Lacking a table saw, and having been inspired by an earlier thread on scarf jigs, I came up with a good one: I laminated three peices of plywood together, with the middle one cut out to provide airflow such that my shop vac holds the part against the jig. I then cut a 12: 1 scarf in one side and an 8:1 in the other. I simply put some scrap over the side not being used.

This thing works great! I set the jig against the fence and clamp it to the table. I turn the vac on, set the part against the jig, position it to what I want, and cut with a crosscut on the radial arm saw. My saw is 12", so on the 8:1 I can scarf a 2x4 if I want. I get nice flat perfect joints every time. I can stack several strips and cut so the scraf shows, or cut one at a time so it does not show. At no time do my fingers get anywhere near the blade. If the scrap catches it is thrown back away, and the jig holds the part steady with no damage.