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Table Saw Accessorizing

Project by Olaf Gradin posted 674 days ago 1937 views 4 times favorited 14 comments Add to Favorites Watch

I made up a jig out of a magazine recently for my table saw. It’s a simple, but effective miter extender. I put forth the unnecessary effort of adding a spline joint to the design (using padauk as the spline material). I did it because the glued butt joint called for looked weak. What I didn’t realize until later was that the article said to note grain direction on this part to insure that your were not gluing end grain. I didn’t note grain direction – something I really need to pay more attention to. When I read this part later, I realized that my spline joint was ineffective as a strengthening measure because it was glued to end grain on one piece and long grain on the other. Of course, in a piece such as a marking slide on your table saw jig, this matters very little. It will not likely encounter the force to break it unless it gets dropped or something. So in the end, I added a pretty red spline for aesthetics and a learning experience. Oh well.

The project was made using magnolia for the length, sycamore for the stop-block, and padauk for the spline.

-- It takes a viking to raze a village. &mdash Blog'r: http://www.gradin.com


14 comments so far

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

11338 posts in 766 days


posted 674 days ago

It is good to have a stop on the miter fence for repeatable cuts.

View rjack's profile

rjack

110 posts in 747 days


posted 674 days ago

It looks like you will get alot of use out it!

-- Roger - Havertown, Pennsylvania

View Andy's profile

Andy

570 posts in 800 days


posted 674 days ago

This is a handy device,thanks for the tip!
But I think you are being too hard on yourself.I agree that edge grain would have been a better gluing surface but the spline adds a lot of strength to this type of joint regardless of grain direction.Plus it just looks nice.

-- " If I can make it,so can you" Andy in Oregon

View SPalm's profile

SPalm

944 posts in 774 days


posted 674 days ago

Nice looking extender. Mine is much uglier. I need to spend more time on such things, they are a joy to use.

I guess that is a home made T-Track? If so, did you use a keyhole/picture_hanger type router bit?

Chill over the spline, but I guess it is a ‘note to self’ to watch out for this situation in the future. You could always add a dowl or two at this point if you are worried.

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

View mrtrim's profile

mrtrim

1700 posts in 772 days


posted 674 days ago

looks like a very handy jig

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9520 posts in 880 days


posted 674 days ago

Good looking miter fence. Should come in handy.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View TomFran's profile

TomFran

2509 posts in 886 days


posted 674 days ago

Great accessory for the table saw! Nice work.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

View Dominic Vanacora's profile

Dominic Vanacora

504 posts in 761 days


posted 674 days ago

I used the table saw and I could have used this with greater accuraticy and safer use. Nice I idea thank for sharing.

-- Dominic, Trinity, Florida...Lets be safe out there.

View Olaf Gradin's profile

Olaf Gradin

61 posts in 731 days


posted 674 days ago

@SPalm: It is a homemade T-Track. I didn’t have the bit you’re talking about, so I made it with the table saw. I find changing bits on my router frustrating, so I tend to look for other options. In this case, I made the fence from two pieces of wood glue-laminated together. I cut the bottom of the T-Track with a single (non-through) table saw cut down the length of my wood. I then cut the wood in half lengthwise. With a waxed-spline inserted into the matching kerf cuts, I was able to glue the two halves together to make the fence you see pictured. After the glue dried, I merely tapped the waxed spline with a hammer and pulled it out of the groove. In case you’re unfamiliar with this process, it’s done to keep the kerfs aligned perfectly during the glue up. I then used the table saw to cut out the track run. I don’t have a dado blade, so I just cut it twice to dislodge the piece floating over the spline cut. It takes some careful measuring to ensure your resulting cuts will leave a run in the track slightly larger than your bolt. I posted about some problems I had in this process here. The beauty in doing this part on the table saw is that you only have to measure once (or twice in one place, anyway). When using a rip fence on the table saw, you can quickly center cuts like this by simply flipping the board over and repeating the cut on the other side of your board. It’s probably common knowledge, but I suspect that some people forget the simple stuff and lose time to “second guesses.”

-- It takes a viking to raze a village. &mdash Blog'r: http://www.gradin.com

View Chris 's profile

Chris

1462 posts in 883 days


posted 674 days ago

Nice Design…

-- Chris

View Grumpy's profile

Grumpy

14914 posts in 743 days


posted 674 days ago

Great jig Olaf. Even though you have had some problems it will still be a very handy accessory.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

View USCJeff's profile

USCJeff

899 posts in 960 days


posted 667 days ago

Nicely Done. You should check out TomFrans extension poster a few days ago. I like how he used sandpaper. Worth a shot.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

View HokieMojo's profile

HokieMojo

1138 posts in 620 days


posted 513 days ago

I really like this project. I’m intrigued by the use of magnolia. Is this readily available? I’ve been looking around but can’t find any suppliers on the internet. nice work.

View Olaf Gradin's profile

Olaf Gradin

61 posts in 731 days


posted 512 days ago

It’s not real common, even in northeast Georgia where the trees are. I’m not exactly sure why you don’t see more of it, but I can say the trees have to be fairly large. With the branches arranged around the trunk its entire length, it can very knotty. Mine is practically void, but I picked the boards that way.

-- It takes a viking to raze a village. &mdash Blog'r: http://www.gradin.com

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