The blade openings on the standard throat plates of table saws are too large for making narrow rip cuts or crosscutting thin slivers off the ends of workpieces. Here’s my simple fix: I apply a long strip of durable tape on one or both sides of the blade across the full width of my saw table. I position the tape so it nearly touches the blade. Now thin offcuts can’t fall down inside the saw or get wedged and pose a kickback hazard. When I’m no longer in need of “zero-clearance” capability, I just peel off and toss the tape.
– Seamus Harrington
Acushnet, Massachusetts
