How to Cut Angles on a Table Saw Using a Taper Guide for Accuracy
George VondriskaDescription
After you’ve learned the basics of how to use a table saw, you’ll want to take advantage of useful jigs that make your table saw even more versatile. For example, have you wondered how to cut angles on a table saw? There’s a jig for that! A taper guide may look tricky to set up but with the technique shown here, setup is not difficult and the resulting cut quality is impressive.
What’s a taper guide?
The taper guide shown in this video has two legs that adjust to the exact angle you need to cut. Most models have a degree mark on one leg, but translating the line you need to cut to the degrees on the taper guide can be vexing. Instead, check out our technique which has you simply measure, adjust and measure again until everything lines up. It can take a little patience, but it certainly isn’t difficult and once you know how to cut angles on a table saw, you’ll be able to take on more complex woodworking projects.
Let’s Get Set Up
Once the taper jig is adjusted properly, it’s time to locate the fence. With the blade up, you’ll position the taper guide against the fence and the board against the taper guide. The taper guide and the board travel together as you make the cut.
Make the Angled Cut
When everything is set, you’ll start the table saw and make the perfect angled cut. The cut quality made using the table saw and taper guide can’t be beat. Knowing how to cut angles on a table saw will enhance your woodworking projects, as will watching any and all of WWGOA’s woodworking videos.
Using a taper guide like that one on the table saw can be a little bit tricky to set up but it's worth mastering cause it's a good way to cut angles on your table saw. The deal is that I've got two legs here that I can adjust, open and close, and that changes the angle I'm going to cut at. And commonly the taper guides come with a degree mark item like this one has on that arm. The problem is how do I translate the line I need to cut on the board, to the degrees on the taper guide. And the answer is don't bother.
I'm going to show you how to just lay it out directly onto the table saw. So here's the thing, on the board put the line on here, that's your layout line for the angle then bring the edge of the board up against your taper guide. And now what we're going to do is measure and measure and measure until we get this right. So right, is going to be when I measure here at this end of the board and when I come back here and measure at this end of the board, I have the same number. So in my case, right now, I'm at seven and 13, 16.
So on that end. Seven on this end. So I need to open this up a little bit. Now I'm at seven and three quarter. Seven and 7/8".
Seven and 7/8". Hmm. Strong seven and 7/8". So I'm getting close. Just under eight.
And I got to go back a little. I went too far on my side, so it just is trial and error until we get it right. I snugged up that wing nut so that it wouldn't move quite as much, now that I'm close. That ain't all bad. All right.
Once we have the angle right, the next thing we need to do is locate the fence. In order to set the fence, what I'll do is bring the blade up to where I want it to be, or my three quarter inch stop. Then, with a taper guide against the fence and the board against the taper guide, slide the fence over. And what I'm doing is sighting through the pencil line to the saw blade, until they line up. Now, remember that what we want to do here is have the taper guide and the board travel together.
It's not that the board slides along the jig. They both go at the same time. And one more little bit, I think we're pretty good there. Now we're ready to make the cut. With careful set up, we're cutting right along that pencil line.
We get the benefit of the good cut quality that we get from a table saw and the benefit of a nice straight cut, an alternative way to do this would be to lay out the line cut it with a band saw. Then we have to go back and do a lot of work on that cut to get it nice and straight. So, the taper guide works great. Just a little bit fussy to set up but once you have it right, great cut quality.
What Hans said. Plus, (and I was using this before I learned about using my iGage digital angle gauge for the miter gauge from George) if you know the angle, set the taper guide on its side and set the angle with that. In the case of Hans idea you'd have to reverse the taper guide ( no big deal ).
In order to taper an eight foot long lumber what length taper guide should I use?
you can make a taper guide from aluminum tubing and a hinge or some board and window hardware
Why don't you just put the taper guide on top of the board push all against the fence and allaign the taper guide with the pencil line saves a lot of measuring and is so much easier to set up