# tablesaw joining jig



## tito5 (Apr 5, 2011)

So here is my new joining jig for the tablesaw. It works great. and the fact that it only cost me about 25 bucks. I bought a keyhole slot cutter $9, a sprial bit from HF $12, misc bolts, bolts, nuts and washers. 
Got the idea from current or last issue of fine woodworking mag.


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## Mecum23 (May 31, 2012)

Looks good

Sent from my iPhone using Wood Forum


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

I like it. How long or wide a piece can you put on it?


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## tito5 (Apr 5, 2011)

Well I found another use for it this weekend, crosscuting. I am building cutting boards and found that if I put the board on the sled and put my square to it it makes a perfect 90 degree cut. 

Rayking49....it is about 55 inches long, I wanted to make it longer, but the strip of wood I had as the runner was only 55 inches long. as for how wide of board I am not sure, as long as I had support to hold it up I could put a 4x8 sheet in there.


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## LukeDuke (Dec 2, 2012)

Very nice!


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

I like that this jig uses the miter slot to index off of. Most I've seen are run against the fence which I feel could cause some inconsistency with a large piece.

If you are going to be using it for cross cuts, I'd square up and install a small fence at the back. That way you won't have to break out the square each time you want to make a cut!


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Nicely done! Looks like a useful tool in the arsenal. Those hold-downs look like they were made out of wood. What's going on there?


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## tito5 (Apr 5, 2011)

they were, I am a cheap ass and don't want to spend 18 bucks a pop for the metal ones that rockler sells, found the plans on line to make them myself. used a old 2x4, jigsaw, and went to town. they work great!!!!!
http://www.woodsmithtips.com/2012/06/14/shop-made-hold-down/


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Wow, nice job on those too! Thanks for sharing the link.


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## tito5 (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks, I am really happy with it, I wish it was a little longer, however anything long might be a little harder to manage. not to mention I still can believe I got the wood runner to fit so perfect in the miter slot.


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## captainawesome (Jun 21, 2012)

tito5 said:


> Thanks, I am really happy with it, I wish it was a little longer, however anything long might be a little harder to manage. not to mention I still can believe I got the wood runner to fit so perfect in the miter slot.


Any tips on how you got such a good fit? Every time I make runners, I try to sneak up on the perfect fit, but even just sanding the last little bit off, I almost always end up with some side to side play at one end of the runner.


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## tito5 (Apr 5, 2011)

captainawesome said:


> Any tips on how you got such a good fit? Every time I make runners, I try to sneak up on the perfect fit, but even just sanding the last little bit off, I almost always end up with some side to side play at one end of the runner.


not really it was pure dumb luck, or beginners luck.


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## durdyolman (Mar 22, 2013)

*I got slop on my runner too*

I used Brazilian Koa for the runner of a home made mitre guage. Like everyone else it wound up a little loose fitting in the slot. I just predrilled and installed a #4 screw near the end of the runner to tighten it up. Sometimes due too weather, heat, humidity, etc. it becomes TOO tight, so I just loosen the screw a bit. It don't take much. This was just a spur of the moment project.


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## schreib (May 6, 2018)

tito5 said:


> they were, I am a cheap ass and don't want to spend 18 bucks a pop for the metal ones that rockler sells, found the plans on line to make them myself. used a old 2x4, jigsaw, and went to town. they work great!!!!!
> http://www.woodsmithtips.com/2012/06/14/shop-made-hold-down/


newbie here.
Could you please explain where or who HF is? source of spiral bit? thx.


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

schreib said:


> newbie here.
> Could you please explain where or who HF is? source of spiral bit? thx.


HF: Harbor Freight


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

Nice jig! I am assuming that you are using a thin ripping blade also.... If not, try this one: Freud 10" x 24T Thin Kerf Rip Blade (LU87R010). It makes a big difference on table saws with less than 2HP. When I started using it years ago for my 1-1/2hp Craftsman table saw, my cherry and maple boards stopped getting burned during ripping. The cuts were clean enough to glue up without taking to my jointer.

Eric


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I use a shorter version that I made for cutting tapered legs..works fine for smaller pieces although I probably should make another specifically for longer and wider pieces. Right now I'm limited to 6" wide.. Note the shop made knobs and the hold down arms adjust in or out and have been chopped into more than once.. I had to remind myself to always check the blade for square.. I don't always remember everything all the time.. I'm working on it. It has a few elements of Mickey Mousiness to it, but it works.. I was going to add a fence, but I decided to leave it off for longer legs..


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

tito5 said:


> they were, I am a cheap ass and don't want to spend 18 bucks a pop for the metal ones that rockler sells, found the plans on line to make them myself. used a old 2x4, jigsaw, and went to town. they work great!!!!!
> http://www.woodsmithtips.com/2012/06/14/shop-made-hold-down/


Okay, I am calling B.S. on this "shop-made" hold down. 

I am NOT impressed with this "cheap" hold down, because the photo shows commercially bought T-screw, knob, and T-track. The only part that is shop-made is the hold down bar itself. I am not sure that you save much with it. Besides, it doesn't have to be so fancy. A simple piece with a deep notch and rounded (sanded) edges would work fine and take a minute to make. 

If you want a shop-made solution, I like what @allpurpose did. It is truly shop-made. 

You could also make the woodsmithtips' version with a T-track router bit, a hex bolt, a wing nut, and some scrap wood. True, the bolt and wing nut are "commercially bought", but they are cheap ordinary parts that you can find at the big box store, not specialty woodworking parts from the woodworking store.

(Confession: I have a box with a few of those commercially made "jig parts" in my shop, like those t-bolts and through-screw knobs. They are very handy. I also have ordinary hex bolts, nuts, and wing nuts, too.)


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