The Woodshop Shed

A Length Stop System for a RAS

Furnished content.
(from WoodNet.net)


If you have a typical RAS, the table is not very wide. On my larger Dewalt GA, it'sonly 16 - 18" on the left side of the blade. It's wider on the right side but that side is unsuitable for a length stop system, at least for short parts, because there's no way to hold the stock with your handwhen the sawhead is pulled out to cut it.I can't add a table extension on this saw because of where it sits in my shop, so I needed a length stop system that can be added only when needed and then removed.

I came up with a simple approach. It uses a piece of 1/2" wide stock on top of which I applied aRto L tape measure. That piece of stock fits into a dado cut into the top of the fence. Friction holds it in place, but it can be slid as needed to align with the edge of the kerf in the fence





A simple wooden block with a thumb screw is locked to the fence for whatever length part is needed. With the fence in its normal position there is about 16 - 18" to the left of the blade. When longer parts need to be cut, the fence is pulled to the left and the tape is slid to the new kerf position.



With this tape I cancut parts up to 36" long. A longer fence and tape could be used for even longer parts. The portion of fence missing to the right of the blade can be replaced with another piece of stock if more support is needed on the right side.

John

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Bevels and Compounds Miters with the RAS Rotary Miter Table

Furnished content.
(from WoodNet.net)


One of those obvious solutions came to me as I pondered how to cut bevels and compound miters with my rotary mitertable. For those who own a RAS you know that the sawhead pivots to a new cutline at every bevel angle. The rotary miter table works by having the 90 deg cut line in the same plane as the blade. The simple solution is to move the rotary miter table to whatever position the sawblade for any bevel angle you want to cut, and the easy way to do that is to put it on an auxiliary table.



You align the table so that the sawblade leaves a cut right on the centerline of the kerf made at 90 degrees.



Once that is done, clamp or screw the auxiliary table to the main table, as shown in the first photo.

Now you can cut simple bevels at any angle, this one at 45 degrees.



Or you can cut compound angles, again at any angle, this one being 45/45.






A new insert for each combination of angles assures you can use the kerf for alignment of your parts.



Mark and save the inserts for futureuse.



Now I can say it. A RAS makes a compound miter saw look prettypedestrian. With the rotary miter table, you have full cut capacity at any angle or combination of angles.

Now I need a DC system that can handle the range of bevel angles. Always something.

John

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