Zero Clearence Insert

[Ken Shoemaker]

This afternoon I was wathching NYW. Norm was doing a "tablesaw 101 part #1" show. I saw his ZCI that had a small replaceable insert. Do you know where to get such a thing? His ws made of metal and had a wood insert that was easily chaged as needed.

TIA - Ken

[Paul Girouard]

Ken whats ZCI ? Seeing you watched a table saw show did you mean the blade insert?

I make my own , the small screws level it out , that, to me, is much better than ordering some thing I have to pay for.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/tablesawinserts.jpg

I have ones for dadoing , bevel cuts, etc . Most saws will allow / can be adapted to , a very few I've used could not be made to adapt to the table saw bed cut out. What brand saw are you using?

[Mark Carlson]

Ken,

I dont think that insert is available anymore. A similar aluminum insert is sold by Woodcraft and Lee Valley called the Betterley Tru Cut insert. These inserts are phenolic versus wood and are screwed in place versus on a dovetail like the one Norm uses. Expensive but very well machined.

~mark

[Charles Wiggins]

This afternoon I was wathching NYW. Norm was doing a "tablesaw 101 part #1" show. I saw his ZCI that had a small replaceable insert. Do you know where to get such a thing? His ws made of metal and had a wood insert that was easily chaged as needed.

TIA - Ken

Make your own:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=69065
http://www.woodcentral.com/articles/shop/articles_893.shtml

Buy one:
http://www.rockler.com/search_results.cfm?filter=zero+clearance+insert&submit.x=12&submit.y=11
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=909

[Stan Smith]

This afternoon I was wathching NYW. Norm was doing a "tablesaw 101 part #1" show. I saw his ZCI that had a small replaceable insert. Do you know where to get such a thing? His ws made of metal and had a wood insert that was easily chaged as needed.

TIA - Ken.

I think that I have one just like it. I was too lazy to make my own and I just keep the inserts for various size dado setups. I write the sizes on the inserts. Someone said they aren't made any more? That's surprising; They are really practical and useful.

[Jared Cuneo]

My only caveat for making your own would be safety. Bought ZCI's (the phenolic ones I get from WC anyway) have a little pin in the rear to keep the insert from becoming a projectile. Paul, I see your inserts appear to have a pin, but I have seen some homemade varieties that do not....scary

Remember to clamp a sacrificial piece to the saw covering the ZCI when raising the blade through it for the first time....

BTW Ken, I think the maker of the shark guard includes one of the shorty splitters in his guard kit for most popular saws....The shark guard is on my short list.....

JC