Making A Leg Tapering Jig

The tapering jig I have used in the past stayed with the shop when I retired and since this is such a handy jig I need to make a new one. I am going to make some changes in the design this time around.

The "old" tapering jig

I want to use thicker plywood for the base this time. The old base started flexing after a few years of use. I think this is due to the base thickness but also due to the pressure applied by the hold down arm to the base. I will use a De Staco clamp attached to the fence for the hold down and will try to spread the pressure on the base over a wider area. I want to make it easy to adjust so I am also going to use T track and nuts for the fence adjustment.

Here is the drawing I have made to help put this jig together

I am making it long enough to hold a 36" piece and am making the fence adjustable to accommodate wide stock. The clamp will have to have different base heights to accommodate thicker pieces of stock. The current configuration should cover the most common sizes for me.

Thanks for taking a look. I'll get to work putting this together soon so check back and see how it's going.