Fine-tune shop-made throat plates with a router

I used ¹⁄₂ " Baltic birch plywood to make a zero-clearance throat plate for my tablesaw, only to find out that it protrudes slightly above the table. I'd like to find a simple, safe way to make it flush.
—Dan Clemons, Columbus, Ohio

Dan, you only need to cut two very shallow rabbets on the bottom face. If you have a router table, install a straight bit, and raise it to trim off the excess material. Set the fence for a ⁵⁄₈ "-wide cut to receive the throat-plate supports on a typical tablesaw. Then, form a pair of rabbets, and check the results on your saw. If you don't have a router table, cut the rabbets with a dado set on your tablesaw.