The hinged taper jig has occupied a spot in the arsenal of small shop furniture makers since table saws were invented. It’s use probably peaked during the 1950s and 1960s when “Mid-Century Modern” was born and tapered legs adorned almost every new piece of furniture. Until now, no one has put much thought into making the taper jig more versatile or more accurate. That’s about to change. 21st Century materials and manufacturing techniques have been applied to this 120-year-old tool to produce a taper jig that offers instantly repeatable quarter-degree angle setting, material clamping, zero-clearance material support and length capacity that can extend up to 48". Woodpeckers introduces the Precision Taper Jig. Setting the angle of the Precision Taper Jig couldn’t be easier. A scale with interlocking teeth sets the angle precisely in quarter-degree increments from 0° to 7°. For larger angles, you can switch to the other scale which goes from 0° to 15° in half-degree increments. Should you need to change the angle, the interlocking teeth assure perfect alignment when you need to return. Of course, you can lock the jig at any intermediate angle, as well.Everyone who has used a normal taper jig to cut furniture legs knows there’s a moment of high anxiety at the end of the cut. You’re working close to the blade, there’s not much material left and that wonky angle doesn’t lend itself to using push sticks or featherboards. But the Precision Taper Jig is different. There’s a sacrificial MDF sled on the bottom and quick-release clamps riding in the extrusion tracks. Your workpiece is held down to the sled, rather than against the table of your saw. The sled also eliminates any worry about bottom-side tear-out. With a clamping range from 3" down to just 17/32", the clamps work on just about any tapered project and the clamping handles serve double-duty as convenient gripping points for pushing the jig.For wider stock, you have two choices. You can make a sacrificial sled the same size as your workpiece or you can remove the sled and use the Precision Taper Jig riding straight on the table like all the rest. It’s your choice.If you need more than the 32" capacity of the standard Precision Taper Jig, you can expand it to 48". Even better, if you buy the standard unit now and take on a project that’s over 32" a year from now, the extension kit can be added at any time.There’s never been a taper jig with all these features; capacity that can extend from 32" to 48" in a matter of minutes, quarter-degree angle resolution that’s instantly repeatable, material clamping and zero-clearance support. This is a handsome, well-built tool that you’ll be proud to have in your shop. It’s designed and built to serve generations of woodworkers to come.Like all Woodpeckers products, the Precision Taper Jig is precisely machined and carefully inspected in their Strongsville, Ohio factory (just south of Cleveland). Video
