I was wondering what you guys use for a zero clearance insert on your table saws? I like the one Norm A uses on the "New Yankee Work Shop", I only found one place that carried them and they were over $100 and did not have any for my PM 66.
What they carry now is the solid plastic one for about $25 a pop, the type Norm uses, a person can mill the insert themselfs.
A while back the PM dealer here had a bolt on attachment type scoring saw, but the price scared me for the little I would need it.
I run my own using cutoffs. Plane them down to thickness, then trace them out with your existing insert. Do a bunch at a time and you will always have one ready to go. You can get fancy with them by adding screw levelers, but I don't. A screw coming out the back should be installed so the thing doesn't kick out the hole, though. :(
What MS said...I usually use oak planed a little thinner than put a couple pieces of tape on the corners to level them out with the table. Years ago when I worked in a cabinet/sign shop we made em out of phenolic because we cut a lot of 1/8" Formica for signs and our tolerance on the reverse side was zero chip out.
I also use some left over oak or maple. I use the insert that came with the saw as a pattern. I use double stick to taple it to the oak, cut around it on the bandsaw and finish
it with the router with a flush trim bit the one that has the bearning on the end. I also
have a couple made for the diff size of dado blades i use.
Lester
I use 1/2" plywood, less movement over the seasons. But pretty much the same as the guys stated. No need to buy an insert. ::) I have a couple for my new daddo system I bought recently and used them to cut my finger joints in my butternut chest. :)
I was already to buy some inserts, when I opened my wood worker's manual and seen them home made jobs in there. ;) I cut mine with the bandsaw and take to the table sander, and sand to the trace lines. Fit nice and snug.
Lexan, aluminum, plexiglass, anything able to be cut by blades but not expand contract w/ temp/ moisture. You can thread it as well to micro adjust the four corners as needed.
Ironwood
I have a powermatic 64A and make my own inserts from white plastic cutting boards sold at wallmart :)
I just stick the original aluminum insert to the plastic piece and flush trim it with my router. I then transfer the leveling screw holes etc. then I make a 3/4" wide by 1/4" deep relief cut on the blade side of the inserts.
Those cutting boards cost about 5 dollars at WM and I end up getting about 6 inserts out of one, they are very slick and work very well for standard cuts and dados.