Skewing Shear Cutting, Taper Cuts | Powermatic 60C, 60HH guide

Skewing (Shear Cutting)

When edging or facing burl or birds-eye maple, it is not unusual to deface or mar the surface being finished. This is caused by the cutterhead knives occasionally cutting against the grain. In order to prevent the defacing or marring of this type wood, it is necessary to skew, or angle finish, the material being worked.

Refer to Figure 36.

1.Release the fence locking handle (A, Figure 36) and remove the hex nut and washer (B) holding the fence to the fence support. Remove the fence assembly.

2.Remove the key (C) and the 1/4”-20 x 1/4”

	socket head cap screw (D) from the fence	Figure 36
	support. (The socket head screw keeps the
	non-mar insert from hitting the key.)
3.	Position the fence assembly at the desired
	angle across the cutterhead.
4.	Secure the fence to the support with the hex
	nut and washer (B), then tighten the fence
	locking handle (A).

When resuming work with normal stock, always re-install the key and the socket head cap screw!

Taper Cuts

A useful jointer operation is cutting an edge to a taper. The method can be used on a wide variety of work. Tapered legs of furniture are a common example. Instead of laying the piece on the infeed table, lower the forward end of the work onto the outfeed table. Do this very carefully, as the piece will span the knives, and they will take a "bite" from the work with a tendency to kick back unless the piece is firmly held. Now push the work forward as in ordinary jointing.

The effect is to plane off all the stock in front of the knives to increasing depth, leaving a tapered surface. The ridge left by the knives when starting the taper may be removed by taking a very light cut according to the regular method for jointing, with the infeed table raised to its usual position.

Practice is required in taper operations, and the beginner is advised to make trial cuts on waste material. Taper cuts over part of the length and a number of other special operations can easily be done as the operator gains experience.