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I've had the same experience as others. I hadn't even assembled/used the thing. The cheaply cast steel hinge was separated when I pulled the jig out of the box. Yikes.
Well, just like another reviewer here, the hinge on my taper jig cracked right in half. This is a cheaply made tool. I didn't find any particular problems with safety or cut quality, but just made cheaply.Look elsewhere.
When you push the jig and workpiece through the saw blade, the saw blade wants to pull the workpiece away from the fence and into the blade. This jig is dangerous. There is no way to clamp the workpiece to the jig. This is very unsafe. If you manually hold the workpiece against the fence your precious digits will be much too close to the blade.
The user could then keep his/her hands on the handle and away from the blade. Old woodworkers never die, they just disappear one piece at a time. It is flimsy, poorly engineered, and is quite dangerous. A better design would have been to provide a flange beneath the workpiece and an adjustable toggle clamp on top to press the workpiece firmly in place. In fact, a good glass-filled plastic or polycarbonate design would have been more stable than the extruded aluminum.Do yourself a favor and make your own out of a couple 2x2s, some masonite board and a hinge. I envision personal injury plaintiff attorneys salivating like Pavlov's dog over this device.
One must take particular care not to apply torsional pressure to it while cutting. That is what may happen if you try to use this jig. I attached a piece of 1/4" masonite to the bottom of mine to provide a flange, and added a much-needed toggle clamp.The jig is flimsy, and twists easily, causing uneven cuts. There is no means by which to hold the workpiece against the side of the jig, requiring the user to hold the workpiece with the other hand. This places that hand in close proximity to the saw blade. The jig could have been made more robust.
Cheers.
Lots of people get caught up in gadgetry. NONE all of these type jigs are junk and UNSAFE. Go to your local supply house (woodcraft. ) or stop by any furniture making shop and see how many of them have this in their shop. As with many jigs you are better off making your own. It will be SAFER, more reliable and more consistent.
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