Tablesaw Blade Height Gauge // No More Guessing The Height of Your Blade!

Tablesaw Blade Height Gauge // No More Guessing The Height of Your Blade!

I got tired of the process of raising and lowering my table saw blade and measuring with a ruler, trying to find the crest of my tablesaw blade. Dado’s and rabbets are so much easier now with this easy jig. Very soon I’ll have an instructable detailing exactly how this is made.

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50 Comments

  1. ragcell on January 7, 2022 at 10:57 pm

    I, like others, was cringing at your “finger as a push block” technique. Like another commentor noted, a Gripper is fantastic. For make-it-yourself types (like you), a wooden push stick is the way to go. When pushing smaller pieces thru a table saw, who cares if the push-block part of a push stuck touches the business end of a saw blade: make another push stick? Also, a push stick w/could hold down small pieces that might otherwise vibrate-drift into a throwback opportunity. At the very least, add an overlain text disclaimer into this video to NOT do this at home: this would be VERY helpful advice for the novices, as another commented. I was curious why you had the padouk corner braces; were these functional or just to make your device look pretty. I WAS impressed with your corner cutting jig; that was a novel innovation, from my perspective. However it was not clear to me how this was (or was not) linked to your table saw miter guides. While that was a cool project, that is too damn much work to make something that is readily available on the open market, and probably a tad bit more accurate (but quibbling about 1/64" is probably not that a big of a deal that a little sanding would not correct). But then, Making Things is the point of your video…



  2. rick irvine on January 7, 2022 at 10:59 pm

    Some rare earth magnets in the base to hold it tight to the throat plate while you raise the blade would be useful.



  3. Жужелица Сибирская on January 7, 2022 at 11:00 pm

    Если хотите сделать простую вещь максимально сложно, спросите американца и он вам расскажет как…



  4. Familie Fischer on January 7, 2022 at 11:01 pm

    Cool💪👍👍



  5. 詹建松 on January 7, 2022 at 11:01 pm

    好點子 讚~不過使用率不高



  6. AngeliqueKaga on January 7, 2022 at 11:02 pm

    I purchased a set of guides from Kreg that does that on the table saw. Works well.



  7. David Guy on January 7, 2022 at 11:03 pm

    j’ai rien compris au commentaire et il n’y a pas de sous titre (diable!)
    mai en voyant le truc en fonction! Ah ouais, y’a de l’idée en franc on dit: "pas con le truc!" mazis je dirais limite génial! (en plus coté esthétique : Nickel!)



  8. Rich Dobbs on January 7, 2022 at 11:03 pm

    The jig as currently implement doesn’t do what you do when you were manually setting the blade height. I kept on expecting you to do a "do-over" and replace the thin bottom piece with something more substantial, and then raise the blade into the jig to get an arc, and then using that to set the zero.



  9. thorlo6 on January 7, 2022 at 11:06 pm

    I love the build! I hate to admit it, but sometimes I push things through the blade with my fingers also. Of course, after I nearly lost the end of my left index finger after messing with a vacuum cleaner motor, I started using a push stick or at least a scrap of wood to keep all my digits. After all I am kind of fond of all of them! 😀



  10. Crustyswede1 on January 7, 2022 at 11:10 pm

    Great idea and job!



  11. Gino Asci on January 7, 2022 at 11:10 pm

    it’s a good thought but that jig won’t work because it’s pretty much guaranteed a tooth will not be top dead center, which means that plate you have there that sits on top of the saw will most likely sit on two teeth which mean ms the height of the saw is slightly higher than what your jig is measuring.
    maybe i’m wrong because missed something in your video after jumping to the end because i was falling asleep.



  12. Владимир Ши on January 7, 2022 at 11:13 pm

    Good. Only very bulky, could be made simpler and more compact.



  13. Varun Daid on January 7, 2022 at 11:14 pm

    Yeah nah… You still have to make an effort to get the highest point of the tooth, and with this method you are far more susceptible to losing that highest point because you cant hold the blade still with your hands with that contraption on it…

    Having said that, great looks of the jig…



  14. David Higley on January 7, 2022 at 11:16 pm

    This is fantastic.



  15. Playing with Fire & Lightning on January 7, 2022 at 11:17 pm

    Bro…Amazing work. Have you ever thought of making a push-stick. I’ll bet you a finger you won’t regret it. 😊



  16. PaganWizard on January 7, 2022 at 11:17 pm

    Get yourself a GRRRIPPER before you lose a finger or 3.



  17. Mangia Italiana with Chef Tony “V” on January 7, 2022 at 11:17 pm

    Nice, creative way to solve this dilemma for all of us. I’m happy to see someone else who is careful, understands their tools and isn’t wrapped in bubble tape and using a titanium covered 48” long push stick, chainmail wardrobe and hard hat to do simple cuts. Small cuts, rookies and people in a rush….sure grab the push stick. I personally like the comment suggesting “get a ‘gripper” or really saying go out and spent $100….your experience and patience were fine and the rest of the millennials can keep the safety industry going strong along with their participation medals and trophies for those games where no scores were kept and EVERYBODY was a winner, especially the Gripper Companies.



  18. F. De Mascio on January 7, 2022 at 11:18 pm

    Fortunately for me, my woodworking is 95% beehives, bottom boards and covers. Close enough is close enough.
    Nice build though. I’ve got the same compound miter saw, great machine.



  19. Tufan Kilinc on January 7, 2022 at 11:19 pm

    Just discovered your channel today. I really enjoy your content. Thanks for uploading!



  20. Nami328 on January 7, 2022 at 11:24 pm

    WHAT KIND OF INTRO IS THAT, I THOUGHT I WAS WITNESSING MURDER FFS – didnt help the volume was high ffs



  21. George Pretnick on January 7, 2022 at 11:24 pm

    Good to see a video using the same approximate level of machinery that I have. Tired of watching vids made in a $100,000+ shop.



  22. Dieter Leimann on January 7, 2022 at 11:25 pm

    Right at the end what is that multi blade called that cuts tracks



  23. TIm on January 7, 2022 at 11:25 pm

    Suggest Make Things makes a push stick. Please save your fingers



  24. Mow Better on January 7, 2022 at 11:25 pm

    good music



  25. John Crisman on January 7, 2022 at 11:25 pm

    I was lulled by the music thinking for a while that this was a Japanese workshop. Then I realized that it could not be since you did not incorporate your feet in any of the operations.



  26. E G on January 7, 2022 at 11:26 pm

    WTF, everytime i try to paste in my comment that i´ve pre-written, everything becomes blank, W(hy)T(he) F(udge)? Never mind, nice video, but it´l never work in the long run, sorry. perhaps accurate to within a millimeter if very lucky, but not to the things you do, no way… we have seen what you can do and hold you to a higher standard. Please continue.



  27. so UNTOUCHABLE on January 7, 2022 at 11:27 pm

    Beautiful jig! you come up with some of the best designs for things like that. I’ve really been enjoying your videos lately. Well done!



  28. Gary Kurowski on January 7, 2022 at 11:27 pm

    Nice!



  29. Daniel Reishus on January 7, 2022 at 11:29 pm

    Brilliant



  30. Desert Groomer on January 7, 2022 at 11:29 pm

    An incredibly over-complicated gizmo that (as seen at 10:52′) does not even measure maximum height.



  31. Peter Callaghan on January 7, 2022 at 11:30 pm

    Great idea, lovely execution and great music! What is the music, by the way? It’s so nice to have something relaxing to listen to while watching instruction videos. I



  32. mpetersen6 on January 7, 2022 at 11:30 pm

    Looking at most table saws from the viewpoint of a machinist one sees the immediate problem. Or several of them. Not with height measuring jig but with the table saws them selves. Because the arbor is carried on an arm that swings on a pivot offset from the centerline of the arbor the amount the blade rises is never constant per turn of the hand wheel. But if the blade rises straight up and down in a set of guides then each turn would be the same distance. Then if the hand wheel had a dial graduated in whatever measurements, fractions, decimal inches or metric, that you are using. If the elevating screw is say 8TPI then a dial on the hand wheel could easily be decided into 1/128ths. This isn’t rocket science. It’s just a why of looking at the problem from a logical view point. I think the reason that saw manufactures, at least on the larger stationary machines don’t do this is inertia in the system. But a lot, if not all of the jobsite saws do operate this way.
    Another thing that can be done is with either the manufactures threat plates, aftermarket ones or shop made ones is to have a mark scribed orengraved into the throat plate the corresponds to the centerline of the arbor. Then there is none of the guesswork of is the tipof the tooth at the high point of its rotation around the spindles centerline.



  33. Custom Multirotors on January 7, 2022 at 11:30 pm

    What woods did you use here?



  34. Toro DeFuego on January 7, 2022 at 11:31 pm

    Nice Anvil



  35. ardvarkkkkk1 on January 7, 2022 at 11:32 pm

    Massively over complicated.



  36. sunriseshell on January 7, 2022 at 11:32 pm

    You got something against push sticks?



  37. J DANTE Sr. ALARCON on January 7, 2022 at 11:35 pm

    Push sticks push sticks push sticks ….please don’t put in risk yourself. The jig is awesome.😉😉



  38. adam bogart on January 7, 2022 at 11:36 pm

    Nice build but the video was about 10 minutes too long. Get to the point quicker.



  39. ladykay8 on January 7, 2022 at 11:36 pm

    Enough people have commented on push sticks, so I won’t, but I couldn’t watch the entire thing. If you measure your blade, what ever part of it is sticking up, and mark the center on your surrounding plate with a crosswise mark, you will always know where to gauge blade height.



  40. Zaranathax on January 7, 2022 at 11:36 pm

    A neat idea and nicely made but doesn’t look like time well spent. You need to rotate the blade to find the top tooth which is going to wear the bottom plate over time. Also, if you happen to choose a tooth that is a little lower than another one it will be inaccurate. I’d never use any static measuring device as a way to set the final depth of cut; if you want, say, exactly one inch then set the blade to obviously less than that and use a test piece to sneak up on it. Even then I rarely cut to an exact measurement – if I need to cut to an accuracy of a few thou then it is because my wood is fitting something else. Just guess on the small side and sneak up until the piece of wood actually fits what you want it to fit.

    In my experience, measuring things is hugely overrated and should be avoided where possible.



  41. Robert April on January 7, 2022 at 11:39 pm

    Nice project, but I had a hard time watching some parts. You put your fingers so close to spinning blades and drill bits. I’m sure you could do everything you do, but in a safer manner.
    Anyways, have a nice day.



  42. Sanjay Bajpai on January 7, 2022 at 11:40 pm

    Beautiful, it’s work of art and for the first time the music is light n soothing suiting the video. But you are working on the table saw with bare hands I mean no push blocks. Hope you stay safe



  43. Make Things on January 7, 2022 at 11:41 pm

    Instructable finally complete! Make one of these for free (you buy the parts 😅)

    https://www.instructables.com/id/Table-Saw-Blade-Gauge/



  44. Иван on January 7, 2022 at 11:43 pm

    Техника безопасности??Неее,не слышал.



  45. TheDublin47 on January 7, 2022 at 11:43 pm

    Looks like a lot of work for a cage



  46. Taldir on January 7, 2022 at 11:44 pm

    nice



  47. almosthuman on January 7, 2022 at 11:49 pm

    OK, I think enough people have chastised you about using a push stick, so I won’t jump on that wagon.
    However, another issue I have with your technique is that you have very loose sleeves that get dangerously close to the blade. Have you ever seen what happens when clothing gets caught in a saw blade? It can mess up a nice shirt… oh, and it’s not good for arms either.

    As for the tool, it still seems like you still have to make sure the highest point of the blade is touching the tool riser and it is more difficult to see with your setup. I think I’m sticking with the old-fashioned way… which I have never seen as a problem that needed fixing…



  48. Jason Hamilton on January 7, 2022 at 11:50 pm

    Doesn’t anyone make a laser version of this to give a digital readout? If not – there’s your million dollar idea



  49. KC6BPH on January 7, 2022 at 11:51 pm

    You do really outstanding work and you really know how to come up with creative solutions. Contrasting colored wood and beveled Paduck splines add nothing to the functionality but take it beyond beautiful. You are an artist my friend.



  50. Ken Parnell on January 7, 2022 at 11:53 pm

    Now, that’s just damn clever. Good job.