how to cut 60* bevel

[Leo Kempf]

I have a project that requires me to cut a 60* bevel on the edge of some laminated plywood... To achieve something like the triangle below. What's the best method for cutting angles like this?

http://www.leokempf.com/1/triangle.gif

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

instead of running the board through flat to the table, run it through vertically and set the blade at 30 degrees. You can use a tenoning jig or some other way of keeping the board vertical.

[Michael McCoy]

If you have access to a miter saw, this jig is fairly easy to make.

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip031003wb.html

[glenn bradley]

What JohnT said.

[Peter Quinn]

make a tall TS fence, run em through standing up. or use a router or shaper cutter for 60 degree bevels. I'd leave your pieces just a bit long and cut to final length last.

[Leo Kempf]

thanks. ordered a tenoning jig.

[Matt Day]

As nice as it is to have a tenoning jig, why don't you simply angle the table saw blade like John T said?

[Leo Kempf]

Jon T said to put the board through vertically and tilt the blade. the tenoning jig will allow me to run the board vertically. Because I can only do angles less than 45% by tilting and running horizontally.

That's how I understand it. Correct?

[Randal Cobb]

+1 on what JohnT said...

Only... Instead of forking out a bunch of $$ for a jig you may not use often (well, I thought that way until I bought mine, anyway), you can get by with a simple shop-made jig. You want to make a jig that looks like a lower-case "h" when looked from the side... the long part of the "h" sits on the blade side of the fence and the "hump" part fits snugly (but still slides smoothly) over the fence. You clamp the board you want to cut to the long part like you would in a tenoning jig and go to town... you simply slide the jig on the fence and you have your 60* angle (with the blade set to 30* like JohnT said).

[Cary Falk]

Why do you have to cut the board on edge? Set the table saw at 30 degrees and use the other side of the blade and a miter guage.IF one side of the blade is at 30 the other is at 60. The board will have to be flipped upside down but having the board flat on the table is much easier to deal with instead of on edge IMHO.

[Mike Henderson]

Why do you have to cut the board on edge? Set the table saw at 30 degrees and use the other side of the blade and a miter guage.IF one side of the blade is at 30 the other is at 60. The board will have to be flipped upside down but having the board flat on the table is much easier to deal with instead of on edge IMHO.
I'm not able to visualize what you're saying. From the picture in the first post, he's trying to make an equilateral triangle, which means that each vertice is 60* (since the total of angles in a triangle is 180*). Since there are two pieces of wood being cut to make up each angle, each piece of wood needs to be cut to a 30* angle (the included angle between the outside and the cut is 30*).

Since he can't tilt the blade down to 30* (most only go to 45*) the suggestion was made to tilt the blade to 30* from the vertical and cut with the wood held vertically, which will give him a 30* cut. There's no way I can see to make the 30* cut with the wood laying flat on the table saw.

Mike

[Cary Falk]

I'm not able to visualize what you're saying. From the picture in the first post, he's trying to make an equilateral triangle, which means that each vertice is 60* (since the total of angles in a triangle is 180*). Since there are two pieces of wood being cut to make up each angle, each piece of wood needs to be cut to a 30* angle (the included angle between the outside and the cut is 30*).

Since he can't tilt the blade down to 30* (most only go to 45*) the suggestion was made to tilt the blade to 30* from the vertical and cut with the wood held vertically, which will give him a 30* cut. There's no way I can see to make the 30* cut with the wood laying flat on the table saw.

Mike
You are correct. I did not look at the picture close enough. I was fixated on the 60 and forgot about the angle needed to be half that.

[Peter Quinn]

I am having trouble seeing how a tenoning jig would make these cuts easier or even possible? The drawings don't indicate the length but I would suspect clamping a length of plywood to a tenon jig would be rather unstable relative to the kind of precision needed to create tight corners on a plywood triangle.

Am I missing something? I am thinking raised panel door jig more than tenon jig.

[Leo Kempf]

that's true...the pieces will be pretty big....12" deep and some a few feet tall and 1" thick. I was a bit worried about stability with this jig. What do you guys think?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Leo,

Is there any reason you can't tilt your saw blade to 30 degrees and cut them laying flat on the table saw?

Oops...........dummy answered his own question....can't do it that way..........

I'd think a tall fence and tilt the saw blade to 30 degrees.

[Leo Kempf]

I cancelled the order on the tenoning jig...I suppose I'm going to build a special jig...any more advice, plans, pictures of good functioning jigs like this?

Randall suggests making a jig that slides on/over the fence...

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Here's another way using 30 degree miters that can be cut traditionally on the tablesaw. However, it's not a true miter joint.

-Jeff :)

[Leo Kempf]

Thanks, Jeffrey. Yeah, that's what I'm doing now, but it's not as cool, as the laminations of wood don't connect in the "end grain".

[Kevin Groenke]

Here is a sketch of a panel jig that will safely and effectively get this done, works for tenons too.

20 minutes - plywood, PB or mdf scraps - destaco clamps not necessary but nice - the slot with carriage bolts and/or a knob add flexibility.

-kg

[Jeffrey Makiel]

A panel jig as shown in your pic is a handy jig to have in the shop. It can also be used for tenons, raising panels and making spline joints (with the addition of a 45 degree fence).

-Jeff :)

[Leo Kempf]

one last question about the panel jig (that kevin posted a drawing of)...

should the blade tilt into the jig or away from the jig?

[Kevin Groenke]

Generally the blade should tilt away from the jig (if it's tilted toward the jig, you'll have a captive off-cut ready to kick back and you'll be cutting up the jig - not the end of the world, but not necessary).

If you have a right tilt saw, try putting the fence on the left side of the blade.

-kg

[Peter Quinn]

I think one of the best jigs I've seen like that was on New Yankee Workshop for making shaker style raised panels. Nahm has a video of the jig somewhere out there on You Tube. If you do a search of Raised Panels on Table Saw on google some plans come up.

For your application you want the show face of the triangle towards the fence and the blade tilted AWAY from the fence. Reversing this order would make a tricky set up and set you up for a very dangerous kick back as the off cut would be pinched between the blade and the fence.

[Leo Kempf]

Worked. Just finished cutting a test piece on my fresh jig. Thank you.