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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!

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love it, definitely added to my list of must haves. I built a taper jig a while back, but it was quickie to get me through the project - this ones a keeper! Well done, thanks for posting!
 

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I've been looking, although not seriously, for years for one of these jigs. One of those bits that I might, could, would, definitely need somewhere down the track. Actually I could have used it today, but that job is done now, so too late.

Looks like a beauty, thanks for showing.
 

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You can use a mirror image of that jig to cut tapered legs on a bandsaw, at least the ones that have a miter slot.
 

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Very nice. I may have to build one of these myself.
 

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I like your modifications. It seems as though the one in the video has a limited life due to drilling multiple holes in the MDF. Eventually there would be nothing left to drill into! I don't like making jigs twice if I can avoid it. Nice job!
 

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Dinger, you're absolutely right. That was something that I disliked about his version. I could see that it was going to be an exercise in frustration having my jig filled with holes and trying to avoid going into old ones. I also felt that it would be more secure having a small fence at the bottom to help secure the wood as I fed it through the table saw. I also liked having the sliding block with the hold-down to keep from having the risk of the wood getting somehow pushed back away from the saw. I REALLY appreciate the fact that you picked up the subtle differences between my jig and the one on the video; furthermore, that you took your time to post about it. I'm very appreciative of that.

I'm really excited about this jig. I've made several tables that I would have loved to put tapered legs on. As I said earlier, I'm getting ready to build a shadowbox coffee table for my wife. Surprisingly, there are no videos on YouTube showing anyone building one. That shocked me. I'm really enjoying this journey. I'm learning more and more with each project.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. It means a lot to me that you all took time out of your day to do that. I'm very appreciative!
 

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Nice sled!.... I made one very similar to yours. Mine has "T" track embedded in it so I can adjust the fence easily. I put the saw blade on an angle and make round tapered items like waste baskets and vases with mine. Safe and accurate.
 
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