Help Cutting Small Parts...

[Derek Arita]

I'll be cutting several 3/8 x 3/4 pieces for a project. I'd like to use my miter saw for the job, however whenever I try, the part goes flying no matter what I put in its way. Anyone have a good trick to do the job?

[Steve Jenkins]

Put a board along the fence to create zero clearance then when you cut thru your piece leave the blade down and shutoff the saw

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, a real zero-clearance fence prevents the tiny part rotating into the path of the blade.
Also -- blue tape. Stick a piece of blue tape on the tiny part before you cut it. Use the tape to apply a bit of tension to pull the part away from the blade when it gets severed. Works most of the time, but not always.

[Bill Conerly]

If you have a table saw sled with clamp down ability, try that. I like that approach to keep my fingers far away from blades.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have a special tablesaw sled I made with built in clamp downs.

[Alan Lightstone]

I have a special tablesaw sled I made with built in clamp downs.

I did the same thing with a table saw sled for small pieces. Works great. IMHO worth the time to make the sled.

[Jim Becker]

Table saw and sled for this need for me...I really don't like cutting small parts on a miter saw, even with a zero clearance fence.

[Lee Schierer]

I think a chop saw is the wrong tool for this task. You have little control over the rate of feed and the cut off is the piece you want. I had to make a number of small pieces like this for a 4" tractor project I did for a wedding.
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As you can see there are numerous small parts.

Here is a jig that I made for pieces that are 3/4" x 3/4" in less than 10 minutes all from scrap. The plywood on the right is a standard sled that I use for many odd ball cuts. All the jig pieces are held in place with double sided tape. There is also double sided tape under the piece being cut off so it doesn't come loose during the cut. If you are cutting a lot of pieces you will need to replace the tape under the cut off periodically. Fingers never get near the blade.

469184469185469186

[Dan Cameron]

Table saw and sled for this need for me...I really don't like cutting small parts on a miter saw, even with a zero clearance fence.

+1 on using a table saw and sled. I often use the eraser end of a pencil to hold the part down. Thanks David Marks!

[Derek Arita]

I have used my sled for this before, but my sled is large and I was holding down the small piece with a pencil eraser. I was a real difficult thing for me to do with the weight of the sled and having to hold so many parts down. Guess I'm getting old. :( I have to build a small sled for this very thing and maybe with hold downs.
Anyways, I did the job at the miter saw with zero clearance as suggested and it worked very well. Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I cut small parts on the bandsaw. I have to cut 54 or 72 smallish trapezoids for every banjo I build, so I use the fence to set the length and a dedicated miter gauge for the angle. On my old Jet 18" saw the table overhung the back of the frame so I could put a box on the rolling workbench and under the saw table to catch the pieces, but my new Parks saw sticks out further back there, so I took advantage of the 45 degree area and a piece of vinyl that came on a window years ago to make a slide. Once the table is full each time I cut a block one falls off the back onto the slide and shoots into the bucket. It's very entertaining.

[Jim Becker]

I have used my sled for this before, but my sled is large and I was holding down the small piece with a pencil eraser. I was a real difficult thing for me to do with the weight of the sled and having to hold so many parts down. Guess I'm getting old. :( I have to build a small sled for this very thing and maybe with hold downs.
Anyways, I did the job at the miter saw with zero clearance as suggested and it worked very well. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Make a quick and dirty small sled for the purpose out of scraps. You don't have to use a big heavy one for small work. ;)

[Ken Platt]

I saw this tip some years back, and have used it, although I have to say that the previous responses might well be better options. This is really quick though. Put some screening material over your shop vac nozzle, and position the nozzle just next to the end of your workpiece (that is, the piece that will be cut off). I use an old bungee around the right mitersaw table (I like to hold with my left, pull the saw down with my right), and the nozzle is parallel to the workpiece and just to the right of the piece that will be cut off. The little piece ends up right there on the nozzle, sitting on the screening. I found it works best with the crevice nozzle attachment. I have extras, so the one with the screening (which is just rubberbanded across the end of the nozzle) sits at my mitersaw for use whenever it's a small cutoff.

Ken

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Rockler has a small parts sled.

https://www.rockler.com/rockler-table-saw-small-parts-sled

I have one and it works very well.

Cliff

[Alan Lightstone]

Rockler has a small parts sled.

https://www.rockler.com/rockler-table-saw-small-parts-sled

I have one and it works very well.

Cliff

You can make one yourself for a couple of bucks and almost no time at all. I have two T-tracks for hold down clamps and a stop block. Smaller is definitely better for this.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I would make a small sled for the bandsaw

[Edwin Santos]

Check out this video of a woodworker named Ted Baldwin who has devised several ways to cut insanely small parts safely and accurately, including at the miter saw. I kid you not, this video changed the way I work when I am cutting small parts. At first you might not be impressed, but be patient and you'll be glad you did.

He uses a lot of double stick tape, and so do I, but I have also used hot glue in place of the double stick tape very effectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knotpj60bsk&t=88s

[Aaron Rosenthal]

If I understand correctly this thing I saw on the Stumpy Nubs YouTube site 6 months ago may help. It’s called a fast cap 10 work holder for mitre saws. Not sure if it’s what you need but thought I’d mention it.

[Roger Feeley]

+1 on the zero clearance stuff
+1 on a small parts sled

i find that it’s not the cut on the chop saw that catches the piece. It’s raising the spinning blade that catches. The teeth on the blade are wider than the body of the blade. So when you finish the cut the blade isn’t really in contact with the wood. Try stopping the blade while it’s in the down position. You should get less kickback.

[Roger Feeley]

Rockler has a small parts sled.

https://www.rockler.com/rockler-table-saw-small-parts-sled

I have one and it works very well.

Cliff

I also have the rockler small parts sled. Maybe I’m using it wrong but I still get a bit of kickback. The sled is fine but the part can get hung up on the stop block I use for cutting many parts. It’s not a big deal. I was cutting about 500 parts for a mosaic end grain cutting board. I ruined maybe a dozen pieces.

[Bill Dufour]

C clamp a board to both sides of the fence then cut it in two for a zero clearance fence.
Bill D

[Derek Arita]

So, what worked was a zero clearance on the bottom and back surface of the cut. Using just the bottom zero clearance, the part still went flying.