Adjustable Support for Mitre/chop Saw Work

When cross cutting long pieces of wood on my mitre saw, I always have to stack some scraps of wood upon each other to support the overhanging end. It can be frustrating to get the ideal height, and so I decided to design an adjustable support to save some time and frustration.

The nice thing about the design I came up with is that it needs no locking mechanism. It just have to be adjusted to the desired height, and there it will stay, no matter how heavy the load, until you change the adjustment again. So no fiddling necessary.

I hope the design can also be useful where other kinds of adjustable support is necessary.

The video shows the support in operation, and the first picture shows the idea behind it's operation: When the wedge is moved to the left, the support block will move up if kept in place horizontally, and vice versa.

The last picture shows the 3 different parts of the completed support:

1. The frame which holds the lifting block and wedge in place is glued to the bottom platform. Note the small block glued to the far left hand side of the platform to stop the wedge's travel in that direction.

2. The wedge, fitted with a stop (to restrict it's travel to the right hand side) and knob on it's left hand side.

3. The lifting block, with it's bottom cut at a corresponding angle to the angle of the wedge.

The measurements I used (first picture) are suitable for my Makita LS0714 mitre saw, which base is 79 mm high. The travel of the support is about 2 cm: from a centimeter below the working height of the mitre saw to a centimeter above. Obviously your requirements will be different to mine and you will have to adjust your design accordingly.

The second picture shows the completed device in use supporting a length of chipboard.

I used only glue to put the device together, except for the stop and knob on the left hand side of the wedge, which was both fixed to the wedge with one 40 mm wood screw. Of course another few strategically placed small nails or screws will benefit the sturdiness and longevity of the device.

Some candle wax or soap rubbed on the working wooden surfaces will add to smooth operation.

I hope your find the design useful.