How To Make A Taper Jig – Roughly: It is said that perfecting a skill requires about 10,000 hours of work and study. If so, I have about 9,000 hours left. But as they say, it's not the destination, it's the journey. More about KentM »
Having a variety of jigs is a must for anyone serious about woodworking. Having the right ability can open up a world of possibilities both in planning and building a project. Best of all, templates make difficult woodworking techniques much easier. Making your own stencils can also be very satisfying, especially when you're using one for a construction project.
How To Make A Taper Jig
I have created many stencils over the years, but recently decided to add a tapering stencil to my collection. I figured I could make a great template for about a quarter of the cost of buying one online, so here's a way to make yourself a tapered template on the cheap.
The Taper Maker
The path consists of a base to guide the workpiece across the blade and a guide bar to lock the workpiece in place for tapered cuts. I originally made these two pieces out of 1/2″ mdf. However, since the guide rod tends to flex quite a bit when locking in a workpiece, I decided that using 3/4″ pine for the guide rod would be better. choice
I bought the hardware for the jig from Rockler Woodworking when I modeled my jig after the ones they sell in their catalog. The cost of a kit that includes a good selection of screws, knobs, and a 4″ T-bar (much more than needed for this project) is $34.99, but that can be a great deal on sale. You can also buy these items separately.
The handles to guide the jig past the blade are generic handles purchased at my local hardware store.
Cut Perfect Tapers On The Table Saw
After you cut the bottom and steering stem to size, all you have to do is cut the T-slots into the two pieces. Each slot will have another shallow slot that recedes and places the head of the T-bolt below the surface. Start and finish the slots one inch from the ends of the base and two inches from the ends of the guide rod. Use a router for this step.
At the end of the handlebar I added an 8 inch gauge as a reference when adjusting the handlebar to the desired tension. All you have to do is snap the first 8 inches of the tape measure and then tape it to the bottom under a clear layer of packing tape
These photos show how to achieve the same taper on several workpieces when cutting the legs.
Taper Jig • Straight Line Ripping Jig For Table Saws With A 3/4” Wide By 3/8” Deep Miter Slot
After placing the first workpiece, select reference points on both ends of the tension and mark the locations with painter's tape. Since you won't be changing the guide bar on subsequent cuts, all you have to do is line up the edges of the other pieces with the reference points on the template.
Do some practice tests with the saw off and no workpiece on the roller. Do not attempt to cut until you are comfortable with your technique.
When you're ready, stand by the table saw and using the handles, hold the base firmly against the fence and slowly slide the piece over the blade.
Setting Up A Table Saw Taper Jig Properly
I've attached some pictures of my first attempt at using this pointed pattern. I think the tapered legs add more character to an otherwise plain box joint. I hope you find this guide useful. Happy woodworking! Every now and then I come across a cut that needs to be done with a pointed roller but since I've never had one I tend to do it with a creative tweezer. I ended up ordering some torque wrenches that ended up sitting on my shelf for a few months until I recently came across another project that needed to be scaled down. I looked around my shop, found my pliers and gathered enough scrap to make the style of pointed pattern I had in mind.
I looked at several different styles of jigs and decided what would suit me best. I didn't follow a plan and went with some scrap wood I had lying around, mostly 3/4″ birch plywood cut to about the length of my table saw. I wasn't going for a specific width, but I had some scraps about 16″ wide that I cut about 3″ to use as a top slide. I knew I needed two slots in both the base and the slide so that…well…the track could slide. The bases were placed about 3 inches from the edge and an inch from each side. The ones on the slide were about 1.5 inches from the tip and about 4 inches long. As for the width of the slots, it depended on the size of the screws I had around. I think he used a 1/4″ screw.
In order for the top slide to fit and lock securely, I needed some sort of slide and lock nut. I removed the bottom of the ribbed base about half the depth of my fabric. I then cut some pieces of wood to fit in these slots, sat just below the height but didn't rotate, then installed a tee. Using some random screws I had lying around and other scraps, I created the buttons to hold the slide in place while allowing it to move within the slots. Originally I was going to keep these squares as I wasn't really going for the mirror, but when they were angled they ended up being bigger than my slide and had to be sanded around. [one_third][/one_third][one_third] [ / one_third ][one_third_last][/one_third_last ]After removing the lower slides, I was able to install the miter gauge slide. Using the fence of the table saw, I positioned the pulley so it was about 1/4 inch past the blade and marked where the miter gauge was. After attaching the slide to the bottom of the base, I cut one side with the slide on the miter gauge so that everything was nice and square with the blade. If you need to cut something much larger than the slide, you'll need to add some lifting blocks for the replacement clamps. When I cut this sharp leg that was more than twice the height of the slide, I jumped on the rubber grip adjustment on the grips, but I had to keep the grip handle down. I know I didn't provide any plans for this pattern because it had wings. However, I will provide many links to other styles in this kit so you can choose what works best for you.[one_half][/one_half][one_half_last]Here is a similar tapered style, but it used an aluminum T track. . If I were to do it again, I would probably go for this style even though the cost of materials is a bit higher. I really like how they came off the slide completely.http://aviatorstudio.net/bdwithjig/bdw_wingjig.html[/one_half_last][one_half][/one_half][one_half_last]Another similar style but in this version ShopNotes Make your clips and use a fence As a reference instead of the bonnet gauge. It's that it doesn't offer any clamping ability to hold your item in place. This was posted by routerisstillmyname on LumberJocks. One of the nice things about this style is that you can actually buy aluminum if you don't want to go out and make one yourself. [/one_half_last]If you have a table saw, from the largest table saw to much smaller versions, one of the best ways to get the most out of it is to get a set of jigs that will allow you to cut more than just rip bases.
Taper Jig At Grizzly.com
If you enjoy making furniture or need to make sharp cuts, you need a proper sharpener to do it safely and accurately. We scoured the web to see what we could find, so here are 11 table saws you can easily make.
As this program explains, trying to cut corners can be tricky, and even dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. This is why you need a reliable sharpener if you need to make regular cuts that require precise angles.
We love this program because, as you'll see, you don't always have to overcomplicate yourself to get great results. This is a very simple quiz that almost anyone can do at home. The instructions are clear and to the point, and there's also a handy diagram to show you how to do it.
Microjig Microdial Tapering Jig At Lowes.com
If you need an easy plan for a successful taper that works with a table saw on the job site, a contractor table saw
