V beside my MM20. I suppose my first question is what type of work do you expect to use the miter gauge for? If you don't have specific cuts in mind it is usually easier for the one off miter cut to borrow the one from your table saw if it clears the blade on the bandsaw, wider ones often don't. I guess what I am asking is do you really NEED a miter gauge or do you just feel compelled to have one since there is a miter slot?

[glenn bradley]

Agree, my bandsaw miter gauge got modified for a sander that I have. Yes, I actually use a miter gauge more on a sander than on a bandsaw. If you are sure you have a need for one, check the miter slot to see if it is the "standard" of a nominal 3/8" deep by 3/4" wide. If so their are many after market gauges available from any woodworking supply house. Here's a cheap one at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Accura-mitergage-Replacement-miter-gauge-gage/dp/B000HEQOC2/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1326560112&sr=1-9

[Neil Brooks]

I suppose my first question is what type of work do you expect to use the miter gauge for? If you don't have specific cuts in mind it is usually easier for the one off miter cut to borrow the one from your table saw if it clears the blade on the bandsaw, wider ones often don't. I guess what I am asking is do you really NEED a miter gauge or do you just feel compelled to have one since there is a miter slot?

Kinda hard to argue with Van, on that one. My BS came with one, but ... I have a small collection of OEM gauges, from other tools. Anything that fits the slot ... will work for general cross-cutting, etc.

[Todd Burch]

I would suggest to use that bandsaw for 10 years, and then, if you still think you need a miter gauge for a band saw, then go get one.

Todd

[Bob Dubanoski]

Thanks all that have replied so far. My needs so far would be for general cross-cutting and some miter cutting. I do not have other equipment that has a miter gauge that I can use on this band saw. The slot is the standard 3/8" x 3/4".

Bob

[Bob Vallaster]

Delta 14" bandsaws have the conventional 3/8x3/4" groove. The stock gauge for a Unisaw or Delta/Rockwell contractor saw will work after the T-slot washer is removed.
Note: some aftermarket gauge heads (e.g., Incra) are wider than the stock Delta item and, although fine for table saws, will touch the blade on a bandsaw. Metal on metal is not good. Found this the old-fashioned way.
If you're mostly cutting 90 degrees, you can make your own with a 3/8x3/4" stick to run in the groove and a wooden head of your own design. Think t-square.

BobV

[Bob Dubanoski]

Todd,
In reply to your suggestion, the saw is over 10 years old so it may deserve a new miter gauge and secondly I may not be using the saw in another 10 years. But, thanks for your insightful input.

Bob

QUOTE=Todd Burch;1851281]I would suggest to use that bandsaw for 10 years, and then, if you still think you need a miter gauge for a band saw, then go get one.

Todd[/QUOTE]

[Lee Schierer]

Thanks all that have replied so far. My needs so far would be for general cross-cutting and some miter cutting. I do not have other equipment that has a miter gauge that I can use on this band saw. The slot is the standard 3/8" x 3/4".

Bob


Cutting miters on a bandsaw is not going to be very accurate even with a top of the line miter gauge. Check yard sales and flea markets for a miter gauge with a 3/8 tall by 3/4 wide miter bar.

[Todd Burch]

Todd,
In reply to your suggestion, the saw is over 10 years old so it may deserve a new miter gauge and secondly I may not be using the saw in another 10 years. But, thanks for your insightful input.

Bob

QUOTE=Todd Burch;1851281]I would suggest to use that bandsaw for 10 years, and then, if you still think you need a miter gauge for a band saw, then go get one.

Todd[/QUOTE]

Sounds kinda sarcastic, and perhaps deserved. We're even.

My suggestion was for YOU to USE the saw for 10 years before you made a miter gauge purchase decision.

You said you are new to a bandsaw. As you might have gleaned so far from these replies, unless you are doing rough cuts, it's not a saw for "general crosscutting", and rough cuts don't warrant a miter gauge. And a bandsaw is most certainly not a saw for cutting miters (unless you don't care too much about precision). For one, the table on that saw (your saw) is really too small to set a miter gauge to any reasonable angle and still have table support for your stock.

A bandsaw can easily be freehanded, and consider that slot in your table to be used for jigs you make (or buy) for table-like sleds or circle/curve cutting. I've owned two bandsaws, (a Jet and now a Laguna) and the miter gauges for both saws, were, and are, for how I use the saw, a waste of money and shop space.

I don't know why band saws even ship with miter gauges.

[Gary Kman]

Most of you guys use better saws and blades than I do. With my old no-name clone saw and blades the blade would wander off the line using a miter gage. I need to "steer" the work-piece to cut straight. Been working for me for 30 years and wouldn't know what to do with a top line saw if I had one.

[Carroll Courtney]

I would say,if your mainly going to do 90degree miter cuts then any miter gage will do.But if your going to be doing compound miter cuts or angle cuts then a good one is in order.I have the Kreg miter gage that I mainly purchase for the PM66 but it can be adjusted for the BS as well.So,if it were me I would purchase a good one that can be use on the TS and BS that the fence can slide to one side or the other,and have positive stops such as 90,45,22.5,which is good for repeat setups.Good luck w/your choice----Carroll

[Mike Cutler]

Bob

Just about any after market miter that will work on a table saw will work on a bandsaw. I use an older Incra 2000 miter with adjustable stops on mine.

Will you actually use it? That depends on you, and the work that you do.
I would politely disagree though that a miter is useless, or to buy a cheap one. However, Todd is spot on about making your own jigs for use with a bandsaw. You can do some very accurate, repetitive work, on a band saw with a well made jig.
Unfortunately the miters that ship with bandsaws are a waste of the poor metal they are even made with. Which is why they generally end up at yard sales, or taken apart to be used to fabricate an actual working jig. Put a quality miter on your bandsaw and you will use it more often, and as Carrol stated, it really needs to be adjustable, to get any long term, justifiable, use out of.

[Van Huskey]

The biggest issue you have in getting a good miter gauge is the distance between the slot and the blade. I would suggest the Incra V27 (occasionally you can get the V120 for cheaper on sale). Make sure you purchase it from a place that you can return it if it too wide. If you buy it locally and they have a 14" cast saw it is a good bet that no matter what brand it is you can get a good idea whether it will fit between the slot and blade by putting it on the saw, most all of them have a pretty standard 14" table give or take a little.

[Curt Harms]

Delta 14" bandsaws have the conventional 3/8x3/4" groove. The stock gauge for a Unisaw or Delta/Rockwell contractor saw will work after the T-slot washer is removed.
Note: some aftermarket gauge heads (e.g., Incra) are wider than the stock Delta item and, although fine for table saws, will touch the blade on a bandsaw. Metal on metal is not good. Found this the old-fashioned way.
If you're mostly cutting 90 degrees, you can make your own with a 3/8x3/4" stick to run in the groove and a wooden head of your own design. Think t-square.

BobV

Making your own seems like a pretty good choice. If you find yourself using your home made jig quite a bit and for whatever reason it doesn't cut the mustard, then buy one. All you'd need would be some time and some scraps. I use my miter slots more to hold feather boards for resawing than for a miter gauge.

[Bob Dubanoski]

Van,

Thanks for the good information. At this time, because I am a wood carver, my primary use of the band saw would be for making cutouts for carving. These are anywhere from 2x2x6 to 4x4x16. Most of the cutting will be freehand from a pattern drawn on the wood, when the blank is cut I start the carving process. I do need a device to cut the lenghts of wood with square ends before I start the freehand sawing. At times I have a need to miter cut some of the patterns in preperation for the carving process, therefore the need for a miter gauge.

I am not building furniture so I do not need exact miter cuts at this time and I do understand the limitations of the band saw to produce these. I also know the advantage of quality tools, but do not want to overbuy. On the other hand I do see a table saw in the future to maybe expand into some other type of woodworking. If this were to happen a good quality miter gauge could be maybe be used on both pieces of equipment.

Sorry for the long winded reply, but this may better explain my needs.

Again, thanks to you and all the others that took the time to reply. I do appreciate it,

Bob

[ian maybury]

Interestingly enough my UK model Agazzani NRA 600 (basically a B-24 in US speak) has no mitre gauge slot in the table.

I've never heard the official rationale, and would love to - but can imagine that between blade drift and the like that a band saw is not regarded as a serious cross cutting tool.

I'm not 100% convinced, in that with the advent of carbide tipped blades able to cut off the side of the tooth and larger saws capable of applying lots of blade tension some are capable of rather more than that.

You don't necessarily need a mitre gauge - I have a piece of accurately cut 18mm birch ply i use as a square on mine, and slide it along the face of the fence when making square cross cuts. So far so good, but it wouldn't work well on longer/heavier pieces...

ian

[Josiah Bartlett]

I use a miter gauge occasionally with mine. (Mine is an old Walker Turner 16" that has the same size slot as a Unisaw). As long as the blade is sharp and the feed rate is low, it works pretty well. I use it mainly when cutting tenon shoulders so I can safely and consistently approach the cut line with the work perpendicular to the table. I use an old Craftsman miter gauge- its probably 30 years old, and I don't know where I got it. You definitely need to be sure of your blade setup or you will get mixed results.

[Alan Schwabacher]

It sounds as if you do have a use for a miter gauge, but you don't need a fancy one. Almost anything should do. Since many people like the precision of aftermarket miter gauges for use on the tablesaw, and every tablesaw comes with at least a basic miter gauge, you ought to be able to find a simple used one for next to nothing. If you can't find a local woodworker to ask, perhaps a Craigslist WTB ad would help.

Another option would be to make a simple crosscut sled. This could be simply a conveniently-sized piece of plywood with a rail on the bottom to ride in the track, and a fence screwed on the back.

To make the miter gauge or sled work well, it will help to adjust the tracking of your saw so the blade runs in the center of the tire, which should minimize the drift angle. Ask, or google "bandsaw drift", if you're not sure what I mean.