Miter gauge for bandsaw?

[Marty Gulseth]

So I just got home and started setting up my new Rikon 10-326 band saw, only to discover that the miter gauge is an accessory! Actually a quite minor aggravation. However - anyone got recommends for a moderately priced miter gauge that is compatible with band saws? I.e., fence not extending too far to the left of center, or adjustable to both sides?

Thanks!

Marty

[Steve Eure]

I've got he 10-325 with the upgraded guides, essentially making it a 326, sort of. Anyhow, I just use the miter gauge from my Delta table saw on it. I bought an Incra 1000 for the table saw so I repurposed the delta gauge. It works great. I put a piece of scrap wood on it and have not issues.

[Frederick Skelly]

I use an Incra V27 miter gauge on my 14" Rikon. LINK (https://www.amazon.com/Incra-MITERV27-Miter-V27-Gauge/dp/B0007UQ2DW/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Incra+v120&qid=1607565463&sr=8-2). It's about $75.

[Jack Frederick]

I've too have used the old Delta gauge and like Steve with the wood extension it has worked out really well.

[Dave Cav]

I built a crosscut sled for my MM20 using a piece of aluminum for the track. It is fixed at 90* but works very well and I use it all the time. If I found the need to cut miters on the saw and didn't have an extra gauge laying around I would get the Incra V27. I had one on my former 17" Grizzly and it worked fine.

[Bob Jones 5443]

I have the "little guy" saw, Rikon 10-306 10" with the tiny table and the narrow miter gauge slot. It doesn't come with a miter gauge, either. Kind of a Rikon thing, I guess.

Last week I quickly cobbled together an oak bar to fit the slot and grabbed the first 1/2" plywood rectangle in the cutoff box: 9" x 13" or so. I just screwed the bar onto the edge of the plywood and there you go. We went through 1-3/4" ash relatively easily, considering the awkward balancing of the heavy blank on the micro-sized table.

Yesterday I needed to run a 30" 2x6 both endwise and crosscut through the band saw. For the end cut I just used the saw's fence, but for the crosscut I clamped another little ply cutoff on the end of the "miter sled", square to the bar and slot. Then I managed the hulking end of the board by running it along a roller stand.

Both cuts came out smooth and straight. As usual, the setup took 99% of the operation and the cut took 1%.

For smaller crosscuts I will return to the little makeshift sled again and again. I don't see a need to buy a miter gauge. Those would only be good for small parts because the fence part of the gauge needs to ride behind the work. I suppose they would also enable angled cuts, but there again I could clamp a plywood scrap at an angle using my Starrett protractor. If I find that I'd prefer a larger sled area, I'll return to the cutoff pile.

For heavier stock, I might make a sled from 3/4" ply that hangs over the front of the saw table to provide balance and extends farther back to hold more of the work.

[Tom Bender]

As much as I love using a sled on a table saw it never occurred to me to use one on the band saw. I'm going to try that today.

Ok, not today, I tried my small TS sled and it's just an inch short on the left side. Sooo close to perfect. Tomorrow I'll make another, probably with just a rear fence and a few inches on the off side of the blade, which will mean backing out. A square foot of 3/16" plywood and a bit of Pine for a fence and a bit of Oak for the runner. Maybe I can make that off side part detachable.