Byrnes Miter Gage Add-Ons

The Byrnes miter gage is a high precision device but, at 1/8” high, not high enough for many situations so I decided to make some add-ons. Helpfully, the Byrnes gage has two 2-56 tapped holes perfectly situated to mount such add-ons.

I got some 2” x 1” T aluminum stock.

I ripped it on the big table saw to make a form that would be the base for my add-ons.

The result is this.

I then cut 2 4 ¼” pieces and one 5” piece to make my add-ons.

I drilled #44 holes (2-56 body drill) in each of them to line up with the tapped holes in the Byrnes gage. The first add-on is a simple tall fence using one of the 4 ¼” pieces.

The above picture also shows one of the other add-ons. I gouged an alignment line into the bed of the Byrnes saw aligned with the left side of the saw blade and filled it with black paint. You will see later why this is a useful add-on.

The second fence is a short one rippled from the other 4 ¼” piece.

The final add-on uses the 5” piece with a notch cut in it.

This supports the stock being cut on both sides of the saw blade. I needed this ability when cutting notches in the one edge of thin stock. I mark the back of the stock to indicate where the cut should be and use the alignment line to position the stock properly. In general the alignment line is useful whenever I’m only notching stock rather than cutting it all the way through.