A New RAS Miter Table

[jteneyck]

I developed a pretty sophisticated miter table for my RAS a year or so ago, so you can cut miters at any angle w/o having to pivot the saw arm.  When the arm stays locked at 90 degrees it never loses accuracy.  Several folks here expressed an interest in buying one.  Turns out, that unit is very time consuming and expensive to produce, so I haven't gone forward with it.  After I got my new Dewalt GA, I thought about developing a miter table that was simpler and easier and less costly to produce.  After some design work and testing, I have a unit that I think folks with a RAS might find useful.  



I call it a rotary miter table.  The unit is installed onto your RAS table with a dowel pin for the pivot.  It's held in place with the lock knob you see at the front of the table.  It rotates right and left beyond 40 degrees.  





There is a fine adjust bracket at the front so that you can adjust the angle to well less than 1/4 degree.  



The table gives a cut capacity of over 12" at any angle.



The table is about 32 x 17" and will fit on most any RAS.  Here it is on my 925. 



And on my GWI.



To install it, you remove the stock fence; the miter table has its own fence.  You drill a 1/4" hole in the main table for the dowel pin that the miter table rotates on.  



The miter table indexes onto the dowel pin.  The fine adjust bracket is installed at the front of the main table.  I used two screws, but threaded inserts also could be used, which is what I used for the lock knob.  It's set off the C/L so there's no danger of running the blade into it.  



Alignment is very simple.  Just align the mark at 90 degrees with the kerf.  Do a test cut.  If the angle is off, move the fine adjust bracket left or right.  Make a new test cut.  When the cut is a perfect 90 degrees, it's all set.  All other angles should be perfect.  I checked the cuts at 45 degrees left and right and they were spot on without fine tuning. 





A benefit of this miter table is that it provides support to the cutoff piece, both the fence and table.  It's simple to install and simple to use, probably easier to use than a miter saw.  Additionally, it's relatively small, so it's easily stored when not needed.  The fence is screwed on from the bottom, so it's easy to replace it as needed.  

I'll put an ad down in the Swap and Sell section for anyone who might want to buy one.  

John

[fredhargis]

A very clever design, John.

[iublue]

Another great jig John.

Things like that make life so much easier in the shop!

[FrankAtl]

A very clever design, John.

Yes it is!

[Dumb_Polack]

Hmmm...very nice design!!!  I might steal it


How'd you get the numbers to display so precisely?   (pls tell me you DIDN'T created them on a CNC/Shaper system...I ain't got one of those!!!!)

[Dumb_Polack]

Nevermind.  I see in S&S you said you created the numbers with your CNC.

[iclark]

very interesting design.

how do you secure the work piece to the fixture? Is it just held in place with your hand?

[jteneyck]

very interesting design.

how do you secure the work piece to the fixture? Is it just held in place with your hand?

Yes, you hold it in place with your hand, just as you normally would on a RAS.  Many folks put a finish on their RAS tables.  I have never done that because I want there to be as much friction as possible with the workpiece, so it doesn't slip during cutting.  

If you wanted to add a clamp, however, there's no reason you couldn't do so.  

John

[iclark]

Yes, you hold it in place with your hand, just as you normally would on a RAS.  Many folks put a finish on their RAS tables.  I have never done that because I want there to be as much friction as possible with the workpiece, so it doesn't slip during cutting.  

If you wanted to add a clamp, however, there's no reason you couldn't do so.  

John

Understood. Thanks.