3D Printed Table Saw Stop Block

Intro: 3D Printed Table Saw Stop Block

This is hands down the best solution for a miter stop block on your table saw. Hope you enjoy this little project!

STEP 1: Everything You Need to Know Before Reading

Don't bother reading if you don't want to - this video explains it all!

STEP 2: Get a 3D Printer

I bought the FlashForge Adventurer 3 - its a wonderful little introductory 3D Printer and is perfect for a hobbyist / wood shop because the entire thing is self contained and won't let sawdust impede the mechanics.

STEP 3: Table Saw Safety 101

The entire reason for this project is that you, as a professional or total beginner, should never use a miter gauge, a sled, etc. with a piece pressed up against your fence. The force you put on it mixed with the friction against the fence is a recipe for kickback. The photo above shows exactly what you should not do.

Stop blocks - which usually consist of a piece of plywood and a clamp against your fence, prevent this entire sequence.

Photo 2 visually represents table saw safety 101.

The way this works is that you put your piece up against your block that is secured to the fence - the sacrificial block gives you the precise measurement of what you want to cut (factoring in the width of the block), and then when you move the piece past it, but still up against your miter gauge, you'll cut it without any fence friction.

Having experience kickback once before, I can comfortably say I never want that to happen again

STEP 4: Working Smarter, Not Harder

I was sick of having to keep a scrap block on hand and clamp. Instead, I wanted to challenge myself to design a stop block in Blender that would fit perfectly on my SawStop T Glide fence, would not require a clamp, and would create basically the answer to an otherwise annoying problem in the shop everyone faces.

I took as precise of measurements as one could, designed what I believed was the exact answer to my problem, and 3D printed it on my FlashForge. It came out AWESOME.

STEP 5: You Need This.

I cannot believe no one else has made this before or that no one else has stollen my design. I'm usually humble about my projects, but this is like, a no brainer, and the world should know it

STEP 6: Have Fun!

I love projects that output a super easy and simple piece, but the BTS thought that builds it is sophisticated enough to make you stop and go, "wait, why didn't I think of that".

I'm not saying what I created was perfect, but I have now used it for over a year, and it's the most simple thing to pull on and off of the fence, it fits on top of it when I'm not using it, and it gives me perfectly accurate and safe cuts 100% of the time.

Do yourself a favor - download the STL file and make a jig like this. Or, ask me for one, and I'll send you it for a nominal amount. Everyone should have access to the easiest and safest methods to using their table saw. Cheers.

Comments

[GeorgeG187]

Thanks for the post. I have a different fence and did a quick design. Works fine but wondering if it could incorporate a spring on the backside. Also wondering if I could use the saw blade for final adjustment.

[JamesBar45]

Great video on 3D; simple but very useful. Thank you.
Also, I didn't have any use for Alexa. But I keep misplacing my remote vacuum switch. Any other examples of using Alexa in your shop?

[odulodul]

Talking about safety, but saw blade totally unprotected...
Dont understand this.

[Workshop Edits]

I don't know a single person in the maker community at large who uses the the dust collector cover over the blade - to me it impedes my vision, blocks my piece at times, and overall makes it much more dangerous.

The saw is perfectly safe without a "blade cover" as you call out - I don't understand why people can't just focus on the project without making up their own safety rules and pretending it's the law.