Cut small parts safely using 12' chopsaw - - my solution

[Gene Davis]

I need to finish a staircase and the details require short pieces cut from 3/8 x 3/4 lengths of oak stock. Some miter and some square cuts needed. Finished pieces as short as 1/2"

My solution is to use a zero-clearance jig, basically a platen with a fence, that sits in the chopsaw against its widethroat metal fence. A stick with a piece of sandpaper glued to one end is used as a clamping caul, held in place by hand when cutting.

See pictures attached. First one shows jig, second one shows were the cut parts go.

Any other ideas?

[John TenEyck]

That looks like it will allow you to do the job safely. I've often cut small stair parts like that by hand when I only needed a few.

John

[Gene Waara]

I cut them on a bandsaw.

[Rick Potter]

A small zero clearance sled with stops works good on a table saw.

Rick P

[Pat Barry]

I'm having trouble visualizing the intent of your second image but the first one seems clear enough that you are capturing the cut piece behind the clamp that you manually push against the part and fence? Or is that not correct? Just make sure the blade is well clear and stopped before you reach in to grab your part. Nice Idea.

[Gene Davis]

I agree the second image confused the concept. Done in Sketchup and rendered as xray, it is showing where those little parts go when cut, as fill-betweens in the plowed part of the handrail in a balustrade, twixt plank balusters close-spaced.

Yes, I will let the blade come to full stop and lifted away, before retrieving cut parts.

I know this can be done with TS sled, too, but this op will be done with jobsite tools, thus the jig for a chop saw.

[Jim Matthews]

How many to be made?

I crank out stuff like this on my "meat powered" Langdon miter saw pretty quickly.
I would at least want to put a spring clamp on the work piece.

Something like this can bounce out of a chop saw faster than you can blink.