Taper Jig question....

[Dennis Peacock]

OK....I finally made a taper jig. I made it from solid red oak with that jointed and planed. I used Norm's design for it. The problem I have is that since it has sat in the shop for 6 months, the boards that I put in it to cut a taper will not lay flat against the entire surface of the taper jig. I will only touch at the back 1/3 of the jig and the front (end closest to the saw blade) is about 1/4" AWAY from the jig and closer to the saw blade.

If you have made yourself a taper jig.....what did you make yours out of and is it still straight and true today....(providing you didn't make it in the last 24 hours to 3 months of course)..

I need a faster way of cutting 36 tapered boards instead of cutting them on the BS and then trying to true them up on the sander.

[Terry Hatfield]

d,

Well first I made myself 20 bucks...then I bought a metal one.

t

[Lee Schierer]

I have a very cheap taper jig. It is a piece of 1/2" plywood with a track on one side to fit the crosscut groove. I attach the piece I want taperd to the top with double sided tape. I can mark the start and end point of the taper on the piece line those marks up with the edge and stick it to the surface and make the cut. It is simple and easy to use. Since it was plywood, it is still straight after several years

[Donnie Raines]

Have you tried tapering on the jointer?....much quicker and requires little to no sanding when you are done.

DonnieR

[Paul Held]

I did what Terry did. Just bought a metal one. It hasn't warped yet.

Paul

[Don Abele]

Dennis, I made my taper jig (ala Norm) using 2 pieces of 1/2" baltic birch laminated together. It's been from Florida to Maine to Washington State to Virginia and still straight as an arrow. If I had to replace it though, I'd buy the aluminum one - they are much cheaper now.

[Michael Perata]

I need a faster way of cutting 36 tapered boards instead of cutting them on the BS and then trying to true them up on the sander.

If the 36 boards are the same, make a one-off jig out some scrap to get what has to be done today out of the way.

I would recommend an OTC metal jig for the future.

[Glenn Clabo]

Dennis,
I think the best (fastest?) way is with the planer. Make a jig than go to it. Here's an article from FWW about that and other ways to do it.
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00036.asp

[Dennis Peacock]

Dennis, I made my taper jig (ala Norm) using 2 pieces of 1/2" baltic birch laminated together. It's been from Florida to Maine to Washington State to Virginia and still straight as an arrow. If I had to replace it though, I'd buy the aluminum one - they are much cheaper now.

Hey Doc,

My problem is that I haven't found a place around here that even has BB plywood. I took a look at some Birch plywood I have in the shop but it is as wavy at the solid stock on the jig so that wouldn't improve it any. I wonder if making one out of MDF would be OK.?

[Dennis Peacock]

If the 36 boards are the same, make a one-off jig out some scrap to get what has to be done today out of the way.

I would recommend an OTC metal jig for the future.

Michael,

Good idea there. I didn't think about that as a solution, but then that is why there are places like SMC to get ideas for solutions to shop problems.!!

[Scott Coffelt]

Did you use his old design or the newest? I saw a show where he wnet back and redid several jigs. This time around he used angle iron rabbitted in to keep it straight.

[Dean Baumgartner]

Dennis,
Made mine out of red oak and a hinge about 12 years ago. Couple of coats of poly and it's still as straight today as when I made it. It doesn't get as humid here as in Arkansas but for most of that 12 years my shop was in the basement so humidity was probably in the 80% range.



Dean

[Steve Clardy]

Use plywood or Mdf. Or as stated above, make a one time jig. I went out in shop to snatch a jig I used when I made a lot of table legs to snap a pic for you, but hadn't used it in several years, so I think it got turned into firewood. Hafta clean house once in a while around here.
[No way to keep up with T. Hatfield around here.]
Steve

[Dan Cameron]

Here's a pic of my baltic birch taper jig.