Safely cut small pieces on your mitersaw

Mitersaw hold-downs keep your hand well away from the blade while holding the workpiece rock-steady for smooth cuts. But for pieces too short to reach the hold-down, I came up with this simple jig for securing pieces as short as ¹⁄₂ ".

Build your own using ¹⁄₄ " MDF for everything except the ¹⁄₄ " plywood back. Make the bottom piece wide enough that your saw never cuts completely through it. Note that smaller jig pieces which the workpiece rests against are sacrificial scraps that provide a zero-clearance base and fence.

Hold the jig to the saw, using a clamp or the machine’s hold-down. You can purchase a hold-down for the workpiece from a number of sources. I purchased a mini version from Rockler (item 45692, rockler.com).
—Fred Nowak, Liberty, S.C.