Improve those platic mitre guages

[Anonymous]

Hi all

Thought I'd pass on a tip I learned through bitter experience

A few years back I bought a cheap Record table saw (replaced by a superb Kity now ) which came with a horrible hollow plastic mitre guage. The thing is, they flex when you aplly any pressure due to the thin plastic walls and accurate ,repeatable cuts exist only in ones dreams when using this type of guage.

My solution?
I turned it the hollow plastic mitre guage upside down and filled it with fibre-glass resin to create a lovely solid block. Much more robust and accurate now with no flexing at all. My mitre cuts improved 100%. I then did this to every hollow mitre guage I have.

Cheers

Tony

 

[Alf]

Ooops, and there was I saying "good tip" in the other thread. Still, it bears repeating:
Good tip!

Cheers, Alf

 

[sawdustalley]

And where do you get fibre glass resin, sounds nasty to me :shock:

 

[Dewy]

And where do you get fibre glass resin, sounds nasty to me :shock:

Any car accessory shop sells 2 part glass fibre resin & catalyst

 

[Pete W]

Any recommended cure for a sloppy fit in the mitre slot?

Managed to get my bandsaw set up at the weekend and my only complaint so far is that the play in the slot allows the gauge to move a degree or so out of square.

 

[Noel]

Long established practice is to use a metal working centre punch on one or both edges of the mitre strip. Just raise the surface every few inches until it's a nice tight fit. Too tight, a quick swipe with a file or abrasive. Won't last forever but a quick fix. Another option is alu tape on the edges.
A further option, but a tad more violent is to give the strip a few whacks (technical term..) with a club hammer to try and widen the strip. Again, if too tight, get the file out.

Rgds

Noel

 

[Anonymous]

And where do you get fibre glass resin, sounds nasty to me :shock:

Not so bad really, more-or-less like epoxy resin but a little runnier. I got it from a car accessory place. I wear disposable gloves when using it but one simply mixes resin and catalyst in a small beaker and then poor it in. My (then) 9 year old daughter helped.

I would recommend using this stuff outside as it pongs a bit

Cheers

Ton

 

[Anonymous]

Any recommended cure for a sloppy fit in the mitre slot?

Managed to get my bandsaw set up at the weekend and my only complaint so far is that the play in the slot allows the gauge to move a degree or so out of square.

I sorted this out on my aluminium Record tablesaw top by clamping a guide to it and then routing the slot out to a standard size (can't remember what it was but about 19mm) and fitting a new bar to the guide. I used a straight cut double fluted bit that came for free in a set with a router. Cut both slots and the bit was still OK. I ran router at about half speed.

NOTE British Standards require that you have a 'T' type slot.

Cheers

Tony

 

[Dog]

I wonder why cheep 'n cheerful router tables don't have 'T-slots', looks as if they haven't been passed by BS, unless this is a new regulation of BS or doesn't apply to router tables ?

 

[Dewy]

T slots may be OK if you are able to have the T section to slide through them but when you make your own jigs with hardwood strips to ride in the slot it can make the jig a bit sloppy. Not in theory but in practice as the hardwood runner has less bearing surface & can wear quicker.
The Mitre gauge on my bandsaw has a T slot with aluminium runner but was slack when new so seldom used.

 

[Charley]

Any recommended cure for a sloppy fit in the mitre slot?

Managed to get my bandsaw set up at the weekend and my only complaint so far is that the play in the slot allows the gauge to move a degree or so out of square.

I cured this problem on my mitre gauge for the router table by sticking a thin strip of veneer with double sided sticky tape then sanded it till the fit was perfect.

 

[Pete W]

Thanks for the tips. I think I'll try the tape or veneer approach. The rail on the mitre gauge looks like a strip of aluminium bar, so taking a hammer to it is unlikely to achieve much. And the table looks like cast iron so I don't believe I'll be running a router through that!

The 'protractor' bit of the gauge is only held to the bar with a single screw and a locating pin, so I might try replacing the bar with a strip of hardwood that better fits the slot as a longer-term solution.

 

[Anonymous]

Pete

I tried replacing the bar with Oak at first try. Found that small flex in Oak + changes due to humidity/temp effected ti too much. Aluminium used in the end.

 

[Pete W]

I tried replacing the bar with Oak at first try. Found that small flex in Oak + changes due to humidity/temp effected ti too much. Aluminium used in the end.

Ah... good info, thanks. I'll try the tape, and - if necessary - think about a commercial replacement mitre gauge at some future point, provided I can match sizes.