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Miter slot runners...?

mac1911

Aluminum
Joined
Feb 23, 2019
What are you all using. Materials, the good the bad , pre bought ? Anyone here making adjustable ones here ?

I made a few jigs already for my Dewalt 7491 but have not been put to a lot of use yet. I made the runners out of a mystery hard wood from slats on a bed frame. I may have to re do the jigs as I found some "out of square issues with my saw.

I think I have it squared up as good as a job site saw can be. There was some play in the motor housing I finally spotted and fixed that.
It was not terrible and not until I tried doing some more precise cuts did I notice,

I bought this saw to replace my old cheap model craftsman which honestly and surprisingly was a pretty true cutting saw the plastic base deteriorated so I needed a replacement . I was going to build a 2nd shed and found this 7491 used for 1/2 price. up front it seemed ok and some of the first few projects went fine. Then I crunched the numbers and found it not worth the savings and just bought a pre made shed.

Anyhow looking to improve my wood skills
 
This is intended to be an industrial machinery site.
If you post import jobsite and low quality homeowner machines, they need to be accompanied by woodworking.
You can show how you used a cheap machine, scrap lumber, and drywall screws to facilitate a complex or significant project.
Not chit chat about the machines themselves.

FWIW, i slit the steel slides on most of my miter slot equipment in 3 places toward one side, and thread and install set screws to expand the slit metal. That makes it possible to custom fit, and to adjust for wear.

smt
 
Should be no contact at all between screws and slot. All the setscrews do is expand slit part of the bar. 10-32 In from the side. Gage bars are mostly T-slots on 3 saws. Old photos on hand for the 1914 saw. 30" long original miter bar repurposed for 2-way miter sled. Same thing on SCMI & Delta miter gages, but narrower bars. Some only slit one end.
smt_mitersled7.jpg

smt_mitersled2.jpg

smt_mitersled5.jpg
 
Set screws are the only choice when solid metal bars are sliding in the slot. First time I learned that was from a article/picture in Wood Smith or Fine Woodworking magazines years ago.
 
This is intended to be an industrial machinery site.
If you post import jobsite and low quality homeowner machines, they need to be accompanied by woodworking.
You can show how you used a cheap machine, scrap lumber, and drywall screws to facilitate a complex or significant project.
Not chit chat about the machines themselves.

FWIW, i slit the steel slides on most of my miter slot equipment in 3 places toward one side, and thread and install set screws to expand the slit metal. That makes it possible to custom fit, and to adjust for wear.

smt

Im teying to get to a point where i can start making stuff. LAcking room I need portable equipment.
Love to find a small compact commercial/industrial grade saw I,can fold up and out of the way.
i will post more of what I do when the equipment is all set.
 
Set screws are the only choice when solid metal bars are sliding in the slot.

Not following - are you saying i should not slit them?

First time I learned that was from a article/picture in Wood Smith or Fine Woodworking magazines years ago.

You can't believe everything you read. Heck i wrote some short articles for FWW. It's written mostly by amateurs who are as prone to error and prejudice in their practices as the rest of us online. :)

Seriously, it's ok. I would peen and file them first, second, especially for T-miter bars is slit them like i actually do, would not really consider threaded inserts in T miters. Would consider them in straight flat bars. I would probably just use nylon set screws. Or maybe regular SS pushing a short snug fitting delrin rod.

Im teying to get to a point where i can start making stuff. LAcking room I need portable equipment.
Love to find a small compact commercial/industrial grade saw I,can fold up and out of the way.
i will post more of what I do when the equipment is all set.

We're glad to have you. Most of us, unless someone in our family had a serious shop, started with lightweight, low budget equipment and built from there as you intend to. It's encouraging to hear that you are not letting a lack of space inhibit the learning and production process.

Nonetheless, the forum owner's position is that there are dozens of woodworking sites catering to cheap import equipment, best to go there and enjoy likeminded souls if that is your preference.

My position is that a lot of good woodwork is built under less that suitable conditions with some very hinky machinery. So if you show woodwork it was used to produce & it is some step above trivial shop projects, we all benefit. Your question about miter bars was fine, could apply to anything. Leave the lightweight machinery out of the discussion; ask about it on a forum where those machines are considered mainstream.

You've heard a lot of good choices including wood and plastics. Formulating any decisions?


smt
 
Nonetheless, the forum owner's position is that there are dozens of woodworking sites catering to cheap import equipment, best to go there and enjoy likeminded souls if that is your preference.

My position is that a lot of good woodwork is built under less that suitable conditions with some very hinky machinery. So if you show woodwork it was used to produce & it is some step above trivial shop projects, we all benefit. Your question about miter bars was fine, could apply to anything. Leave the lightweight machinery out of the discussion; ask about it on a forum where those machines are considered mainstream.

Maybe you have not noticed that Powermatic, Rockwell, General, Delta have had solid bar miter gauge bars for more than 1/2 century.
Never made with aluminium.
 
When the t-slot washer underneath the bar is a good tight fit then it doesn't matter. Anyway, don't use those stock miter gauges. Delta has been cheapening out
their saws for years.
 
Maybe you have not noticed that Powermatic, Rockwell, General, Delta have had solid bar miter gauge bars for more than 1/2 century.
Never made with aluminium.

Ron, I really don't know what you are trying to get at.
The OP asked about miter bars ("Miter slot runners").
My three saws have T-slots.
All the miter bars are steel.
The ones i want/need to be no-shake, I slit with a jewelers saw, and insert 10-32 setscrews from one side to expand them.
That is a the best solution for me, even for the aftermarket bars that are not T-section, because slitting and expanding them works fine even in the T-slots of my saws; in a way that Delrin plugs or Delrin setscrews would be less viable - for the T-slots-

You can do whatever you want. Use whatever material you want.

smt
 
Ron, I really don't know what you are trying to get at.
The OP asked about miter bars ("Miter slot runners").
My three saws have T-slots.
All the miter bars are steel.
The ones i want/need to be no-shake, I slit with a jewelers saw, and insert 10-32 setscrews from one side to expand them.
That is a the best solution for me, even for the aftermarket bars that are not T-section, because slitting and expanding them works fine even in the T-slots of my saws; in a way that Delrin plugs or Delrin setscrews would be less viable - for the T-slots-

You can do whatever you want. Use whatever material you want.

smt

Trying to put more life into this section of PM.
 
FWIW, i slit the steel slides on most of my miter slot equipment in 3 places toward one side, and thread and install set screws to expand the slit metal. That makes it possible to custom fit, and to adjust for wear.

smt

Stephen,

It looks as if you just plunge cut with a slitting saw. My question is does it matter which side is cut, closest to blade or opposite?

Also, with those thin slits it seems even a bottoming tap may be iffy. Any advice on preferred set screw size, type, or other hints?

In the past I've peened and filed but I like your way better.

Update: I just saw your above post mentioning 10-32 size.
 
When I made cutoff sliding fixtures I used .375 x .75 CRS bar stock. Recessed 1/16 into bottom of sliding jig. Took a 1/16 x 1 piece of flat stock and through bolted it on bottom of runner. My first jig had a single maple runner. I pulled it back too far once and it was about to topple onto the floor. I caught it with my knee partway down. (had big piece of stock in my hand) Anyway, knee caught it and when it landed back on the table, it landed on the blade. Lucky for me it was heavy enough so I ended up with a nasty plunge cut through it and missed any screws. All work stopped until I made the T runners.
 
miter slot runners

Not familiar with your saw. Are the slots 3/8" deep and 3/4" wide? Most saws except portable bench saws are like that. If the table is aluminum the slots may be 5/8" wide and ? deep.
I made my runners from CRS , 3/8 x 3/4". I had to lap the sides a bit to get the runners to slide easily and without slop. Many years ago I used runners made from hardwood slats. They worked fine but wore faster than steel.
Now to your problem of squaring a miter gauge or fixture. The slots in every saw I have ever used are dead square to the table front or back. If the fence guide channel , angle etc. is not in the way , then do the following. Loosen the lock knob a bit, turn the miter gauge upside down, slide the bar into the slot. Make sure the head of the gauge is against the tables front edge. Lock the knob, your miter gauge is square. I can't do this to my saws miter gauge because the Beismier Fence channel is in the way and the back of the saw butts up to an outfeed table. I just use the bandsaw table instead.
Squaring a miter slot in a jig is similar. Slot the carrier board as close to square as possible. Fasten the runner in the slot . Make the front and back push boards. Screw the push boards with one screw each at the approximate center of the boards edge. This is a pivot point. Place a framing square against the carrier and position the board so the square is parallel with the blade, not the teeth. Clamp the board on one end, add one screw near the clamp. Take a cut and check it. If good , then add the remaining screws you need. If the cut is not perfect , repeat but do not screw into the same hole.
I forgot to mention, when driving screws thru MDF or plywood the screw pushes debris up. To compensate, before drilling pilot hole thru the board, countersink BOTH sides of the pilot hole. This gives the debris a place to go without getting between the carrier and the push boards.
mike
 
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What are you all using.

........


Anyhow looking to improve my wood skills

I've had good results making the bars from baltic birch plywood. be careful to make them straight and a snug fit to the slot. I glue them to the bottom of the sled, using the slots as alignment for the glue up. when the glue is dry wax everything and run the sled a few times in the slot. if it's too tight find the rub points on the runners and reduce them a bit with a scraper. then fit the fence.
 








 
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