Glen Blanchard
01-08-2007, 2:47 PM
I received a Jointech Smart Miter for Christmas and think I am going to really like this little fella. My biggest initial concern however, was how I could use the sled for both 90 degree cuts and beveled cuts as well – and have both be zero clearance cuts. My first take on this was that the only way might be to have a dedicated sled for each purpose. I had read on a forum somewhere that someone had done just that. A rather expensive solution and I just don’t have the space for two of these things. Wouldn’t it be great if Jointech had this thing set up with some kind of replaceable insert for the various blade angles? They don’t.
One of the concepts to the Smart Miter is that the sled and the fence are both meant to be zero clearance to the blade – but how in the heck can I set this thing up so that I have zero clearance for the sled and the fence for both 90 degree and 45 degree cuts?
I began brainstorming and came up with some ideas.
1. I could merely slide the fence to and from the blade to get zero clearance for both cuts. No problem. However (as the sled is set up for zero clearance at a 90 degree cut) the sled would be partially cut the first time it was run through the saw with the blade tilted. I would then lose the zero clearance for any subsequent 90 degree cuts. No good
2. I could move the entire sled to the left enough so that it would clear the blade when the blade is tilted all the way to 45 degrees. Doing so would leave a gap between the sled and the cutoff extension (which is zero clearance to the right of the blade) of a couple of inches however. Goodbye zero clearance.
3. I could join a piece of plywood or MDF to the phenolic sled that would be quickly and easily changed out – use one for 90 and the other for 45 – a replaceable insert. I could not think of a viable way to join the two that would be easily changed out.
That was strike three. Darn. Then it hit me. There is a simple way to do this. Here is what I did.
Without moving the fence at all, I moved the sled to the left enough so that the fence would clear the blade when tilted. The subsequent gap between the sled and the cutoff extension was easily eliminated by moving the cutoff extension to the left so that it is approx. 1/16” from contacting the sled. I slid the cutoff extension into the blade (set at 90 degrees) and obtained my zero clearance. I placed a stop on the underside of the cutoff extension closest to the front rail so that it would be impossible for me to slide it all the way through the blade, cutting it in half. I then slid the fence back to the right to the blade. Zero clearance. I’ll duplicate the process with the blade tilted to 45 and make a second extension.
Rather than buying a second sled, I just choose the appropriate cutoff extension and adjust the fence for zero clearance as needed. 2 cutoff extensions and one sled rather than 1 extension and two sleds. Cheaper. Lighter. Occupies less space. I am happy.
One of the concepts to the Smart Miter is that the sled and the fence are both meant to be zero clearance to the blade – but how in the heck can I set this thing up so that I have zero clearance for the sled and the fence for both 90 degree and 45 degree cuts?
I began brainstorming and came up with some ideas.
1. I could merely slide the fence to and from the blade to get zero clearance for both cuts. No problem. However (as the sled is set up for zero clearance at a 90 degree cut) the sled would be partially cut the first time it was run through the saw with the blade tilted. I would then lose the zero clearance for any subsequent 90 degree cuts. No good
2. I could move the entire sled to the left enough so that it would clear the blade when the blade is tilted all the way to 45 degrees. Doing so would leave a gap between the sled and the cutoff extension (which is zero clearance to the right of the blade) of a couple of inches however. Goodbye zero clearance.
3. I could join a piece of plywood or MDF to the phenolic sled that would be quickly and easily changed out – use one for 90 and the other for 45 – a replaceable insert. I could not think of a viable way to join the two that would be easily changed out.
That was strike three. Darn. Then it hit me. There is a simple way to do this. Here is what I did.
Without moving the fence at all, I moved the sled to the left enough so that the fence would clear the blade when tilted. The subsequent gap between the sled and the cutoff extension was easily eliminated by moving the cutoff extension to the left so that it is approx. 1/16” from contacting the sled. I slid the cutoff extension into the blade (set at 90 degrees) and obtained my zero clearance. I placed a stop on the underside of the cutoff extension closest to the front rail so that it would be impossible for me to slide it all the way through the blade, cutting it in half. I then slid the fence back to the right to the blade. Zero clearance. I’ll duplicate the process with the blade tilted to 45 and make a second extension.
Rather than buying a second sled, I just choose the appropriate cutoff extension and adjust the fence for zero clearance as needed. 2 cutoff extensions and one sled rather than 1 extension and two sleds. Cheaper. Lighter. Occupies less space. I am happy.