Table Saw Sled - Taper Jig Accessory

Cut one or many tapers with ease!

Cutting tapered workpieces on a table saw can be frustrating and even quite dangerous.

For accuracy and safety, you must move the wood in a perfectly straight line parallel to the saw blade.
Any side to side movement will result in inaccurate cuts and may even cause the wood to kick back at
you.

If you only need to cut one tapered workpiece, simply position the workpiece with the cut marks over
the edge of the sled and clamp it in place with hold down clamps.

If you need multiple tapered pieces, this jig is the tool you need.

This jig provides three locked down alignment points to ensure accurate placement.

 The End Positioner's stop tab establishes the correct front to back position.
 The End Positioner's side surface establishes the rear side to side position.
 The Alignment Block establishes the front side to side position.
 The long bolt on the End Positioner serves two purposes:
It allows you to tighten the positioner securely to the sled and,
at the same time, you can clamp the workpiece with the
three point clamp using the same bolt.

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 Special Hardware You'll Need
 Two threaded knobs with 1/4" threads. (Assuming
your T-Track uses 1/4" bolts.)
 One 4 1/2" long by 1/4" hex head bolt.
 One 2 1/2" long by 1/4" hex head bolt.
 Two 1/4" flat washers.

Step 1. Cut the Parts

You'll need:
 One 1 1/2" by 12" piece of 3/4" wood for the End
Positioner
 One 1 1/2" by 4 1/2" piece of 3/4" wood for the
Alignment Block
 One 3/4" by 3/4" by 3/8" thick Stop Tab
 One 1" long by 1/4" diameter dowel pin.
Note: See Larger Drawings at the end of this file.

Step 2. Drill the Holes

Drill holes through the End Positioner and Alignment Block
as indicated by the red arrows using a bit slightly larger than
the diameter of your T-Track bolts.
Drill a 1/4" hole about 3/4" deep into the side of the End
Positioner for the dowel pin as indicated by the green arrow.
Drill a 1/4" hole through the center of the Stop Tab for the
dowel pin as indicated by the green arrow.

3. Cut the Slots

Using your jig saw, cut along the dotted purple lines to open
up the slots in both the End Positioner and Alignment Block
as indicated in the drawing to the left.
 Step 4. Attach the Stop Tab
Apply glue to the mating surfaces and the dowel pin. Attach
the Stop Tab to the End Positioner with the dowel pin as
shown to the left.
Tap the dowel pin in so it is flush with the surface of the
Stop Tab. Make sure the top and bottom surfaces of the tab
are flush with the top and bottom surfaces of the End
Positioner.
Clamp with a C-Clamp.

Step 5. Insert the T-Track Bolt

Insert the long T-Track bolt through one of the holes in the
End Positioner as shown to the left.

Making the Three Point Hold Down Clamp

This three point clamp is simple to make and offers some

nice benefits over traditional aluminum hold down clamps.
 Clamp thicker workpieces as easily as thinner ones.
Set the adjustable pad so the nylon pads sit flat on
your workpiece.
 The nylon pads minimize the chances of damaging
the surface of your workpiece.

Special Hardware You'll Need

 One large toggle clamp foot with 6" thread length.
 The one I used came from Amazon.com. Rockler
Woodworking also has them.)
 Note: You could use a simple hex head bolt.
However, it may damage the sled surface.
 Two 3/4" nail on nylon furniture base glides.
(Available in local hardware stores.)
 One 5/16 by 18 TPI Tee Nut.
 Step 1. Cut the Parts
Cut the following parts from 3/4" thick wood as indicated in
the drawings to the left:
 Clamp Body
 Pad Block

Note: See Larger Drawings at the end of this file.

Step 2. Drill the Clamp Body Holes

Drill three holes through the Clamp Body as indicated in the
drawing to the left.

The hole indicated by the green arrow should be the correct

diameter for the Tee-Nut to be pressed into.

The two holes indicated by the red arrows should be 5/16".

Finally, use your jig saw to open a slot between the two
holes indicated by the dotted purple lines.

Step 3. Drill the Pad Block Holes

Drill two 9/64" holes completely through the Pad Block as
indicated by the red arrows in the drawing to the left.
Countersink these two holes for No. 6 flathead screws.

Choose a drill bit about the size of the nails on the nylon
pads and drill holes about 1/4" deep as indicated by the
green arrows. This is to prevent the wood from splitting.

Step 4. Assemble the Clamp

Apply glue to the mating surfaces and secure the Pad Block
to the Clamp Body with 1 1/4" No. 6 flathead screws as
shown in the drawing to the left.

Next, tap the Tee-Nut and nylon pads in place as shown.

 Step 5. Insert the Clamp Foot

Finally, insert the Toggle Clamp Foot into the Tee-Nut as

shown.
Congratulations! You clamp is ready to use.

Using Your Taper Jig

Positioning the Taper Jig

Position the workpiece as needed for the correct taper cut.
Then, secure the End Positioner at the far end of the
workpiece as indicated by the red arrow. Secure the End
Positioner with the T-Track bolt and hex nut.
Next, position the alignment Block along the edge of the
work piece as indicated by the blue arrow. Secure the
Alignment Block with the knob as shown to the left.

Step 7. Clamp the Workpiece

Set your three point clamp down over the long bolt as
indicated by the red arrow. Tighten the knob on this bolt to
clamp the workpiece.
Use a regular bent aluminum hold down clamp to secure the
workpiece in a second place as indicated by the blue arrow.

Step 8. Making the Cut

Attach a safety handle to the sled and you're ready to cut
tapers!
 Table Saw Sled - Taper Jig

Parts Dimensions Drawings

Hole Layout Drawings

Copyright (c) 2015 BobsPlans.com LLC

 Table Saw Sled- Three Point Clamp
Parts Dimensions and Hole Layout

2 1/2 "

1 3/4 "
4"
6"

Clamp Body
°
75

°
75

3/4 "
5"

3/4 "
4" 1" 1"
Pad Block
3/8 " 3/8 "

Hole Diameters

T-Track Bolt Holes - Slightly larger than your T-Track Bolts

Tee-Nut Hole - Same same size as the Tee-Nut barrell
9/64" for #6 screws completely through workpiece
Slightly smaller than nails on nylon pad. 1/4" deep

Copyright (c) 2015 BobsPlans.com LLC

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