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After dealing with seemingly unexplainable tear out and narrow offcuts slipping through the opening, I made the creation of a zero clearance insert a top priority when my new Jet table saw was delivered. I set aside a whole weekend to make sure my precious new saw was completely calibrated and as accurate as possible. Part of that process was creating a zero clearance insert. The stock throat plate has a very large opening to accommodate a tilting blade required for a beveled cut, but it means no support for perpendicular cuts. There are great aftermarket zero clearance inserts options, but I knew I could build one and fit it perfectly to my new saw. While I was creating the standard zero clearance insert I decided I should go ahead and make a few other dedicated inserts for different sized cuts that I make regularly–some standard dado cuts and a thin-kerf blade. I used a quarter sheet of ½" MDF from the local home store; there are other options that work fine, but the stability of MDF makes it perfect. Check in next week as I provide details about building a ZCI.