Newbie Question on Miter Gauge use

[Derrick Lee]

Hi guys, sorry for the newbie post. I've had a Ryobi BT3100 for years, finally sold it to a friend and picked up a Grizzly 690. It's still sitting in my garage and I'm assembling it after work through the week as I can find time (hard to do so). My question is related to the use of the miter gauge. Coming from the BT3100's sliding table, cross cutting was really easy. With the miter gauge, I just want to make sure I'm doing this safely rather than risk getting a case of kickback.

For cross cutting boards that are wide, how far back can I start the miter gauge? Does the miter gauge's head need to be resting on the table saw's top before I start pushing everything forward? Or can I have it where the miter gauge's bar is in the slot and the miter gauge head is hanging off the table? Stupid question, I know, but I just wanted to make sure what the proper thing to do is before I get hurt... Thanks again, I appreciate the help.

[Tom Willoughby]

Hi Derrick,

The short answer is that you can pull the miter gauge so that the head is off of the table but the less miter bar that is engaged in the track, the more opportunity for error. You also risk catching the head of the miter gauge on the saw table as you push it back on the table.

A better solution is to make a table saw sled for wider cross cuts. It is safer and more accurate.

Kind regards,

Tom

[david brum]

I find that my miter gauge is pretty floppy once it's past the table. A lot of the stability comes from the table supporting the base of the miter gauge. You will probably find that your cuts are not cleand and straight. For longer cross cuts, you really need to make a cross cut sled. It's not a major project and you can make it as small or large as you desire. Mine has a 32" crosscut capability. I use it all the time for getting square cuts on sheet goods.

BTW, congrats on the upgrade. My first table saw was a BT3100. It was a happy day when I replaced it with a Shop Fox cabinet saw.

edit--I think Tom and I posted at the same time.

[Steve Baumgartner]

Hi guys, sorry for the newbie post. I've had a Ryobi BT3100 for years, finally sold it to a friend and picked up a Grizzly 690. It's still sitting in my garage and I'm assembling it after work through the week as I can find time (hard to do so). My question is related to the use of the miter gauge. Coming from the BT3100's sliding table, cross cutting was really easy. With the miter gauge, I just want to make sure I'm doing this safely rather than risk getting a case of kickback.

For cross cutting boards that are wide, how far back can I start the miter gauge? Does the miter gauge's head need to be resting on the table saw's top before I start pushing everything forward? Or can I have it where the miter gauge's bar is in the slot and the miter gauge head is hanging off the table? Stupid question, I know, but I just wanted to make sure what the proper thing to do is before I get hurt... Thanks again, I appreciate the help.

Crosscuts with a miter gauge are, IMHO, less likely (though not impossible) to kick back than rips with a fence because there is nothing to trap the piece against the back of the blade.

However,there are two problems with trying to cut a wide board using the miter gauge. First, until enough of the gauge's bar enters the miter slot, it will have some slop. This is likely to cause an uneven and/or non-square cut. Second, there is nothing holding the gauge head flat to the saw table, and as the head meets the table it will snag unless it is perfectly level. Again, you are likely to get an uneven cut as you deal with this hangup.

A better practice for wide boards is to make a sled that is wide enough to have a substantial part of the guide bar(s) in the miter slot(s) before you start the cut. With such a sled, the only usage issue is that with a very wide board the sled will tip and needs to be held up until more than half is atop the table.

Steve

[Joe Scharle]

You want to make sure there's no 'wobble' when you start pushing the work because of the very good probability of binding the work on the blade. But don't worry, the blade will most likely, instantly hand it right back to you so you can try again! All kidding aside, you can build a sled, something like a sliding table, for long/wide work and an infeed table like this will give you a few more inches of control.

[Bruce Page]

I really like that infeed table Joe. Could you post some pictures on it's construction and how it is attached?

As a general rule I will not pull the miter gauge out past the table top. I have done it a few times when I was too lazy to pull out my sled but as you know, short cuts can get you into trouble quickly on a tablesaw. My recommendation is to build yourself a good sled and be done with it.

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

Another method that can be used if you are careful is to reverse the miter gauge and use it on the leading edge of the part. Not real convenient, but very useful in a pinch.

[Joe Scharle]

I really like that infeed table Joe. Could you post some pictures on it's construction and how it is attached?

As a general rule I will not pull the miter gauge out past the table top. I have done it a few times when I was too lazy to pull out my sled but as you know, short cuts can get you into trouble quickly on a tablesaw. My recommendation is to build yourself a good sled and be done with it.

Glad to, Bruce. This one is easier than my old Delta (had a round tube), but it's basically clamping a small table to the fence tube and extending the miter slots. My Shopsmith has a small metal version that lines up with a single slot, but I like this larger version since I also use it for additional support for my sleds. Although my sleds are collecting a lot of dust since I got a tracksaw, I still use the small ones a lot.

I replaced the original toggle clamp as soon as the new Bessy's became available and can heartily recommend them. The miter slots were cut to size on a router table, including the anti-tilt washer slot. The slot was cut with a 3/4" straight bit and the anti-tilt washer slot was cut using a bearing mounted slot cutter. You could also use a 3/4" OD template guide.

After the first use, I rounded off the corners! The blue tape is a shim. Here's some pics. If you have a Q., just call...Joe





Miter gauge in a slot, although it's not slot specific. If you look closely, you'll observe a washer relief cutout where the table slot meets the saw slot. That's optional I suppose, but it allows for faster insertion of the miter gauge. Just half of a forstner bit to depth. A lot of WWrs in our statewide org have made one and most say it just takes a couple of hours.



Sled support. Doesn't need to be aligned with a slot to support a sled.

[Steve Keathley]

I just upgraded away from the same saw. That sliding table was cheesey, but it worked pretty well.

Anyhow, last night I tried starting with the Miter guage off the table, being very careful, and messed up a piece of reclaimed long leaf pine. I can repurpose the pine, but the point is it's harder than it looks. I'll be building a cross-cut sled this weekend.

[Steve Keathley]

That's pretty cool Joe. Thanks for sharing

[Derrick Lee]

Thanks for the confirmation, guys. Looks like I'll have to just get around to building a sled sometime. Joe, that infeed table is very cool, I will definitely try to build my own version of that as well. That's definitely very pro!

Steve, I LOVED the sliding table on the BT!

[Art Mann]

Crosscuts with a miter gauge are, IMHO, less likely (though not impossible) to kick back than rips with a fence because there is nothing to trap the piece against the back of the blade.

Steve

I must respectfully but strongly disagree with this assessment. I have experienced kickback on more than one occasion using a miter gauge but never using a sled. What caused the kickback was the workpiece getting skewed with respect to the blade due to inadequate lateral support. Using a sled, the workpiece is supported along most of its length and has no tendance to skew.

[Bruce Page]

Thanks Joe. I just put one of those on my to-do list.

[Steve Keathley]

Steve, I LOVED the sliding table on the BT!

I agree, but I still don't want to go back. Wait until you get your new saw aligned and start using it. You will be amazed at the difference a decent saw makes.

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I must respectfully but strongly disagree with this assessment. I have experienced kickback on more than one occasion using a miter gauge but never using a sled. What caused the kickback was the workpiece getting skewed with respect to the blade due to inadequate lateral support. Using a sled, the workpiece is supported along most of its length and has no tendance to skew.

If you have a sacrificial fence on the miter gauge this is never a problem.