Miter with table saw or router ?

[Steve1]

I have a bunch of edge miters on maple panels maybe 2 feet long, coming up.

I think most people use a table saw, but I have also seen using a big chamfer bit on a router table.  I have a Jessem lift and stock guides which should do well to hold the workpiece down to the table and pushed against the fence.  Probably I would rough out the cut on the table saw, and then on the router table gradually raise the chamfer bit until I get a sharp corner.

The router table sounds like the best way to get accurate miters.

Anybody got opinions ?

 

[GregorHochschild]

I would say it really depends on your setup, the size of your stock and skill level. TS is faster but probably requires more skill for accuracy. The Jessem TS stock guides make things much easier for consistent results. A sliding table saw as well. I had to do a 6' by 2'' return piece yesterday and thoughts it's going to be challenging on the SawStop ICS without stock guides. So I used a router for the first time to do 45 degree miters with the Whiteside 2306 Chamfer Bit. That made the job pretty easy.

 

[Rick Herrick]

Here is a video with some help on doing the miters on the router table.  Starts about 1:00 in.

 

[waho6o9]

Farm it out with someone that has a shaper with a power feed. 

Save that, make a jig and use a router on the MFT, think MFS 700. 

I would like to do that in one operation myself.  Best of luck.

 

[Steve1]

I had to do a 6' by 2'' return piece yesterday and thoughts it's going to be challenging on the SawStop ICS without stock guides. So I used a router for the first time to do 45 degree miters with the Whiteside 2306 Chamfer Bit. That made the job pretty easy.

Did you run the knife edge of the workpiece along the fence, or did you put a board over top of the workpiece, like in the video above ?

 

[ChuckM]

By this "I have a Jessem lift and stock guides..." I take it that you mean stock guides for the router table and not for the table saw. Without stock guides on your table saw, I'd say that you should go with the router method.

If you do want to cut spot-on miters on the table saw, you need to learn a mitering technique that uses a shop-made L-fence mounted on the table saw fence.

 

[Steve1]

Correct, I have the stock guides on my router table, but not my table saw.  That is one reason I think I can keep the stock flatter on the router table.

 

[dicktill]

If you do want to cut spot-on miters on the table saw, you need to learn a mitering technique that uses a shop-made L-fence mounted on the table saw fence.

Could you elaborate on this please? BTW, I do have the Jessem Clear-Cut guides on my table saw.

Thanks, Dick

 

[ChuckM]

Hi Dick,

This is the L-fence approach I use for long dead-on miters: https:  //vimeo.com/554514513 (remove spaces after the colon)

The Kapex is almost perfect (assuming it's properly fine-tuned at the factory or by the user), except that the L-fence can handle long miters beyond the cutting capacity of the miter saw.

If you don't want to make/use the L-fence, dial in your table saw to 45* as laid out in the vimeo video, and then use the stock guides to keep the stock to the fence for consistency.