Commercially available accessories include tenoning jigs and sliding table attachments. Refer to Chapter 38. 23.3.2 Blade Guards A blade guard is an essential accessory because it keeps your hands away from the blade and helps control sawdust. It may mount on the saw trunnion or attach to the table edge. A trunnion-mounted guard is bolted to the saw trunnion, Figure 23-4. This is the main machine set the fence. It may also be equipped with a digi- tal readout device (DRO), Figure 23-2. Make minor adjustments for the blade-to-fence distance before clamping the fence. Miter Gauge A miter gauge controls the cutting of narrow workpieces at angles other than parallel to the blade. It is usually adjustable through a 120° swing. Depend- ing on the manufacturer, a 0° or 90° setting positions the gauge perpendicular to the blade for squaring material to length. The miter gauge slides in table slots that are found on either side of the blade. On some machines, these are T-slots. The miter gauge slide has a matching T shape. It can be inserted only at the front edge of the table. The T-slot design keeps the miter gauge from tipping or accidentally being lifted out of the slot. Sliding Table To improve accuracy when cutting wider work- pieces, select a saw with a sliding table or a sliding table accessory. A sliding table provides easier han- dling of large panels. See Figure 23-3. Jigs and Accessories If either the fence or miter gauge will not per- form an operation safely and accurately, you may buy or build a jig to hold the workpiece and guide the tool. User-made jigs must be sturdy and hold the workpiece firmly. Make the jig of solid stock, plywood, or fiberboard. It might clamp to the rip fence or miter gauge. You can also attach wood strips to the jig bottom so it slides in both table slots. Patrick A. Molzahn Figure 23-2. A rip scale may be supplemented with a digital readout (DRO). SawStop LLC Figure 23-4. This blade guard is mounted to the saw trunnion under the table. Laguna Tools Figure 23-3. This aftermarket sliding table can be added to most table saws to make crosscutting easier. 374 Section 4 Machining Processes Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.