# Simplest possible tapered leg jig



## 716 (Nov 22, 2015)

I needed a few small clamps and bought a Dewalt glue gun/pair of clamps combo in HD so essentially the glue gun came for free. 
I wander if I can use it to make tapered cuts in 3" hard maple by just gluing the leg to some board with straight one edge like this:










1. Would it hold reliably while cutting ? I do not want the heavy leg to get loose and fly somewhere.
2. Would it be easy to separate after the cut.
3. How much glue to use ?


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## bbasiaga (Dec 8, 2012)

There are some faily simple taper jigs made of two pieces of wood and a hinge. Nail a board across the top to set the angle, but your piece up to it, and push the whole thing along the fence so the workpiece goes through the blade.

-Brian


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

I usually just cut out a sacrifice board and use it as a sled to push the piece through.
Like so!


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## 716 (Nov 22, 2015)

> I usually just cut out a sacrifice board and use it as a sled to push the piece through.
> Like so!
> 
> - jbay


Thanks jbay! I'll give it a try today.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Those taper jigs with the hinge at one end are VERY dangerous. Your glue idea would not give you perfect repeatability like jbay's suggestion or a jig that rides in the miter slot with 2 holddown clamps on it (what I use).


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## Pezking7p (Nov 17, 2013)

I think it would hold if you used enough glue, but it might not sit perfectly flat and thus wouldn't give a square cut.

For an extra $10 you can buy two hold down clamps and screw them to that board. Takes about 10 minutes to make and is pretty dang accurate.


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## 716 (Nov 22, 2015)

OK, I tried it and it appeared to be probably the safest and easiest taper jig ever. If you make tapered legs all day long by no means make something more permanent. I glued the leg to a piece of board at the desired angle. For the convenience I also glued a small plank to serve as a stop for repeatability but that is not necessary. The trick is to ride the workpiece on the bottom. That way any unevenness created by the hot glue does not matter. It is also safer and allows for using the whole blade cutting capacity.

The glue holds very good and is easy to peel off once the job is done. Once you finish the project use that board for something else. There is no any damage to it.


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## 716 (Nov 22, 2015)

On the second photo you see the finished cut with the jig still on. Notice the burnt section in the middle. Stupid me I forgot to remove the previous offcut from the blade guard and two wedge like offcuts jammed on the second cut.


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## hotbyte (Apr 3, 2010)

Cool! Nice to see it worked out.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

If you did it once, you'll do it again, so, build the sled. Not only will you be able to make tapered legs, you can clean rough edges.

I used 1/4-20 bolts and home made knobs (using T nuts) and hold-downs.

In the end, all you need is a table or band saw and a router. A band saw will allow you to shape the hold-downs and knobs easily.

I have cabinet dedicated to jig parts, such as homemade and store bought knobs, hold downs tracks, clamps and so on.

__
Bent pieces of garage sale aluminum and pallet oak transform into nice hold-downs. I cut the oak so it pivots on a circle on the back and the part the bolt goes through is elongated to allow extreme adjustments.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Those simple taper jigs work well on the bandsaw. Anything I put through the table saw has to be fastened tight with clamps, screws and/or glue so there's no risk of kickback.


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