>I am having a rather annoying issue that I would like some help eliminating hopefully without spending a bunch of money. As you can see from the attached photo my segments fit tight at the top and bottom but there is a gap in the middle. I can see an ever so slight curve when laying an angle block on the cut. Hand sanding will get rid of it but making certain I don't rock the piece and create another angle on he edge is very time consuming. A disk sander isn't in the budget plus I would like to get rid of the issue up front rather than fixing it later. Does anyone have suggestions? I am using a tablesaw with a Smart Miter sled.
Glad to see you have a Smart Miter tool. I hope you use it with a clamp, I sure do. I will list some factors I can think of at this time that may affect your cut. Your board should be 4 sq.
If you have a bow or bump in the surface you can get open miters. Check other saw blades to see if it repeats. Use sharp blades. Try different woods to check. If you feed too fast, blade may curve or flex. Someone else may have more ideas.
The easest way to deal with slight imperfections like that is of course avoid them. So see what you can do to avoid making curved cuts.
Another option is to joint the edges which can be done on a router table if you don't have a jointer. Then cut the bevel with the proper angled router bit to give you acurate mateing angles. The part of the wood that the bearing rides on will be eliminated when turning the piece. I use Whiteside router bits for this as I find they have the bearing closer to the cutting edge of the bit than Jasada or Freud
You can tape a piece of sandpaper over a piece of glass and sand the mateing surfaces together.
You can get a 10 disc for your table saw which will take a 10" disc of sandpaper. This is a cheap way to get a disc sander and lets you use the adjustments found in your tablesaw to get everything working just right.
If you can't make the joint invisable then feature the joint. Use a piece of contracting veneer in the joint. The dark line of the veneer will keep you from noticing the slight gap.
Are you pushing the stock towards the blade as you feed?
I'm no expert when it comes to segmented turning, But I think it would be difficult to get 100% perfect miters on a table saw when cutting such small pieces. If I was making a semented turning I might make each piece a little larger and sand down to a perfect fit. I would use a 6" x 48" belt sander or a 12" disk sander with a jig set at the right angle to hold the section.
Blade sharpness may be a factor. Do you use a blade stiffiner/balancer. One of those flat disk you place between the blade and the arbor washer. You might consider one of those.
Make sure you are using a quality blade. I have one blade that I only use for segments. I take it off when I am through.
Do you have sandpaper on the face of the mitergage to keep the wood from moving during the cut.
Is this error repeatable on every cut or just every so often. If it is not repeatable, I would suggest you are allowing the wood to move during the cut.
Segment turning is working in close tolerances and I try to eliminate as many machine and operator errors as possible.
No one has mentioned cutting speed yet so I will. The more controlled your feed rate is the more controlled the cut will be. This is especially true if you force the cut. Make smooth steady cuts and bias the pressure with your hands in the same direction all the time. In order for any jig to run smoothly you'll have to have a tiny amount of slop. It might only be a few thousandths and may not make a difference but if you push with the same pressure in the same direction each cut you will stand a better chance of getting an accurate cut.
>Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think it might be the blade. I have been cutting with the blade fairly hight. I just cut a couple test pieces and lowered the blade to it barely cut through. There is still a very slight gap but not much. Just enough so when the pieces are held together you need to twist them in front of a light to see it faintly coming through. I think a good blade with a stiffener will to the trick.
>I agree with everone. I also think it is the blade; either it is of poor quality or needs reconditioning. Blade stiffeners and careful feed rates are a must.
Do you have a chop saw with a good blade? Again, stiffen a high quality blade and make a zero-clearance platform (vertical and horizonal). Add self adhesive sandpaper to keep the wood from moving. Slow feed rate again is paramount.
During project, I prefer to use the table saw for ripping and the chop saw for cross-cutting the segments. I used the table saw with my Incra miter gague to cut 3" plywood or MDF strips to establish the proper angle(s)for setting up the chop saw. Cut one end for the miter angle and the other end for the bevel angle when making a "jig" for stave construction. Label and save these set-up jigs for future set-ups.
Try another trick that has worked for me. Rund the piece through the front teeth only. You'll have to raise the blade a lot so take proper precautions. If the saw blade isn't absolutely square to the table this can help.
I use a push stick with a piece of gum rubber on the end to both hold the cut off piece and to push it away from the blade when I used this technique.
>HI Stuart, Your blade may not be parallel to the miter slot. You didn't mention what type of blade....a thin blade will flex too much, causing a chatter effect.
One way to check for parallelism is to mark one tooth of the blade, then measure to the miter slot from the front, then rotate the blade to measure at the rear. that's a quick check to see if you're in the ballpark. (assuming your arbor is true)
>I forget off hand how close my saw was off but it was within specs. I thought about that but thought any error would consistent but would show up in the angle. In my case it is in the middle of the cut. The blade is a Jeseda and it did make a difference when I lowered it so the tooth barely showes.
