Project Information
I've been searching for months for a tapered leg jig plan that was safe and accurate. I tried the hinge model and others that worked off the fence of a table saw, and I found them unsafe and imprecise. While surfing LJ's and several other sites, I came upon this page: http://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/video/a-simple-tapering-jig.aspx
I was really shocked at how simple it was to build, how precise it can be, and how safe it is. I took his design and modified it a bit adding a second carriage bolt at the top to help secure a longer leg, and I added a block at the bottom with an adjustable block to keep the project from pushing off-line.
I used a left over pine 1×10 for the base, made the hold-downs out of MDF blocks, the screw downs are accomplished using carriage bolts and t-nuts and homemade star knobs found from this website:
It's very simple to use. I mark on the side of the piece where I want the taper to begin. I match that up with where the board will intersect the edge of the board, then I draw a line on the endgrain of the board I'm cutting, and match that line with the edge of the jig, then tighten down everything and secure it to the board. I can stand on the side of the project away from the blade, push the sled towards the blade, and run the piece through. It's remarkably easy. I'm very happy with the end results. Now I'm going to work on building my wife a shadow-box coffee table, and make tapered legs using my new jig!
I was really shocked at how simple it was to build, how precise it can be, and how safe it is. I took his design and modified it a bit adding a second carriage bolt at the top to help secure a longer leg, and I added a block at the bottom with an adjustable block to keep the project from pushing off-line.
I used a left over pine 1×10 for the base, made the hold-downs out of MDF blocks, the screw downs are accomplished using carriage bolts and t-nuts and homemade star knobs found from this website:
It's very simple to use. I mark on the side of the piece where I want the taper to begin. I match that up with where the board will intersect the edge of the board, then I draw a line on the endgrain of the board I'm cutting, and match that line with the edge of the jig, then tighten down everything and secure it to the board. I can stand on the side of the project away from the blade, push the sled towards the blade, and run the piece through. It's remarkably easy. I'm very happy with the end results. Now I'm going to work on building my wife a shadow-box coffee table, and make tapered legs using my new jig!