Post by Scrit on May 9th, 2006, 3:55pm
wrote on May 9th, 2006, 3:22pm:
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Thanks for the plug, Jason ;D Yes I do machine my own falling jigs to produce drainer like this one (sorry for the poor quality photograph - work in progress at this stage, too):
This was machined in situ as the solid-surface worktop here comes with the sink bonded in place. The jig (CAD) looks like this:
Solid surface and beech require the same sort of jigs. Generally for one offs I'd use MR-MDF (moisture-resistant MDF) as it's cheaper, but I've now done a few for fitters where the requirement was for a longer life and those have been machined in MF-MDF (melamine faced MDF) or birch plywood and even one in solid laminate, although that was a bit pricey. I can do any pattern, straight 5 or 6 leg, fan 5 or 6 leg, dog leg 5 or 6 leg (the one above is a dogleg, 6 leg), D-type (three "D" shapes inside each other), squared-D, tree (branching fan), etc. as I have my own CNC router. I've also done jigs for pan rests, Belfast cut-outs and Belfast drip grooves (on the underside of the worktop). The nice thing is I'll make for any combination of router/bush/cutter, so id you only have a Sparky router with a 20mm guide bush I can accommodate that.
The problem of recessing the entire drained area is that it is much easier to to do this on the CNC or by hand with a "gantry" jig and router before installing the top. Traditional wooden worktops had a wooden lip applied to the front and a tile or wooden upstand at the back and sides to contain the water - I can remember this type of arrangement the house we lived in when I was a kid, and that house was built in the 1940s. You can rout the recess in situ, but it will be pretty awkward, especially as you'll have to flatten the surface of the dropped area before you rout-out any grooves. Supporting the "gantry" to recess out at this stage will be a ruddy nuisance now it's all plumbed in - you'll need to have a gantry with 2 or 3 positions for the router to sit. With a recessed area the groove jig will also need to be made to fit inside the recess as otherwise it will bow in use and you'll they have consistency problems with the grooves. The drainer pictured above copes well with water despite having no front lip because it has a fairly pronounced drop (at the customer's behest), a bit more than I would normally put in, and the side and rear of the worktop are additionally protected by upstands
If you are interested in having a jig made drop me an email or PM me.
Scrit
