Unlock New Builds With This Simple Tapering Jig

A simple tapering jig for your table saw can be the difference between an idea you have for a project and a finished build.

Tapered cuts can add a whole new level of design to furniture projects, but making them safely and consistently on a table saw can be challenging. I needed a safe and reliable way to make repeatable tapered cuts without spending an entire weekend building (or whole lot of money buying) a complicated jig.

My grandpa always believed that if you could make something yourself, you should. As he liked to say, “any a**hole can buy a new one”, but on My Grandfather's Axe, we like to say “any axe-hole can buy a new one.” So let’s take that spirit into the shop and build a jig that helps unlock even better projects!

Materials

1. 2 pieces of ¾" plywood:
2. one @ 30" × 11"
3. one @ 30" × 3"
4. 2 T-bolts + 2 wing nuts
5. 2 hold-down clamps
6. *I later decided to also add two flat washers*

Start by routing the T-bolt slots in the larger 30" x 11" plywood base. Note, you can change the dimensions of this piece if you like, as long as your two plywood pieces are equal in length. This is just what worked for me!

Set up your fence (whether you're using a make shift fence like me or you have a router table) so the slot will sit about 1 ½" in from the edge of the board. Make sure to leave some material on either end of your slot too, I decided to leave about 1".

With a ½" straight bit in your router, cut a shallow groove for the T-bolt heads. Just make this is deep as needed for the t-bolts you're using. Then switch to a ¼" straight bit and use multiple passes to route through the rest of the plywood to create the slot.

Repeat the process on the opposite side of the board, making sure the wider ½-inch groove is on the same face as the first one.

Tip: Raise your workpiece off your bench before routing the through-slot to avoid cutting into your work surface.

Repeat the same two-step routing process on the smaller, 30" x3" piece of plywood. The only difference here is the direction of the slot, as this one will run along the entire length of the piece, right in the centre. Again, make sure to leave about 1" of material on either end of the slot to maintain the integrity of the board.

Insert the T-bolts through the slots in both pieces of plywood, coming up from the bottom face of the larger plywood base. This is what will allow you to control the angle of the taper you want to cut.

Before tightening the wing nuts, install the hold-down clamps just through the top narrower plywood piece. These are what will secure your workpiece to the jig while running your material through the saw.

Set the angle of your taper by adjusting the top piece of plywood and then lock it down with both wingnuts. Slide your test piece under the hold down clamps and then tighten the clamps down securely, making sure you position the clamps so that they won't bet in the way of the saw blade while you make your cut.

Before you make your cut, adjust your table saw fence so there's jsut enough room for the jig to reference the fence and slide past the blade. To make sure you taper angle is accurate to what you set on the jig, ensure the jig runs right along the edge of the saw blade (without getting cut by it of course!)

Now make your test cut!

Important: Keep your hands clear of the saw blade and position your body one side of the blade, not directly behind it, just in case anything goes wrong and your test piece comes loose.

Note: After I made my test cut, I noticed the wingnuts were biting into the sides of the slot when I tightened them down. I opted to add a couple of flat washers between the board and the wingnuts to keep this from happening.

And that's all there is to it! With this simple jig you're now one step closer to your next great build. So get out there and build something!

Want to watch the full video tutorial? Check it out my YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/1YoBkbSZJrY