Squaring a miter gauge


Pwk5017

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This might be old hat for some, but it really improved the accuracy of my miter gauge setup, so thought i would share:

I own one of the expensive incra gauges with the telescoping aluminum fence blah blah blah. Anyways, i thought spending $150 on a miter gauge would mean effortless crosscuts, but i struggled to calibrate the tool to dead on 0°. The instructions suggest lining it up next to the blade and using a square to align the fence. I did this and for whatever reason it did not work well for me. I kept getting unacceptable cuts. It occurred to me a couple weeks ago to revisit the calibration process and this time register off my fence face instead of the blade. I knew my fence was perfectly parallel, and it offered a much better reference surface. Bam, dead on 90 crosscuts now, and i finally feel like the purchase was worth it. I love the tool now that it performs well. Hopefully this helps someone else who struggled to calibrate their miter gauge perfectly.

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Glad you are now getting nice square cuts. I never had good luck aligning to the blade, either. I now use large drafting triangle that I know is square and, with one edge of the fence of the miter gauge, I line the perpendicular edge up with the edge of my miter gauge slot.  I also set the blade and the fence to the miter gauge slot.  When I really, really want a perfect cut, I use my crosscut sled.

Also, I should note that sometimes when using the miter gauge, if my grip is wrong, the wood may move just a hair.  I hate when that happens.  I always try to hold the piece firmly to the fence with my left hand and do all the pushing with my right hand holding the knob of the miter gauge.  If it is necessary to pull the piece back after the crosscut, I am very careful not to relax my left hand. Happy sawdust.!

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I can't see why the 5 cut method (like for a cross cut sled) wouldn't work. I used it on the sled I just built & it took less than 10 minutes to get it accurate to within less than a thousandth" in 16".

Which is ridiculous because if you breath on the piece it'll move more than that, but I just wanted to see how close I could get.

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1 hour ago, davewyo said:

I suppose it would work great for determining the amount you are off, but maybe not so much when trying to make tiny adjustments.

The process would have to be a little different than with a sled, but this should work:

1. Do the 5 cuts and associated math to determine the amount of error.

2. With the gauge in the slot, use some 2 sided tape to stick the board to the saw table with it held tight to the fence. Than somehow clamp or stick the right end of the fence to the board.

3. Loosen the miter gauge fence & use feeler gauges at the left end of the fence to adjust it the required amount.

The math & method of measuring the error are covered by any number of videos that explain it way better than I can.

5 hours ago, Pwk5017 said:

I love the tool now that it performs well.

I was also frustrated with mine at first. I bought it & then was in the middle of a rush project & didn't have time to properly calibrate it. Wasn't very satisfied with it & it sat unused for quite a while

Since I finally did get it squared up it is now a pleasure to use.

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3 hours ago, Ronn W said:

Glad you are now getting nice square cuts. I never had good luck aligning to the blade, either. I now use large drafting triangle that I know is square and, with one edge of the fence of the miter gauge, I line the perpendicular edge up with the edge of my miter gauge slot.  I also set the blade and the fence to the miter gauge slot.  When I really, really want a perfect cut, I use my crosscut sled.

Also, I should note that sometimes when using the miter gauge, if my grip is wrong, the wood may move just a hair.  I hate when that happens.  I always try to hold the piece firmly to the fence with my left hand and do all the pushing with my right hand holding the knob of the miter gauge.  If it is necessary to pull the piece back after the crosscut, I am very careful not to relax my left hand. Happy sawdust.!

A small piece of 120 or 220 sandpaper on the fence face, will make it a tad less likely to slip.

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