Workshop Tip: Simple micro-adjuster for any crosscut fence

Shop Tips

Clamp this block to any fence and use a thumbscrew to make small adjustments.

I needed a micro-adjuster for my miter gauge but was too impatient to order one, so I came up with this simple but effective shopmade version. All you have to do is drill a slightly angled hole in a wood block, and twist a thumbscrew into it. The hole is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the screw, so it will make its own threads in the wood. And it’s drilled at an angle to give the thumb end of the screw the clearance it needs. Because the end of the screw contacts the workpiece at an angle, I rounded over its end. To use the micro-adjuster, just clamp it onto any fence in your shop, including your miter gauge or crosscut sled. It works great.

—STEVE FIKAR, Shalimar, Fla.

Illustrations by Dan Thornton From Fine woodworking issue #297