I made a quick and dirty zero clearance plate to cut some small pieces, but realised that I needed to cut a larger piece of MDF while I was working. Ok, I thought, the saw is already set up, it won’t take a minute.
Then promptly cut the zero clearance board in half…
I feel like the best wood workers are the ones that know how to do creative problem solving well.
Like, they make just as much mistakes as anyone else, they just know how to solve them better and quicker. I really love video’s where the wood worker makes a mistake, admits to it and shows how it is solved. Keith Johnson woodworking is one that comes to mind.
So forget about your silly mistake. Laugh, and think of how you are going to fix it. It is a shop jig, so simply joining it back together in a strong way seems fine to me.
And thanks for the laugh, this would be something I would do too…
If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not doing anything!
In that case I’m doing lots 🙈😂
I believe we call that self clearancing.
I made a zero clearance insert for my miter saw out of oak. I took the stock one out of the saw, traced it, rough cut it out with a jigsaw (a bandsaw or scrollsaw would be a better choice but I own neither) and then used a flush cutting bit in my router to bring it exactly to shape. If I need zero clearance at the fence I just attach a board to it.
I need to do the same, but I keep forgetting until I need to use it. At that point, I make something quick and dirty, then end up breaking it 🙈
when you do get around to making it, batch out a few. the ones I’ve made tend to get chewed up over time
Good thinking, thanks 🙂
I tend to have times where, a big project is finished and out the door, I’m not ready for the next big project but I want something to work on, so I’ll pick some little shop project and finally fix that wonky vice jaw or make an insert for the miter saw. I also do the thing of “I’m in the middle of a project and I need an extension for my miter saw” and I’ll rummage through my scrap pile and make something that’ll just about do.
