# some ts sled advice



## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

Time to ask for some help again. I am tasked with an order for a light house. Six sided and about four foot tall. I know I need to make a taper jig for my table saw for the cuts but I can't wrap my head around something. I understand the taper on the first side but when I cut the opposite side do I adjust for a new setting? With one side already tapered I feel it will be off. Any advice?


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Jeff if you start with square boards, you can save your off-cut from the first side to use as a spacer when you cut the second side.


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## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

Thanks Ken. Every time I think of this I get confused. Angle vs. taper vs opposite side. What you said makes sense.


> Jeff if you start with square boards, you can save your off-cut from the first side to use as a spacer when you cut the second side.
> 
> - HokieKen


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Make yourself a track saw guide and make both cuts at once safely, just a thought.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

track saw ^^






Table saw ^^


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## MLWilson (Jun 28, 2015)

Clamp, or double-side-tape, the piece to be cut on a sacrificial board that'll ride the fence. Mark the taper on the victim, across the face and down the edges. Line up the markings with the edge of the "sled." Make the cut. If your victim overwhelms the sled board, use a wider sled board.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

When you say this is a 6 sided lighthouse I assume you are saying that it is smaller at the top than the bottom? If so, this means that you basically need to cut tapered staves which means that you not only need a taper cut on the board but you also need the blade tilted at 30 degrees (360/6/2).

If you mark where all the taper cuts begin and end on the ends of the board before you make the first cut, you simply have to adjust the jig so that those lines align with the edge of the jig ( or saw blade) for each cut. If you cut all of the right sides first, you can then make the setup for the second side and make all of them without changing anything. Because of the 30 degree tilt of the blade, you will make the first side cut going one direction (top to bottom for example) and the second by turning it end for end and going the other direction (bottom to top).

Since the angle of the taper will determine the diameter of the top and bottom of the lighthouse, you may want to calculate this in advance to determine how wide the top and bottom of the staves need to be for your layout lines.


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## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

Thanks for the help everyone, I really do appreciate it. I guess I'll consider each method. It will be tapered, wider on bottom then top. I'll try a cardboard model first to get my sizing down. Track saw sound good if I can get the angle correct. (wixey) Thanks again for the advice!!


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

I made a 6 sided lighthouse last year following this drawing for the jig:









the drawing and the jig was copied from a fellow member from SMC,here's the link:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?186637-Jig-for-making-lighthouse-sides&highlight=how+to+cut+taper+for+lighthouse


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

> . . . this means that you basically need to cut tapered staves which means that you not only need a taper cut on the board but you also need the blade tilted at 30 degrees . . . (360/6/2).


It is worse than that. The bevel angle can't be calculated simply because it is a compound taper. In order to have the edges meet perfectly, you need to use a special calculator such as the one below.

http://www.pdxtex.com/canoe/compound.htm


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## ChefHDAN (Aug 7, 2010)

Take a look at how HFFCom does the hollow tapered legs this table, I thought it was a pretty slick method moving the fence to the left of the blade to bevel the already tapered board, I think it'd do the same for your project too,


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## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

Good idea cutting the tapers after the blanks are cut.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

> . . . this means that you basically need to cut tapered staves which means that you not only need a taper cut on the board but you also need the blade tilted at 30 degrees . . . (360/6/2).
> 
> It is worse than that. The bevel angle can t be calculated simply because it is a compound taper. In order to have the edges meet perfectly, you need to use a special calculator such as the one below.
> 
> ...


I had forgotten about that phenomenon. I think that using the untapered angle might still work, especially with a slight taper angle. It would probably just have a gap on the inside of the joint (making it weak). The biggest problem is making the cuts precisely enough that you don't wind up with a gap anyway. Even a 1 degree error in the tilt of the blade multiplies by twice the number of sides. and causes weak joints or visible gaps. The way to fix that is to join the pieces making 2 halves and then sand the edges on both halves flat before gluing the halves together. I had to do that on a beer mug I made recently. Even with straight staves I discovered that minor errors add up to visible gaps.

Here is another resource that I saw a while back that might be helpful for figuring out the compound angles.

http://woodgears.ca/miter/


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have made some lighthouse/birdfeeders that were three feet tall. I have also made a number of other projects requiring tapered cuts. I have found that the issue of correcting the angle as per the chart can be ignored if the taper angle is less than 5°. I made a taper sled for my table saw. I suggest you make one of them. This sled will allow you to reproduce duplicate items and many other projects that require a sled of this type. I have attached a photo of my taper sled and some simple projects I have made using it.


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## jeffswildwood (Dec 26, 2012)

Jim that looks what I had in mind. I understand the concept for the first side, but what about the second side? Do you readjust the setting (risky for accuracy) or like Ken said insert the cut off piece. That is where I am confused. Side A would be consistent but turning the board over for side B. Would no adjustment be needed?


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

Yes cut all side "A" and then reset jig for side "B". Absolute accuracy is not necessary. Not all that hard. Mark top width and bottom width on the wood and set jig for blade to meet both. I always cut one extra stave so if I need to I can adjust it to fit, if necessary.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

The other way to adjust for fit is to glue them up in 2 halves and then sand the 4 remaining edges so that they are coplanar on a flat surface before gluing the haves together. Even without the compound bevel causing the angle to be slightly less than 30°, you will likely get a little bit of error from imprecise blade angle or angle on the taper jig and this will take care of it.


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