BAND SAWN TAPERS Tapers are a great way to add a bit of visual interest to a project. A taper jig at the table saw works well, but making the jig can be time-consuming. Instead, I cut many of my tapers at the band saw, as you can see in the legs I cut in the photos below. When shaping, I create a hardboard template to ensure that all the workpieces come out identical. Stick the template down to the workpiece. Double-sided tape provides plenty of strength here. The hardboard rub block registers directly against the template, leaving a small amount of waste to be routed off. A flush-trim bit at the router table is the best way to clean off blade marks, registering the bit against the template. LAYOUT. For cutting these tapers, I start with a slightly oversized workpiece. I then mark the start and end points of the taper and connect them using a straight-edge (Step 1). CUTTING. The best blade to use when cutting a taper is a 1⁄2"-wide blade with 3 or 4 teeth per inch.…