New micro adjustable jig ..

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Hi all

Too late for the competition but....

Mother-in-law's 77th Birthday coming up and so mrs T asked me to make her a box as I've made a few 'nice ones' lately :oops: Very clever ploy used there!!

This jig took about 2 hours to build using a couple of offcuts of Oak and Ash.

Anyway, I got some figured Beech (never seen it figured before) and got working. Decided to make finger joints BUT as I have never cut them before, I didn't have a jig.

Here is the result of the mad panic :wink:

I made it 'micro adjustable' with a 6mm bolt as the thread has a pitch of 1mm (360 degrees = 1mm movement).

I've posted plenty of pictures in case anyone is inspired to make one. It works very well and the box is nearly finished. Guide rail for mitre slot was made from an old plastic chopping board and I highly recomend this approach.

Finger_joint_jig_full.jpg


Below you can see the end of the adjuster. I used it to set the gap between the Oak 'pin' and the next finger cut. Fine adjustment is paramount here to get a nice fit between fingers and holes. Also, a handle cut from the workshop broom!! to keep my pinkies safe :wink:

FInger_Joint_Jig_Adjuster.jpg


I cut a slot in the front piece of ash to allow me to set the jig up for various cutter (pin) widths - locked with a 6mm bolt. I also cut a 10mm deep dado in the back for the nylon runner strip shhown below. I cut these on the router table with 2 end stops clamped to the fence. The fine adjuster has a 'nyloc' nut on the end where it touches the front sliding piece as I felt that this would give more accurate positioning than the end of the bolt would. To set the jig up, I loosened the locking bolt that holds the front in place and adjusted the micro adjuster screw to the desired position, locked everything up and ran a test cut. I measured the pin and hole sizes in my test piece and found it out by 1/2mm. I unlocked all bolts, turned micro adjuster 180 degrees and voila!! perfect cut.



FInger_Joint_Jig_Adjuster_front.jpg


Next picture shows a piece of nylon cut from the chopping board to run in the mitre slot. Nylon works really well for this as it does not swell or contract with changes in humidity or heat in the workshop and fits very 'snuggly' in the mitre slot.


FInger_Joint_Jig_Bottom.jpg


Pin is screwed to base - no glue as it will wear!!

FInger_Joint_Jig_Pin.jpg


One of the most important things to do is make sure jig is square to the mitre slot or the box will be twisted DAMHIKT!!! :evil: (Look ma, my hand's on the internet!)


FInger_Joint_Jig_Square.jpg


In use :wink: Test piece being cut.


FInger_Joint_Jig_Used.jpg


Rear view showing handle


Finger_Joint_Jig_rear.jpg




Cheers

Tony
 
Tony,

Nice job. But where's the box?! :roll: Typical woodworker; going on about the jig and not the project... :wink: :lol:

Cheers, Alf

P.S. Guards removed for clarity I assume? :roll:
 
Tony,

Nice one. I can see me making one when finger joints are needed.

I often use cutting/chopping boards for making stuff in the workshop, glad I am not alone. :D
 
Tony,
It looks very nice and should work a treat - pity you did not have it ready in time for the competition!

However - and please correct me if I am wrong but wasn't it you who planned to build a computer controlled version with a stepper motor? I am still waitiing to see that version!

(I like the chopping board ideas by the way - potentially a very useful source of material which is ideal for many purposes.)
 
Thanks for the nice comments

Nice one Alf and a good point :wink: I have the box in clamps at the moment and will add to gallery when completed.

Chris. Yes it was/is me. The guy doing some machining for me is about to retire early from paid employment and I am waiting for a couple of bits from him - he is clearly distracted at the moment. He has a workshop of his own set up for post-retirement projects such as the CNC router fence :lol:
The computer controlled fence is on the way and will be posted in a month or so - if I can stop working on 10 projects at once that is :oops:
I think two versions will be made. One a microcontroller in a small box with simple alpha numeric display, the other a PC controlled version.

I hope to offer circuit boards to the forum at cost so that others can have a play.


Cheers

Tony
 
Newbie_Neil":1yrnfvcn said:
Hi Tony

Another good jig. How do you keep doing it?

Well done.
Neil

Hi Neil

To be honest this jig only took a couple of hours as the wood was from the scrap bin and already planed and thicknessed.

If I have any secret, it's knowing what I want to do before entering the workshop. Don't spend time in the workshop thinking about what you want to do - sort this out beforehand and get a sketch done.


Cheers

Tony
 
Here's the first box (sides and base) from the jig in flat-pack format before gluing. One of many 'test cuts' at the rear :wink:

Box_components.jpg
 
Finally I got the box glued up. First attempt with the new jig and I am quite pleased with it. Finish is pure Tung Oil.

Finger_Box_1.JPG


Finger_box_2.JPG
 
Oh I say. Well played, sir. Managed to slip in the surface plate and the Japanese hammer... :wink:

Nice box, Tony. Lucky mother-in-law. :D

Cheers, Alf
 
Tony - I have a PowerPro router table the same as this and am quite pleased with it - it's a bit more substantial than some on the market.

Question - where did you get the T-track from? I could do with buying some of that for my own jigmaking. Is it standard?

Andrew
 
Hi Andrew

Sorry but not quite sure what you mean by the T-track. Could you elaborate a bit for me please?
 
Alf":76v6jt2q said:
Oh I say. Well played, sir. Managed to slip in the surface plate and the Japanese hammer... :wink:

Cheers, Alf

Took ages to set that one up :p :p :p

But you missed the Axminster ground straight edge in the background :p

I am just considering adding that nice little handle you had in the top of your box Alf - if time allows :wink:
 
Tony":19d0f0gs said:
Sorry but not quite sure what you mean by the T-track. Could you elaborate a bit for me please?
The T-track is what you have the nylon piece running in.

I just re-read the original article and you've answered the question. Speed reading fails again :)

Andrew
 
Ok, a couple of coats of Tung and 3 of Black Bison and it's done - with a day to spare before I have to hand it over.

I decided to inlay some Mahogany in the box lid.

I used the router guide stop blocks I recently posted here to route a rectangualr dado in lid.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2217

Cleaned corners with 3/4" two-cherries chisel.
I ripped a 7mm wide strip from a 6x1 mahogany plank with bandsaw and hand planed down to 5mm thick. Cut 3mm strips from this with bandsaw and fine tuned them for width with block plane until they needed a firm push with a wooden block to get them into the slot. Yellow wood glue to hold.
I made a 45 degree shooting board and cut miters on inlay with the chisel and fitted to the corners with the shooting board.

First inlay job of it's type I've done and I'm pretty chuffed (no gaps in mitres) :wink:

Inlaid_front.JPG



Three_Quarter.JPG
 
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