PULL SAW

MITER BOX

2015 August Home Publishing Co.

best built
jigs & fixtures

pull saw

Miter Box
Cut small parts safely and
accurately with just a few
strokes of your pull saw.
Cutting miters on small moldings at the table saw
can be tricky. First of all, it can be difficult to safely
control the workpiece. And its not unusual for the
saw blade to fling a small piece across the shop. This
mitering jig lets you do the job without the risk.
The jig is designed around a Japanese dozuki
(refer to page 7 for more about these saws). Its fine,
ultra-sharp teeth and thin blade make for supersmooth cuts in small stock. Pairs of front and rear
guide blocks sandwich the blade for making a perfectly straight, effortless cut while the workpiece is
held firmly against the fence.
1

WoodsmithPlans.com SN11536

The adjustable turntable lets you make cuts at

any angle. For 45 miter cuts and 90 crosscuts, the
turntable locks in place with an index pin. For other
angles, a simple, shop-made clamp does the job.
Youre sure to find yourself reaching for this jig
over and over again. And best of all, you can build
it and start using it in just a weekend.
2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

Exploded View Details

OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 18"W x 312"H x 8"D
BALL KNOB ON A HEX
BOLT MAKES LOCKING THE
TURNTABLE QUICK AND
EASY FOR ANY ANGLE

LOCKING PIN MADE

FROM BOLT SECURES
TURNTABLE AT 45 & 90
POSITIONS
ADHESIVE-BACKED
SANDPAPER KEEPS
WORKPIECE FROM SLIPPING
DURING THE CUT

FENCE PROVIDES
POSITIVE REFERENCE
FOR ACCURATE CUTS

LOW-FRICTION
TAPE ALLOWS
THE SAW
TO GLIDE
SMOOTHLY

INDEX HOLES SERVE

AS POSITIVE STOPS FOR
45 AND 90 CUTS

MACHINE SCREWS
IN OVERSIZED
HOLES ALLOW FOR
ADJUSTMENT OF
GUIDE BLOCKS

WEDGE-SHAPED GUIDES
SANDWICH SAW BLADE
FOR PRECISE CUTS
TURNTABLE
SPINS ON
ALUMINUM PIN
THREADED INSERTS
ANCHOR GUIDE
BLOCKS IN PLACE

TURNTABLE AND SIDE

TABLES CUT FROM
ONE BLANK (REFER TO
PAGE 3)

NOTE:

CAPACITY AT 90: 214"

CAPACITY AT 45 : 112"

PLYWOOD BASE
CAN BE CLAMPED
TO WORKBENCH

Materials & Hardware

A
B
C
D
E
F

Base (1)
53/4 x 18 - 3/4 Ply.
Turntable (1)
8"-Dia. - 3/4 Ply.
Side Tables (2)
23/4 - 7 - 3/4 Ply.
3/ x 11/ - 18
Fence (1)
4
2
Rear Guides (2)
11/4 x 11/2 - 13/4
Front Guides (2)
11/4 x 2 - 21516

(1) 1/4" x 11/8" Aluminum Rod

WoodsmithPlans.com SN11536

(5) 1/4"-20 Threaded Inserts

(4) 1/4"-20 x 13/4" Rh Machine Screws
(4) 1/4" Flat Washers
(1) 1/4"-20 x 11/2" Full-Thread Hex Bolt
(1) 1/4"-20 x 3" Hex Bolt
(2) 3/4"-Dia. Ball Knobs w/1/4"-20 Inserts
(8) #8 x 11/4" Fh Woodscrews
Low-Friction Tape

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

building up a

Platform
The miter box is an easy build,
but its important to accurately
lay out the parts. How well
you do this up front affects the
accuracy of your cuts in the end.

BASE ASSEMBLY

B
TURNTABLE

FIGURE

(8"-DIA.)

NOTE: ACCURATE

LAYOUT LINES ARE

NEEDED FOR
ASSEMBLY

CL

TABLE BLANK
(10" x 20")

SIDE TABLE
FOOTPRINT

A
BASE

!/4"-DIA. x 1!/8"
ALUMINUM PIN

CL

NOTE: ALL PARTS ARE

MADE FROM #/4" PLYWOOD

These parts come from an oversized blank (Figure 1). As with

the base, the location of the pivot
pin on this blank is centered.
I made sure the two centerlines
were crisp and neat. Youll rely
on them when drilling the pivot

PUSH
BLOCK
FENCE

SIDE TABLE
BLANK
CUT ON
WASTE SIDE
OF LAYOUT LINE

WASTE

FIGURE

FRONT
EDGE
BASE

WITH BASE AFTER ATTACHMENT

(REMOVE TURNTABLE)

!/4"-DIA.
PIVOT PIN

ALIGN BLANK
WITH LAYOUT
LINE ON BASE

C
SIDE TABLE
(2#/4" x 7")

#8 x 1!/4" Fh
WOODSCREW

NOTE: TRIM SIDE TABLES FLUSH

TURNTABLE

NOTE: INSTALL
TURNTABLE
ON PIVOT PIN
TO LOCATE
SIDE TABLES

CL

(5#/4" x 18")

The first thing to do is cut the

base to size, making sure the corners are square. This helps with
the layout work.
Pivot Point. The location of
the pivot pin for the turntable
determines the location of the
rest of the parts. Now you can
get out a sharp pencil and your
layout tools. As you can see in
Figure 1, the hole for the pivot
pin is centered on the base.
Oversized Blank. After carefully marking and drilling the
1 "-dia. through hole for the pin
4
in the base, you can work on
the turntable and side tables.

NOTE: REFER TO
SHOP SHORT CUTS
FOR CUTTING
TURNTABLE FROM
TABLE BLANK

NOTE: MAKE GAPS

AROUND TURNTABLE EQUAL

WoodsmithPlans.com SN11536

CL

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
DRILL !/4"-DIA.
THROUGH HOLE
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AA BB C C D D E E F F GG H H
JJ K
hole and cutting
out
M N N O O P P QQ
K Lthe
L Mparts.
SS also
T T UU
WW X X Y Y Z Z
These lines will
helpV Vyou
C C D DD E E E F F F
B BB
A AAthe
later when adding
sawCguides
I J J J KKK L L L
I I lines
GGG
HHH
to the turntable.
(One
of the
NNN
OOO P P P Q QQ R R R
MMthe
locates the kerfMfor
saw.)
V V V WWW X X X
T T T U UUYou
Cutting theS SS
Turntable.
YYY Z Z Z
C

can mark the centerpoint of the

L
pivot hole with an awl to help
locate the drillEXPLODED
bit. After drilling
VIEW
OVERALL
DIMENSIONS:
the hole at the
drill press,
head
(24!/2" x 24!/2" x 24!/2")
over to the band saw to cut out
the turntable.PART
ShopNAME
Shortw/LETTER
Cuts
time used)
on page 9 shows a(first
simple
jig you
can use to do this.
PART NAME
The oversized blank is also
CALLOUT
used for the two side tables, so
youre going to
keep
one half of
TOP
VIEW
the blank. Figures 1 and 2 show
what I mean. AEND
littleVIEW
sanding will
take care of any
saw
marks
SIDE VIEW on the
turntable and blank.
Side Tables. TOP
The next
task is to
VIEW
(CROSS SECTION)
make the pair of fixed side tables.
The challenge STEP
here is1:sizing
XXXX and
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
fitting them properly.
To make
XXXXXXX
this easy, youllFIRST:
want to
make the
XXXXXXXXXXX
pivot pin and temporarily install
NOTE:
XXXXXXX
the turntable onXXXXXXXXXXX
the base.
Figures
2 and 3 give you an overview of
the process. It "INCH
startsMARKS"
by using the
QUOTE MARKS
blank left from cutting out the
turntable at the band saw.
Remember those layout lines
I talked about earlier? Youll use

PATTERN

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

a.
one of those lines as a guide to rip
the blank for the two side tables
from the larger table blank, as
shown in Figure 2.
Table Positions. Heres where
one of the layout lines you drew
on the base comes into play. Place
the table blank on the base, lining
up the edge on the layout line
on the base (Figure 3). Adjust
the blank to create an even gap
around the turntable while keeping the edge on the layout line.
Now you can fasten the blank
to the base with screws from
below. After removing the turntable, a quick trip to the table saw
is all it takes to trim the blank
flush with the base, creating the
two side tables (Figure 3).

FENCE
The fence assembly you see in
Figure 4 is a little unique. Not
only does it reference the workpiece to the blade of the saw, it
also has the job of locking the
turntable in position. To make all
this happen, there are a couple of
things you need to do.
Create a Bridge. The first step
is to cut the fence blank to size.
The fence needs to span the turntable. So to create the needed
clearance, I used a dado blade to
cut a long notch. You can see how
I did this in Figure 5.
A Pair of Holes. To lock the
turntable in position for the most

FIGURE

INDEX
PIN

b.

#/4 "-DIA.
BALL KNOB

NOTE:

GLUE KNOBS
TO BOLTS
!/4 " -20
THREADED
INSERT

NOTE:

!/4"-20 x 3"
HEX BOLT
(CUT HEAD OFF,
THEN CUT TO
2!/4" LONG)

INDEX
PIN

CLAMP

FENCE

FENCE

TURNTABLE
BASE
(REFER TO
PAGE 5)

!/4 "-20 x 1!/2"

FULL-THREAD
HEX BOLT

TURNTABLE
BASE
(SEE FIGURE 6a)

!/8" CHAMFER
FRONT
EDGE

D
FENCE

(1!/2" x 18")

#8 x 1!/4 " Fh
WOODSCREW

NOTE: FENCE

NOTE: ROUT !/16" CHAMFERS ON

TURNTABLE AND SIDE TABLES
BEFORE INSTALLING FENCE

common cuts (45 miters and

square cuts), I came up with a
couple of simple, shop-made solutions an index pin and clamp.
The pin and clamp are made
from hex-head bolts. To install
them, youll need to drill a couple
of holes in the fence (Figure 6).
One of the holes is counterbored
for the head of the clamp bolt.
Index Pin. The index pin
engages holes youll drill into the
turntable later when you set it
up for use. To make the pin, I cut
the head off a bolt and threaded
a ball knob on the opposite end.
Locking Clamp. The clamp
locks the turntable at angles

MADE FROM
#/4 "-THICK
HARDWOOD

other than 45 or 90. It consists of an upside-down hex

bolt with a knob on top installed
in a threaded insert. To make the
clamp, first grind or file the head
of the bolt smooth. This helps
prevent marring the surface of
the turntable as you tighten it.
Now you can install the
threaded insert into the fence.
To assemble the clamp, thread
the bolt all the way in from the
underside of the fence before
installing the knob.
Install Fence. Finally, youre
ready to fasten the fence against
the side tables with a few screws
from underneath.

a.

FRONT VIEW

AUXILIARY
FENCE

AUXILIARY
FENCE

FENCE
COUNTERBORE

WASTE

AUXILIARY
FENCE
!/4"-DIA.
HOLE FOR
LOCKING PIN

!#/16
#/4"
DADO BLADE

%/8"-DIA. x !/4"-DEEP
COUNTERBORE
(DETAIL a,)

FENCE

5
FENCE BLANK

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SN11536

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

fine-tuning the

Opening. Use
your dozuki
to create the
fence opening.

Turntable
At this point, you have the main
components of the jig complete
and assembled. There are a few
final details left to add. Youll
drill the index holes that lock the
turntable in position for 45 and
90 cuts. The last step will be to
add a set of blocks that guide the
saw blade during use.

INDEX HOLES
To eliminate the guesswork of setting the jig to make common 45
and 90 cuts, I drilled index holes
in the turntable. These holes align
with the index pin in the fence to
keep the turntable from moving
when cutting a workpiece.
Drafting Triangle. To accurately locate these index holes,
I used an inexpensive drafting
triangle. Youll use it to reference
the fence from the original layout
line on the turntable.
The box at the bottom of the
page steps you through the process of drilling the three holes. It
starts by butting the edge of the
triangle against the fence. Rotate
the turntable and slide the triangle along the fence until the
layout line is aligned with the

edge of the triangle. You can use

the clamp to lock the turntable
while drilling the hole 12" deep
into the turntable. The hole in the
fence (for the index pin) serves as
a drilling guide. To drill the other
two holes, simply repeat the process at the other locations.

GUIDES
Youll want to keep the drafting
triangle handy for the next step
adding the two pairs of guides
shown in Figure 8. Theyre made
from thick stock to keep the blade
of the saw square to the turntable
and guide it accurately when cutting a workpiece.

FIRST:

45
LAYOUT
LINE

LAYOUT
LINE

LOCK
TURNTABLE
USING CLAMP

DRAFTING
TRIANGLE

TURNTABLE
TURNTABLE

WoodsmithPlans.com SN11536

90

DRAFTING
TRIANGLE

STEP 1: XXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A B C
N O P
AA BB
J J KK
SS T T
A AA B
GGG H
MMM N
S SS T
YYY Z

EXPLO

OVERAL
(24!/2" x

PART N

(firs

PART NA

CALLOU

TOP V

END V

SIDE V

TOP V

TOP VIEW

(CROSS S

(CROSS SECTION)

SECOND: ROTATE
TURNTABLE TO THE
90 POSITION TO DRILL
THE NEXT INDEX HOLE

WITH TRIANGLE
AGAINST FENCE,
ALIGN EDGE WITH
LAYOUT LINE ON
TURNTABLE

L
turntable with a machine
screw
and washer. To allow for adjustment
and alignment
EXPLODED
VIEWwith the
OVERALL
DIMENSIONS:
saw
blade,
the
mounting
(24!/2" x 24!/2" x 24!/2") holes in
the guides are oversized.
PART
NAMEgives
w/LETTER
The
pattern
you the loca(first time used)
tions of the holes. I drilled the
PART
NAMEheading over to the
holes
before
table
saw
to cut each block free,
CALLOUT
using the pattern as a guide, as
TOP VIEW
detailed
in Figure 7.
Position & Drill. With the
END VIEW
blocks in hand, you can locate

SIDE VIEW

Locating the Index Pin Holes

USE HOLE
IN FENCE AS
GUIDE TO
DRILL INDEX
HOLES IN
TURNTABLE

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AA BB C C D D E E F F GG H H I I
J J K K L L MM N N O O P P QQ R R
X X guides
SS T T the
UUGuides.
V V WWThe
YY ZZ
Making
DD E EI E
FFF
C C C Dblocks.
AA as
B BB
startAout
triangular
used
GGG HHH I I I J J J K K K L L L
the pattern on the next page to lay
MMM NNN OOO P P P Q QQ R R R
them out on anUextra-long
blank.
S SS T T T UU V V V WWW X X X
Each
guide
is
mounted
to the
YYY Z Z Z
C

THIRD: ROTATE

STEP

XXXXXXXX

TURNTABLE 45
FIRST: XXXXXXX
AND ALIGN TRIANGLE
XXXXXXXXXXX
WITH LAYOUT LINE FOR
DRILLING THE LAST HOLE
NOTE: XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXX

"INCH MARKS"
QUOTE MARKS

"INCH M
QUOTE

LINE
PATTERN
45

PAT

LAYOUT

TURNTABLE

DRAFTING
TRIANGLE

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

FIRST:

XXXXXXXX

NOTE:

Pattern (shown 50% scale)

CUT SHAPE TO MATCH TURNTABLE (FIGURE 8b)

AUXILIARY
FENCE

#/8"-DIA. HOLE

GRAIN
DIRECTION

45
45

PATTERN

45
45

FRONT
GUIDES

REAR
GUIDES

1!/4
EXTRA-LONG
BLANK FOR
GUIDE BLOCKS

each of them on the turntable.

Again, youre relying on the
original layout line for initial
positioning. Figure 8a shows you
how far from the fence to locate
each pair of guides.
The screws that fasten each
guide are installed into threaded
inserts in the turntable. With each
block temporarily clamped to the
turntable, use a brad point bit
to mark the centerpoints for the
threaded inserts.
Shaping. If you look at Figure 8, you can see that the back
of each guide is shaped to match
the curve of the turntable. While
the blocks are clamped in place,
you can trace the curve on the
bottom of each one. Its an easy
task to cut the shape at the band
saw and sand it smooth.

{ Guides. Use the pattern above to locate and

drill the holes before cutting the guides free at the
table saw, as illustrated in Figure 7.

Threaded Inserts. With the

hole locations marked, its a good
idea to remove the turntable to
install the threaded inserts. Accurate drilling is easier at the drill
press. To remove the turntable,
just tap out the pivot pin and
slide the turntable out.
Slippery Tape. Now you
can reinstall the turntable in the
jig and set about installing the
guides. The first step is to apply
some low-friction tape to help
make the saw slide smoothly
between the guides. (For sources,
turn to page 10.)
Install & Align. Now, you can
use the triangle to help align the
first pair of guides on one side
of the layout line. Use the thickness of the saw blade to locate the
other two guides.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
Fence Opening. Finally, youN O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
can cut through the fence at eachAA BB C C D D E E F F GG H H
45 position to create the fenceJ J K K L L MM N N O O P P QQ R
opening. Then I added adhesive-SS T T UU V V WW X X Y Y Z Z
backed sandpaper to the faces. A AA B BB C C C D DD E E E F F F
GGG HHH I I I J J J K K K L L L
For a final check, grab a small
MMM NNN OOO P P P Q QQ R R R
piece of stock and make a few
S SS T T T U UU V V V WWW X X X
cuts. You may need to make
YYY Z Z Z
C

L
some minor adjustments to the
guide blocks to keep the blade
straight and sliding smoothly. EXPLODED VIEW
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
Once thats done, it wont take
(24!/2" x 24!/2" x 24!/2")
you long to discover that getPART NAME w/LETTER
ting perfect crosscuts using your
(first time used)
dozuki couldnt be easier.

a.

PART NAME

TOP
VIEW
FRONT

WASTE

TOP VIEW
TURNTABLE

INDEX PIN

FENCE

FIGURE

FRONT GUIDES

!/4"-20 x 1#/4" Rh
MACHINE SCREW

INDEX PIN

GRAIN
DIRECTION
!/4"-20 INSERT

WASTE

FIXED TABLE

TAPE

FENCE

TURNTABLE

NOTE: USE
LAYOUT LINE AND
DRAFTING TRIANGLE TO
POSITION GUIDE BLOCKS

FRONT OF
MITER BOX
LAYOUT
LINE
ADHESIVE-BACKED
SANDPAPER

BASE
F VIEW
END
!/2

CLAMP
SIDE VIEW

FIXED
TOP VIEW
TABLE
LAYOUT
(CROSS SECTION)
LINE

STEP 1: XXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
REAR
GUIDE BLOCK
WASTE WASTEFIRST: XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX

b.

CLAMP

BASE

2!/8

REAR

(1!/4" x 2" - 2!%/16")

!/4" FLAT
WASHER

GRAIN
CALLOUT
DIRECTION

NOTE: XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
MARK UNDERSIDE
"INCH MARKS"
OF GUIDE BLOCK
QUOTE MARKS

GUIDE
BLOCK

PATTERN

TURNTABLE

E
REAR GUIDES
(1!/4" x 1!/2" - 1#/4")

REAR OF
MITER BOX

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SN11536

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

using a
japanese

Dozuki

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AA BB C C D D E E F F GG H H I I
J J K K L L MM N N O O P P QQ R R
SS T T UU V V WW X X Y Y Z Z
A AA B BB C C C D DD E E E F F F
GGG HHH I I I J J J K K K L L L
MMM NNN OOO P P P Q QQ R R R
S SS T T T U UU V V V WWW X X X
YYY Z Z Z
C

Heres what you need to know to

make clean, accurate cuts for tight-fitting joinery.

When it comes to hand-cutting

fine joinery and making quick
cuts on smaller workpieces, Ive
learned to rely on a Japanese,
dozuki-style pull saw. These
saws have features that make
precise cuts fast and accurate.
What is a Dozuki? If you take
a look at a Japanese saw, like
the dozuki shown in the photo
below, youll find some unique
features. The thin blade is
reinforced with a metal
spine. This helps
stiffen the

a.

L
blade and results in a hairline kerf little cleanup. And youll notice
the teeth are quite small. The
(about 0.023") for precise cuts.
EXPLODED
VIEW
of teeth range from 17 to
Modern dozuki saws
are number
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
28
teeth
per
sometimes sold as joinery
saws
(24!/2" x 24!/2" x 24!/2") inch (photo below.)
Theres another feature youll
with crosscut teeth, though you
PART
NAMEfind
w/LETTER
on all Japanese saws. The
can also find them with rip
teeth.
(first time used)
The one I like to use has teeth teeth are angled toward the handesigned for crosscutting. PART NAME dle. This means the saw cuts on
Small Teeth. While ImCALLOUT
on the the pull stroke, putting the thin
subject of the teeth, take a look at blade in tension for straight cuts.
TOPsee
VIEW Finally, you can see that the
the drawings below. You can
that the crosscut teeth of a END
dozuki
VIEWlong handle is aligned with the
saw are shaped with three bev- blade. This gives you better conSIDE
VIEW
trol as you make a cut. But you
eled edges. This enables the
saw
to slice through the fibers for still need the right technique to
TOP VIEW
get the best results.
super-smooth cuts that (CROSS
require
SECTION)

b.

CROSSCUT TEETH

} Sharp Teeth. The number of

STEP 1: XXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

teeth per inch on a dozuki saw

can vary greatly.

FIRST: XXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXX

PULL STROKE

TEETH NOTE: XXXXXXX

HAVE AXXXXXXXXXXX
SLIGHT
SET
"INCH MARKS"
QUOTE MARKS

NOTE: EACH TOOTH

PATTERN
END VIEW

HAS THREE BEVELS

FOR CLEANER CUTS

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SN11536

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

One-Handed. Make full

strokes by pulling your
elbow straight back to
your side.

{ Starting Out. Use your thumb as a guide to

place the saw on the layout line. Start at the back
of the workpiece and cut toward the front.

TECHNIQUE
Since youre pulling the saw to
make a cut, you may find using
a dozuki awkward at first. But
with a little practice and a few
pointers, youll be using a dozuki
for most of the hand-cut joinery
in a lot of your projects.
Starting the Cut. Accurate cuts
require precise layout lines. For
these, I use a very sharp pencil or
marking knife. Scoring the wood
with a knife provides a good reference line for the saw blade.
As with any saw, youll want
to use the tip of your thumb to
guide the blade during the first
few short strokes. Start with the
saw at the far edge of the workpiece and pull toward you, as you
can see in the upper left photo.
One-Handed. Once youve
started a kerf, you have a choice
to make. And thats how to hold
the saw to finish the cut. A onehanded approach is a natural
option (upper right photo).
For this, youll want to stand
off to the side of the saw so that
your arm can make a full stroke,
pulling the saw straight back.
It might take some practice to
do this without swinging your
elbow out and bending the blade
toward the end of the stroke.
Long, smooth pull strokes are
the key to accurate cuts. You can
8

{ One Handed. In this photo caption frame it

begins with an arrow and a bold subhead.

gauge the straightness of your

cut using the reflection in the
blade as you keep your eye on
the cut line (inset photo at right).
Two-Handed. One technique
you may want to try is a twohanded cut. I find it helps me
stay on the cut line better (photo
below). It looks a bit unconventional and may feel a little different at first, but its worth a try if
you find yourself struggling to
get a straight cut.
For this technique, stand
directly behind the cut line so
you can keep an eye on both sides
of the blade. Pull the saw toward
you in one smooth stroke.

< Straight. The

reflected line and
the edge of the
workpiece should
be aligned.
A Light Touch. Regardless
of the technique you use, youll
want to let the teeth of the dozuki
do the work. Theres no need to
apply a lot of pressure. On the
return stroke, just guide the saw
back through the kerf with a light
touch before pulling the blade
through on the next stroke.
After a bit of practice, I think
youll find the ease of cutting
joints with a dozuki can make a
big difference in your work.

Two Handed. Pull your

elbows toward you as
you keep an eye on
the cut line.

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SN11536

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

Shop
Short
Cuts

Cutting a Disk 1

!/4"-DIA.
PIVOT PIN

CL
NOTE: LOCATE
RUNNER TO FIT BAND
SAW (DETAIL 'a')

RUNNER

BASE
(7" x 14" - #/4" MDF)

a.
3

CL

LEAVE A
!/16" GAP
BETWEEN
THE JIG
AND THE
BLADE

PIVOT
PIN

BASE
RUNNER

Now you can fit the center hole

of the workpiece over the pivot
pin of the jig. With the workpiece
and jig away from the blade,
turn the saw on and slide the jig

forward until it stops, as shown

in Figure 3. Finally, you can
slowly and steadily rotate the
workpiece clockwise into the
blade to complete the circle.

3
ALIGN CENTERLINE
OF PIN WITH TEETH
OF BLADE
DETAIL (a)

a.
CENTERLINE
OF PIN

2
4" FOR A
8" DISK

I wanted a good, close fit between

the turntable and fixed tables on
the dozuki miter box. To make
this easy, I cut out the turntable
on the band saw using the simple
jig you see here.
The jig starts with a rectangular base. Then you can cut a
groove to attach a hardwood
runner that fits the miter slot on
your band saw. Finally, slide the
jig onto the saw in order to locate
the pivot pin. The pins distance
from the blade determines the
radius of the circle. The size of
pivot pin and hole depends on
the size of the center hole of the
finished part (14" in my case).
To use the jig, first slide it forward in the miter slot until the
centerline of the pin is aligned
with the front edge of the blade,
as you can see in Figure 2. Then
tape a simple stop in place.

FIGURE

FASTEN STOP BLOCK

WITH DOUBLE-SIDED
TAPE

FIRST: POSITION
BLANK ON
JIG

THIRD: ROTATE

WORKPIECE
INTO BLADE TO
COMPLETE THE CUT

BLADE

SECOND:

TURN ON SAW
AND SLIDE JIG
FORWARD

WoodsmithPlans.com

SN11536

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

MAIL
ORDER
SOURCES
Woodsmith Store
800-444-7527
Reid Supply
800-253-0421
reidsupply.com
Essentra Components
800-847-0486
essentracomponents.com
Lee Valley
800-871-8158
leevalley.com

10

Project Sources
Essentra Components
3 "-dia. Ball Knob. . . . . . . . DM-65
4
Lee Valley
Low-Friction Tape. . . . . . 25U04.01
Manufacturers and retailers
will periodically redesign or discontinue some of their items.
So youll want to gather all the
hardware, supplies, and tools
you need before you get started.
Its easy to adjust dimensions or
drill different-sized holes to suit
your hardware.

WoodsmithPlans.com

SN11536

2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.