Zero Clearance Throat Plate Inserts

[Neil Bosdet]

I had an epiphany yesterday I thought I would share with this group as it may be very useful to many of you. I have a large project I'm starting for a client and have been tuning up my tools. In the process of replacing zero clearance throat plates on my saws and SCMS I was looking for options on my Saw Stop cabinet saw. I had checked out this article:

http:// www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/...cles_893.shtml

(See Ken's note below to make the link work).

It looked like a fair amount of work but a good idea. The problem with Saw Stop is their throat plates are a little on the complicated side with many cut-outs on the bottom side for various clearances. The zci's for the Saw Stop saws are terrific but expensive at $40+.

The epiphany was that the Saw Stops zci's are made of phenolic material. Instead of machining a new throat plate, simply groove out my current plate like the article above. This was a piece of cake. I had it grooved out and 12 maple inserts cut and fit in less than an hour. IMHO this is an excellent solution for Saw Stop saws and any saw that you can source a phenolic zero clearance plate.

IMG_0842.jpgIMG_0843.jpgIMG_0841.jpg

[Neil Brooks]

On that subject ....

I buy "plastic" cutting boards, at Wally World.

They're made from UHMW, machine easily, and -- relative to "proper" UHMW or ZCI's -- cheap, cheap, cheap.

Yours is a good idea, though !

[johnny means]

I'm curious as to why one would need to switch to a new one on a regular basis.

[Neil Bosdet]

My idea saves a lot of time in the future as making the inserts is very fast compared to making the entire throat plate.

[Neil Bosdet]

I'm curious as to why one would need to switch to a new one on a regular basis.

I find they get messed up with angle cuts or switching back and forth from think kerf to reg. The biggest is dadoes. They don't last very long unless you're continually doing exactly the same cut or increasing size. Eventually you need a new one or get poor results.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I'm curious as to why one would need to switch to a new one on a regular basis.

Sometimes they get a little chewed up (blade deflection?) and if you cut at an angle it can widen the kerf slot. I like this idea - make one for a pure 90* cut and keep the stock insert for any angled cuts. This is also a great method for making a reusable zci for dado cuts of different widths.

[Neil Bosdet]

Admin pulled my link to the article I wanted those interested to see. I violated (without realizing) the policies here. My suggestion doesn't make a ton of sense without it. PM me for the link.

[Neil Brooks]

It's my understanding that you can't put a direct link, but you can modify the link and include it, if it looks ... like ... this:

www[dot]sawmillcreek[dot]org

I think Keith -- the site owner -- doesn't want to make it too easy for people to click over to other sites -- particularly commercial sites, or those "in competition" with this one.

Which I understand.

Ken: please correct me if I have that wrong.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I reinserted the link and placed an extra space between // www.

If you copy and paste the link and remove the extra space, the link should work.....



or go go Woodcentral.com....select "articles"....selected "Shop Topics"....then select "Replaceable Insert Throat Plate".

[Neil Bosdet]

Thank you Ken!

[Jim O'Dell]

Nice work Neil! I made one using Corian for the Ridgid contractor saw. Problem is I used all the Corian I had, and now need to make one for the newer Griz saw. Jim.

[Norman Hitt]

Neil, I'm curious about how the phenolic was to route. I have routed aluminum a few times but not phenolic, however I have drilled both aluminum and phenolic, and "Some" of the phenolic was extremely hard to drill. Having seen and used several different kinds of phenolic used in different applications, I realize they are not all equal in ease of workability, so that is why I am curious, as I have debated making one out of aluminum for quite a while but the phenolic should be more temperature stable than aluminum.

[Neil Bosdet]

Neil, I'm curious about how the phenolic was to route. I have routed aluminum a few times but not phenolic, however I have drilled both aluminum and phenolic, and "Some" of the phenolic was extremely hard to drill. Having seen and used several different kinds of phenolic used in different applications, I realize they are not all equal in ease of workability, so that is why I am curious, as I have debated making one out of aluminum for quite a while but the phenolic should be more temperature stable than aluminum.

The phenolic worked like very hard MDF. It was very workable and straight forward. However, the edges on the top on the plate where I dovetailed the 14 degree sides were/are very sharp. I have 3 bleeder cuts on my fingers that I didn't realize I got.

[Norman Hitt]

Thanks for the reply, Neil. I can certainly understand the sharp edges, because when I had to slightly adjust the holes in a predrilled phenolic router plate to center the router over the PC style inlay bushiing cutout, the top edge of the large countersunk holes for the mounting screw insets were sharp also. I had to use a large countersink bit to ease the edges, (after I noticed I was dripping RED on the plate from one of my fingers while starting a screw to mount the router).

[Lee Schierer]

I had an epiphany yesterday I thought I would share with this group as it may be very useful to many of you. I have a large project I'm starting for a client and have been tuning up my tools. In the process of replacing zero clearance throat plates on my saws and SCMS I was looking for options on my Saw Stop cabinet saw. I had checked out this article:

http:// www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/...cles_893.shtml

(See Ken's note below to make the link work).

It looked like a fair amount of work but a good idea. The problem with Saw Stop is their throat plates are a little on the complicated side with many cut-outs on the bottom side for various clearances. The zci's for the Saw Stop saws are terrific but expensive at $40+.

The epiphany was that the Saw Stops zci's are made of phenolic material. Instead of machining a new throat plate, simply groove out my current plate like the article above. This was a piece of cake. I had it grooved out and 12 maple inserts cut and fit in less than an hour. IMHO this is an excellent solution for Saw Stop saws and any saw that you can source a phenolic zero clearance plate.

IMG_0842.jpgIMG_0843.jpgIMG_0841.jpg

I had an aluminum insert made for my craftsman TS a few years ago by a friend. It has a slip in replaceable piece of wood similar to the what you did; however, I tapered the sides of my slot with a dovetail bit so the insert is held down by the throat plate and completely captive once the plate is in place on the table.

I find that my inserts wear from the chips that try to break free along the edge of the cut or by the sawdust. In any event replacements are made from scrap and only take a few minutes to make a dozen or more. I made a large opening in my aluminum plate so I can also use it for zero clearance on dado cuts.