Bevel Sled for the Shopsmith

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 7:39 am

tdubnik wrote:Dusty,

Everything was locked down so I know that is not the issue.

I do believe that I have an alingnment problem but I do not believe that it is a skewed table. I think that I have a vertical alignment problem with the main table. When the table is set at 90 degrees to the blade my table alignment is within .003 and my cuts are square. When I tilt the table the error occurs which would indicate to me that the table is not absolutely level with relation to the blade. I also notice some burning when doing bevel cuts.

I just have to find the time to analyze and correct this.

The next thing I would check is the Main Table for level in the drill press mode. That is: Main Table square to the drill be is all directions.

It is hard for me to reconcile a 1/16" error without noticing it in other functions.

Get me. I used to think that 1/16" was close enough for most work. Now I am looking for 1/32" or better.

berry · Post by **berry** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 9:56 am

Thanks for sharing your idea and excellent pics. Happy New Year to ya.

tdubnik · Post by **tdubnik** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 10:34 am

I did some alignment checks this morning and could not find any problems. Everything seemed to be just as I would like it.

So, if it's not the alignment; what are the other possibilities?

I am embarresed to say that it must have been operator error. I was able to confirm this by setting up and cutting a 45 degree bevel on a 6" wide board. I used the standard miter gauge but was very careful to insure nothing slipped while making the cut. The result was a perfectly straight cut.

I feel that the length and width of my table aprons contributed to the previous error. Trying to manage a 42" long 8" wide board with the table tilted 45 degrees was obviously more than I could handle.

I still think the bevel sled is a good addition to my arsenal. It certainly made managing the apron easier. The toggle clamp held the board firmly in place on the jig allowing me to concentrate on the cut.

Thans for all of your input and the inspiration to solve this mystery.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 2:01 pm

[quote="tdubnik"]I did some alignment checks this morning and could not find any problems. Everything seemed to be just as I would like it.

So, if it's not the alignment]
OH! A 42" long board that is 8" wide hanging on the tilted table is a monumental task without some clamping. In fact, cutting long boards accurately on a flat table can be a problem.

Maybe I could have done it in my early years before I began losing grip on my grip. Not now.

If I am looking for a real accurate cut I clamp even small pieces.

Have you tried using a sliding table with the table tilted?

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:eek: DON"T DO WHAT I HAVE SHOWN HERE!! It is equally taboo to use the miter gauge in conjunction with the rip fence while using the table tilted.

The cutoff, on the high side of the blade, is something that needs to be dealt with also. That piece will CERTAINLY slide down into the blade if not managed.

I managed to do just that, yesterday, while playing with this issue. The salvation was in the fact that the piece was very small and simply got kicked out of the way. What I did was NOT SMART.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sat Dec 31, 2011 4:35 pm

A compound miter saw may be the best friend a Shopsmith can have...

.

BigSky · Post by **BigSky** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 8:44 am

robinson46176 wrote:A compound miter saw may be the best friend a Shopsmith can have...

.

A compound miter saw seems to be a wise choice is the width of the materials being cut does not exceed the saws capability. It seems as though everything has a limit.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 9:03 am

[quote="tdubnik"]I did some alignment checks this morning and could not find any problems. Everything seemed to be just as I would like it.

So, if it's not the alignment]

I am involved right now with a project that requires bevel cuts and unlike most of my projects, this one requires longer pieces that I normally deal with.

Observation: Bevel cuts on the tilted table can certainly become an issue. It goes far beyond just making sure that normal adjustments are done correctly and that all the locks are secure. Frustration levels are high as I continue to make miscuts on materials I can ill afford to scrape.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 9:17 am

BigSky wrote:A compound miter saw seems to be a wise choice is the width of the materials being cut does not exceed the saws capability. It seems as though everything has a limit.

I know that I have my limits...

My compound saw is not a slider but my next one will be.
My choice for stuff too big for a slider would probably be a track unit.
We had a discussion some time ago where I was thinking out loud about a mounting system to mount a compound miter saw at the back or under a Shopsmith on a set of curved arms. The idea being that you could lift the SS main table off them reach over and pull a compound miter saw up and into position low above the Shopsmith. After use it could then be released and lowered back down behind/under the SS.
The linkage would be a little complex (like an extra complicated B&D Workmate) but if Mickey Mouse can do stuff like that we should be able to do it too.

.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:03 am

An option for cutting bevels on long pieces of stock would be to use a 45 degree router bit like this one by Freud -- http://www.freud-tools.com/freud40chamb8.html

One could use an hand-held saw to trim and bevel the end somewhat oversize and then use the router to clean up the edge, rather than trying to hog off the material all at once. And, it would require some careful set-up of a straight edge to guide the router.

algale · Post by **algale** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:00 am

dusty wrote: The cutoff, on the high side of the blade, is something that needs to be dealt with also. That piece will CERTAINLY slide down into the blade if not managed.

I managed to do just that, yesterday, while playing with this issue. The salvation was in the fact that the piece was very small and simply got kicked out of the way. What I did was NOT SMART.

I'm probably missing something but with respect to performing a bevel cross cut on a long work piece, why let the cut off be on the high side of the blade at all? Wouldn't it be advantageous to mount the extension table on the "up hill" side of the blade (minus the rip fence of course) and move the miter gauge (or cross cut sled) into the left hand (up hill) miter gauge slot? Then you can let the cut off drop harmlessly away from the blade and on to the floor. When performing a bevel cross cut using the miter gauge there is always going to be the issue of managing the weight of the work piece while making the cut; but the problem of managing the weight of the work piece is going to be the same whether work piece and the miter gauge are positioned above the blade or below the blade. There might even be a slight advantage to having the work piece above the blade if you install the blade guard with its integral splitter because once the edge of the work piece is beyond the rear of the blade the splitter will tend to prevent the work piece from sliding down hill into the blade. Regardless, by putting the work piece and miter gauge on the up hill side of the blade in a bevel cross cut you can let gravity be your friend on the cut off. You can also turn the work piece over if you need to keep the angle relative to a particular face of the work piece.

In contrast, on bevel rip cuts I see a huge advantage of keeping the work piece and rip fence on the down hill side of the blade because the rip fence supports the weight of the work piece and helps keep alignment of the work piece to the fence. In that case you do have to be very concerned about the waste piece being above the blade. Again, the blade guard with its integral splitter is some help in that scenario since it tends to keep the waste piece from dropping on to the blade.

Al