Desk saws are Preferably suited to ripping lumber—long cuts parallel to the grain of your Wooden. On the other hand, a single frequent accessory that is often included together with your desk noticed, called a miter gauge, could make the desk noticed just as helpful for making cross-cuts perpendicular into the grain in the wood at different angles, from ninety-diploma perpendicular cuts to miters of almost any angle.

Given that a table saw's blade can be established for angles as much as 45-degrees, the miter gauge allows your saw to make lots of the compound cuts that happen to be normally reserved for any compound miter noticed or radial-arm noticed.

Most desk saws have miter gauges, but You can also find specialised and extremely specific immediately after-market place miter gauges You should purchase. A fantastic miter gauge can be a hugely specific piece of apparatus which will Charge a number of hundred pounds.

Prime-high-quality miter gauges are exact down to fractions of a degree.

8 Strategies for Environment an attractive Desk

How a Miter Gauge Operates

A miter gauge consists of a protracted thin metallic tutorial that rides from the miter slot within the desk of your noticed. Attached to this guideline is really a 50 percent-moon formed head that pivots on its relationship point to your manual. A locking system makes it possible for this pivoting section being locked into any angle, from -45 levels to +45 levels). Each time a workpiece is positioned versus the fence in the gauge and your entire assembly (miter gauge and board) is slid ahead throughout the observed blade, the workpiece is Slash on the precise angle you identified as for.

Some miter gauges have "good stops" that enable the gauge for being promptly established with the most often used angles (for instance 90-, 45-, 30-, and 22 one/2-levels).

Building Sq. Cross-Cuts That has a Miter Gauge

While you discover how to use a table noticed miter gauge, the easiest Reduce to learn is often a sq. cross-Slice, where by the miter gauge is ready to 90 levels based on the angle markings on the gauge, and the end from the board is Reduce sq..

Even though the angle settings on miter gauges are created to be as precise as you possibly can, frequently they may be a number of degrees outside of kilter. To examine the precision of your gauge:

one. Set the gauge to ninety degrees (or 0 levels, based on how your gauge is marked) markings), for the sq. Slash that is definitely completely perpendicular into the miter slot with your desk saw).

two. Unplug your table noticed's electrical twine and lift the blade as superior as it can go.

three. Slide the gauge ahead until finally it really is in line with the front edge of the exposed, stationary saw blade (do not attempt this with no very first disconnecting the noticed from the ability resource).

4. Place just one square fringe of a six-inch combination sq. from the saw blade, plus the corresponding edge of the square towards the flat, forward edge of the miter gauge. When the square aligns correctly with both equally the blade along with the gauge, then your gauge's options are accurate.

If there are any gaps amongst the sq. and possibly the blade or the gauge, change the angle of your gauge until finally they align flawlessly, and tighten the locking mechanism.

To make a cross-Reduce:

one. Slide the miter gauge backwards (towards Your whole body) into the entrance fringe of the noticed desk, and position a board from the flat edge of the gauge.

two. Generate a pencil mark over the Wooden where you intend to make the cross-Slice, and align that mark Along with the noticed blade (when holding the board flat from the miter gauge).

three. Plug in and turn over the observed, then slide the miter gauge—Using the board held securely from The pinnacle from the gauge—forward and past the observed blade, finishing the cross-Lower.

4. When the Slash is done, ease the board together the gauge and far from the blade and slide The entire assembly back again to your starting place in advance of turning from the saw motor.

As with click here all operation that has a desk noticed, always maintain your palms well away from the table observed's blade.

Making Angled Cross-Cuts By using a Miter Gauge

Angled cross-cuts are comparable to sq. cuts, other than that the miter john witherspoon Miter saw gauge is about to an angle of up to 45 levels right before sliding the gauge and corresponding wood piece towards the blade to generate the Reduce. When making an angled Lower utilizing the miter gauge, go the gauge a little bit slower than you did building a square Slice, since the gauge's movement may have a tendency to slip the board from situation as you progress it over the blade. A little woodworking clamp can be utilized to protected the board on the gauge as you make the Lower.

Compound cuts, showcasing each miter and bevel angles, could be concluded by location equally the angle in the miter gauge along with the bevel of the observed blade to the desired angles prior to sliding the gauge forward over the observed blade.

Adapting a Miter Gauge

When slicing lengthier boards (of up to 4 feet in length), you might want to secure a sacrificial strip of Wooden towards the face of your respective miter gauge to provide added balance for the board getting Minimize. Most miter gauges Have miter saw black friday deals a very matching set of holes from the back by which you are able to drive a Wooden screw to protected the sacrificial board for the flat experience of the miter gauge. Some large-high quality miter gauges feature an extra-long Wooden going through for accurately this reason.

Also, there are jigs which can be hooked up into a miter gauge to produce specialty cuts. One particular these kinds of case in point can be a box joint jig for earning beautifully-matched box joints (or finger joints) utilizing your table observed in addition to a stacked dado blade set.