Miter Spline Jig for Table Saw Crosscut Sled

After several years of woodworking, I just purchased my first table saw (Porter Cable PCB220). There’s a lot you can do without one if you get creative (although it makes most of those things SO much easier), but miter splines were one of those things I could never improvise my way around.

The first week after getting it, I spent setting it up and making jigs—not the most exciting for me, but I learned a lot. Here’s one I wanted to share. I was going to build a fence-rider sacrificial jig for miter splines, but I made the saddle too tight and it wouldn’t slide. Just as well, because I came up with this design when I couldn’t sleep that night. It’s a simple design—4 pieces of 2-by-something cut at 45’s, screwed and glued onto 1/2 inch ply with 2 other pieces of 1/2 inch ply on top. I added blocks on the sides to clamp it to the crosscut sled fence and a block or maple as a stop. There is a single kerf in the center of the jig—assuming you clamp it in the same place each time, and it should last a while (vs the sacrificial type). Using it the first time was flawless, and I’m glad the fence-rider didn’t work out.

-- Chad in Charleston, SC, http://www.etsy.com/shop/acousticallyblue