Miter saw bench track/ stop block

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
I'm getting ready to install the T-track into my miter saw bench. I will route a groove so it sits flush with the top, then secure the track with some screws. This is a really nice track from Lee Valley, it has a built-in slot for attaching tape. I plan to have ~7ft on the left and ~3ft to the right of the saw. Good thing they make this kind of tape for either side.

My original plan was to line up the T-track with the miter saw table. The stop block is simply a rectangle, and if you want a 37" board, you line up the edge of the stop block with the 37" mark, and you're done. But there are two problems with that. First, the installation of the tape has to be perfect. Second, if I ever change the blade on my miter saw, chances are the new blade won't be the same thickness. I know, I know, we're talking very small amounts here, but still.



My current plan is to install the track in line with the miter saw fence. The stop block will have a cursor that can be adjusted ~1/8" in either direction. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but there is a small piece of Plexiglas glued in here. I used a knife to make a thin line and colored it in with a sharpie. The final version would have screws of course to allow for the left-right adjustment. This would address any installation errors or blade changes. I think this will work, even though it's a bit more complicated.


What I don't like is that there don't seem to be any commercial products for this kind of setup. I like the aluminum flip stops you can get at Rockler, Woodcraft, etc. but none of those have a cursor. Am I making things too complicated?
 
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nn4jw

New User
Jim
I just the other day got the Kreg flip stop and it came with a cursor. I'm in the process of updating my miter saw fence set up to accomodate the Kreg precision top track, which takes a tape just like yours, and will mount the flip stop to it. If I remember correctly, the tape mounts in a sort of track and can be easily zeroed as required to match the blade.

Correction - I received both the Kreg flip stop and the solid production stop. The solid production stop has the right and left cursors. The flip has no cursor. Sorry for the confusion.

Correction to the correction and note to self to not post in the middle of an installation/modification.
Both the Kreg production and flip stops have adjustable cursors, making it easy to get that fine zero adjustment. That adjustment is neccesary because the tape does have to be stuck down. The precision track is not actually designed to let the tape move.

Now, with that straightened out, the Kreg stops with precision track can work fine with blade swaps since there is a fair amount of adjustment allowed on the cursors. Certainly more than enough to adjust for different blade thicknesses.

With all that said it's probably irrelevent to Bas since he's bought a different track.

It's actually pretty irrelevent to me as well because I usually don't use the tape to set the stops at all. I measure on the workpiece, cut it and check to be sure it's exactly the length I want and then use that first piece to set the distance between the blade teeth and the stop for cutting more of the same.
 
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JimD

Jim
Senior User
This looks good but I went a different way. I purchased Ron Paulk's design for several of his work stations. One of them has a wooden t-track as part of the top of the workstation. That way the surface is flat. It has a movable pointer for the reasons you cite. I put my CMS and RAS on the top of 30 inch tall cabinets when I wanted the final cutting surface at 38+ inches. Then I shimmed the tools up to that level. On the long side, I built a Paulk two level work surface with the t-track. It sits on top of the cabinets. Works well for me. Various frequently used tools are on the lower level but still handy. Stops are fully usable but sometimes I have to get the junk that seems to accumulate out of the way.
 

KenOfCary

Ken
Staff member
Corporate Member
Don't glue the rule tape in place. Then you can slide it the 1/32 of an inch in the track it fits in if you change the blade thickness.
 

cpw

Charles
Corporate Member
What you propose does not seem that complicated. A lot of fences have adjustable indicators.

The issue I have thought about related to the flip stops is that if you don't have one and you need to square one end before you make the final cut to the other end, and you don't have the clearance in the other direction, you're kinda stuck moving the stop. That's why, my current intention when I get around to making a miter saw station is to put the T-track slightly behind the miter saw fence and have a flip stop, probably shop-made.
 

Rwe2156

DrBob
Senior User
I've thought about doing it this way, but doesn't the stop has to be removed when not in use?

I much prefer a flip stop on top of the fence.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
My Paulk based design also has home-made flip stops. That facilitates squaring an end before cutting to length. The other way I do it sometimes is to have a long but narrow offcut handy to put against the saw fence so the workpiece is closer to the operator than the flip stop. If you do it that way, you do not need a flip stop.

I really like stops and using my rip fence. I find it to be much more accurate than cutting to a mark. Also much more repeatable.
 

Jeremy Scuteri

Moderator
Jeremy
This pic makes it look like the Kreg Flip Stop has a cursor.

186133


Kreg KMS7801 Standard Swing Stop - Flip Stop - Amazon.com
 

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
I finished mounting the T-track. I went with my plan to use a stop block with a cursor. I have not found any flip stops with a cursor that are designed for a flat benchtop (as opposed to a fence), but I can probably adapt these without too much difficulty. I saw a video where someone added two piecces of UHMW to the stop block to ride in the t-track, which helps keeps it square. That seems like a really good idea. I haven't put the tape in yet, that'll be the last step.




Next up is dust collection. I need to bring this pipe down a bit further, build a box around the miter saw, then create an opening at the back to hook it all up. It's going to be a bit tight but as always it's a trade-off. One problem with the dust collection is that it's not practical to build a box large enough to allow for the saw to be tilted sideways to cut miters. It would simply get too big. That does mean the box needs to be easily removable for the once every 2 year project where I need that option.

 

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