BAND SAWN TAPERS

Tapers are a great way to add a bit of visual interest to a project. A taper jig at the table saw works well, but making the jig can be time-consuming. Instead, I cut many of my tapers at the band saw, as you can see in the legs I cut in the photos below.

When shaping, I create a hardboard template to ensure that all the workpieces come out identical.

Stick the template down to the workpiece. Double-sided tape provides plenty of strength here.

The hardboard rub block registers directly against the template, leaving a small amount of waste to be routed off.

A flush-trim bit at the router table is the best way to clean off blade marks, registering the bit against the template.

LAYOUT.

For cutting these tapers, I start with a slightly oversized workpiece. I then mark the start and end points of the taper and connect them using a straight-edge (Step 1).

CUTTING.

The best blade to use when cutting a taper is a 1⁄2"-wide blade with 3 or 4 teeth per inch.…