Download Free Plans: www.woodcademy.com/wctv If you enjoy our free videos and plans, please consider supporting Woodcademy through Patreon. www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=39...
This is a nice build and way to save an old miter gauge. I'll definitely be breathing new life into my old miter gauge with this. One tip you missed... when making the face piece of the fence, and while creating the slots/t-track on the router, add a small chamfer to the lower face side so you have a small area for dust to collect and not cause the workpiece to be pushed away from the fence.
Yes yes and yes I agree with you. Tuning up the factory miter gauge is very worthwhile. My Delta table saw miter gauge received nylon set screws the first week I owned it. I made a simpler miter extension but it is very functional.
Hi Ralph, i have the same miter problem, came up with the same solution and found your great vid ! Gonna use your solution, now i see it works ! Thx a lot for sharing , greetings Piet from Amsterdam Holland.
Thanks for posting this-after getting sick of replacing blue tape, I've just done this with my crappy Dewalt mitre gauge.Ended up with a M4 nylon grub screw as there wasn't a lot of meat on the guage to go for. Will have to see how it holds up.
John, Glad you found this useful! The nice part about the nylon set screws is that they won't mar your miter slot, and as they wear, you can quickly re-adjust them.
Bill, you do what you feel is safe. I will never tell you to do anything you are not comfortable with. But VERY FEW blade guards work with miter gauges, especially when you need a backer.
@@Woodcademyshow Actually blade guards do work with miter gauges. Even with a backer. You are encouraging bad safety practices. Your fingers were less than 2" from that blade without a guard or even a riving knife. If you have a kickback like that your fingers will be gone before you even feel the blade cut them off. A small fraction of the fastest human reaction time. Can't fix stupid can we.
I have been using the same type for 50 yrs. with great results. The play in the slot lets you fine turn a cut. Allways use a wood piece on the fence. Why would anyone want a metal on the miter. Before chop saws we would have two miters, one right and one left 45d.
Kenny, When I can't find things at my local hardware store, McMaster-Carr is my go to source. The plans for the Miter Gauge Upgrade list the set screws, but here is the link from McMaster: www.mcmaster.com/products/set-screws/plastic-flat-tip-set-screws/thread-size~10-32/?s=nylon+set+screws Of course, you have to buy 100, LOL
if you're going to use a cheap plastic protractor to calibrate your miter gauge, flip it over and check that it's still lined up with 90. same if you use a square instead of a protractor.
Checking your measuring devices is always a good idea. Surprisingly, I've found these cheap plastic protractors to be remarkably accurate. Thanks for watching the show!
Cool solution but lil suggestion 👍 if you want something a lil longer lasting you can get dog point brass tipped set screws they're like the name brass tipped and the dog point is extended out and flat also to keep from having to adjust them a lot from saw vibration backing them out etc get some shorter brass tips get them adjusted then run a short regular set screw in behind to lock your guide screw in place 👍👍👍
Also if you're not used to working with metal and want to get an accurate start for your drill bit instead of center punching your bar use a center drill first then run your tap drill you can get a cheap set at harbor freight or online for under 10 bucks 👍👍👍
Great ideas, thank you for sharing! There are any number of good options. I chose the nylon set screws for cost and ease of use for the average woodworker.
A well stocked hardware store may have them, but I ordered mine from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) I had to buy a pack of 50, but they were less than $10.00. McMaster has been my go-to for odd hardware for decades.
A good aftermarket Miter Guage can run upwards of $400.00 I have the Osborne EB3 which runs about $140.00 currently. For many folks, the effort is worth the savings. Your mileage may vary. Thanks for watching!
CJ, you can do that, but since the pivot point of the head is centered on the bar, aligning off the edge can distort the reading slightly, especially at high angles.
@@cjlures8618 My miter bar has a slightly rounded edge to the bar, it is not sharp. Working off the scribed line gives me the same reading every time. The cool part about building your own jigs and fixtures is that you get to do them your way.
I'm not sure I understand the point of scribing the center line. If you're going to measure and tune accuracy with a protractor, why not just use the edge of the miter bar as your reference point? Adding your own line just adds an additional risk of error. Nice video, btw. I don't mean to sound negative/critical, you just confused me on that one point. I was actually excited that you were going in a different direction: scribing the line on the underside of the bar, then adding some low friction material to make the gauge slide more smoothly.
Rob, because my protractor has a slightly rounded edge along the top so there is not crisp line to set the protractor to. Scribing the line and including the miter gauge pivot point on the line will be as accurate as you can make it.
Jimmy, we agree, but so far, no manufacturer is supplying a really good miter gauge, and many are extremely cheap, even on expensive brands! I have asked manufacturers about this at trade shows, and they say, "The buyer is going to get an aftermarket miter gauge anyway, so why bother?" I did point out that if the factory miter gauge was good, the buyer would not NEED to go out and buy a replacement.
I fail to understand why there is so much slop designed into the system. I guess that for trade use when the slot contains sawdust it will still slide. IMO false reasoning. I find there is always at least one illogical deficiency when machines are manufactured abroad, as they are now.
This is a nice build and way to save an old miter gauge. I'll definitely be breathing new life into my old miter gauge with this.
One tip you missed... when making the face piece of the fence, and while creating the slots/t-track on the router, add a small chamfer to the lower face side so you have a small area for dust to collect and not cause the workpiece to be pushed away from the fence.
Thanks for watching! A dust bevel is often a good idea. You just need to keep it small, especially if you work with thin stocks like veneers.
Great "practical" video. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing. Very helpful! Ken
Thank you!
Yes yes and yes I agree with you. Tuning up the factory miter gauge is very worthwhile. My Delta table saw miter gauge received nylon set screws the first week I owned it. I made a simpler miter extension but it is very functional.
I find myself grabbing this upgraded unit as often as my Osborne EB-3
Hi Ralph, i have the same miter problem, came up with the same solution and found your great vid ! Gonna use your solution, now i see it works ! Thx a lot for sharing , greetings Piet from Amsterdam Holland.
My Pleasure!
Thanks for this money saving video!
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!
Thanks for posting this-after getting sick of replacing blue tape, I've just done this with my crappy Dewalt mitre gauge.Ended up with a M4 nylon grub screw as there wasn't a lot of meat on the guage to go for. Will have to see how it holds up.
John, Glad you found this useful!
The nice part about the nylon set screws is that they won't mar your miter slot, and as they wear, you can quickly re-adjust them.
Heres a pro tip. For safe operation use the blade guard that came with the saw.
Bill, you do what you feel is safe. I will never tell you to do anything you are not comfortable with. But VERY FEW blade guards work with miter gauges, especially when you need a backer.
@@Woodcademyshow Actually blade guards do work with miter gauges. Even with a backer.
You are encouraging bad safety practices.
Your fingers were less than 2" from that blade without a guard or even a riving knife. If you have a kickback like that your fingers will be gone before you even feel the blade cut them off. A small fraction of the fastest human reaction time. Can't fix stupid can we.
Most exellent video
Thank you, Jim! Be sure to check out our main Channel as well at ua-cam.com/channels/lV27OzOZuVtYNDQeZgYNFA.html
Great video very well explained everything, thanks...
My pleasure Issac! Be sure to check out our website at www.woodcademy.com, loads of free stuff there!
I have been using the same type for 50 yrs. with great results. The play in the slot lets you fine turn a cut. Allways use a wood piece on the fence. Why would anyone want a metal on the miter. Before chop saws we would have two miters, one right and one left 45d.
Play in the bar means no two cuts will be exactly alike. There is a reason that every aftermarket miter gauge is adjustable.
Ralph, can you tell me where you got your allen head set screws for the miter bar ? Thank you !
Kenny, When I can't find things at my local hardware store, McMaster-Carr is my go to source.
The plans for the Miter Gauge Upgrade list the set screws, but here is the link from McMaster: www.mcmaster.com/products/set-screws/plastic-flat-tip-set-screws/thread-size~10-32/?s=nylon+set+screws
Of course, you have to buy 100, LOL
if you're going to use a cheap plastic protractor to calibrate your miter gauge, flip it over and check that it's still lined up with 90. same if you use a square instead of a protractor.
Checking your measuring devices is always a good idea.
Surprisingly, I've found these cheap plastic protractors to be remarkably accurate.
Thanks for watching the show!
Cool solution but lil suggestion 👍 if you want something a lil longer lasting you can get dog point brass tipped set screws they're like the name brass tipped and the dog point is extended out and flat also to keep from having to adjust them a lot from saw vibration backing them out etc get some shorter brass tips get them adjusted then run a short regular set screw in behind to lock your guide screw in place 👍👍👍
Also if you're not used to working with metal and want to get an accurate start for your drill bit instead of center punching your bar use a center drill first then run your tap drill you can get a cheap set at harbor freight or online for under 10 bucks 👍👍👍
Great ideas, thank you for sharing! There are any number of good options. I chose the nylon set screws for cost and ease of use for the average woodworker.
Thanks. Where I can find the nylon screw ?
A well stocked hardware store may have them, but I ordered mine from McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) I had to buy a pack of 50, but they were less than $10.00. McMaster has been my go-to for odd hardware for decades.
Lol. Lyon screw
be nice if you put links to all the products you use
Joe, I can go back and do this. Meanwhile, any tools you specifically want links to?
With all that work and expense, you might as well buy a new upgraded miter gauge.
A good aftermarket Miter Guage can run upwards of $400.00 I have the Osborne EB3 which runs about $140.00 currently. For many folks, the effort is worth the savings. Your mileage may vary.
Thanks for watching!
instead of scribed line on bar ,use edge of bar
CJ, you can do that, but since the pivot point of the head is centered on the bar, aligning off the edge can distort the reading slightly, especially at high angles.
@@Woodcademyshow ONLY SQUARING THE FENCE
@@cjlures8618 My miter bar has a slightly rounded edge to the bar, it is not sharp. Working off the scribed line gives me the same reading every time.
The cool part about building your own jigs and fixtures is that you get to do them your way.
I'm not sure I understand the point of scribing the center line. If you're going to measure and tune accuracy with a protractor, why not just use the edge of the miter bar as your reference point? Adding your own line just adds an additional risk of error. Nice video, btw. I don't mean to sound negative/critical, you just confused me on that one point. I was actually excited that you were going in a different direction: scribing the line on the underside of the bar, then adding some low friction material to make the gauge slide more smoothly.
Rob, because my protractor has a slightly rounded edge along the top so there is not crisp line to set the protractor to. Scribing the line and including the miter gauge pivot point on the line will be as accurate as you can make it.
@@Woodcademyshow That makes perfect sense. Thanks for clarifying.
@@rwunsche My pleasure! and be sure to subscribe!
Wouldn’t you know - I bought an upgraded miter gauge and it won’t fit my 1963 Craftsman. Grrrr! I’ll work a bit on the table miter slots and see.
How wide is the slot on the Craftsman?
The miter gauge should be right in the first place the manufacturer should rectify this sloppy problem
Jimmy, we agree, but so far, no manufacturer is supplying a really good miter gauge, and many are extremely cheap, even on expensive brands! I have asked manufacturers about this at trade shows, and they say, "The buyer is going to get an aftermarket miter gauge anyway, so why bother?" I did point out that if the factory miter gauge was good, the buyer would not NEED to go out and buy a replacement.
I fail to understand why there is so much slop designed into the system. I guess that for trade use when the slot contains sawdust it will still slide. IMO false reasoning. I find there is always at least one illogical deficiency when machines are manufactured abroad, as they are now.