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DIY Forum >> Carpentry Questions >> Jig for shelves??? https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1103322332 Message started by zambezi on Dec 17th, 2004, 10:25pm |
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Title: Jig for shelves??? Post by zambezi on Dec 17th, 2004, 10:25pm I need to make some shelves out of MDF and i want to rout rebates out the side pieces to slot the shelves into. Is there a jig available for doing this quickly and accurately? I have been using a fence clamped to the workpiece but it can be a pain especially when using thicker MDF and you have to make a number of passes. Thanx Zambezi |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by Dewy on Dec 17th, 2004, 11:09pm The only thing I can think of is a clamp guide as made by Trend and others but this is the same as clamping a fence to the workpiece to set the router base to. |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by coggy on Dec 17th, 2004, 11:11pm That is what i use Dewy. there is a jig thing im sure, i saw a review on it where you put a small piece of the material in the fence and it automatically sets to the width of the material you want to trench to. Im looking now ;) Jase Coggy |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by Dewy on Dec 17th, 2004, 11:26pm I made a basic jig for the router to cut trenches then found that a Canadian company make a similar board adjustable for any size router or circular saw which could also be angled accurately for mitres and such. http://www.macboard.qc.ca/indexe.html I designed a similar one for exactly this use by having adjustable stops built into a longer back fence but got no further since my accident last year. The stops only need to be holes at regular, accurate, intervals i.e. 1/2" into which dowels can be fitted then moved along for the next cut. |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by zambezi on Dec 17th, 2004, 11:29pm Cool it will be interesting to see!! Are the clamps that clamp on either side of the workpiece any good (i am not sure what they are called, they look like aluminum bars with clamping bits on either end??) I will have to go and check the Axmin catalogue to see what they are called.... |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by Dewy on Dec 17th, 2004, 11:38pm Those guide clamps have a fixed clamp point on one end with the other quickly adjustable. Once set you just lock the handle on the fixed end down. John Elliot has a 9' one advertised in the for sale forum today. Its a bit big for normal use but perfect for cutting 8' sheets. They have an optional router or saw base that slides along in T slots. |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by zambezi on Dec 17th, 2004, 11:45pm Do you have a link for john elliot? |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by Dewy on Dec 17th, 2004, 11:51pm Just click on his name in his topic. It shows his email address and website. He is selling the clamp guide and base plus a Makita saw for £135 cash and carry. Its worth a good £300. That size clamp is far to big for most jobs unless you do a lot of cutting of 8x4 sheets. |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by woodsmith on Dec 18th, 2004, 8:40am If you want to rout housings into shelf side panels the easiest and cheapest solution is to make a jig yourself. You need to have a router with a guide bush or a profile cutting bit (they have a bearing above the cutter). Get a piece of scrap MDF, about 200mm longer than the width of the panel and 200mm wide. You now need to cut a slot in it from one side 50mm longer than the width of the panel. The width of the slot you need; if using a profile cutter slot width = housing width if using the guide bush you will need to work out the width. EG 30mm guide, 10mm cutter, if you want an 18mm housing then the slot needs to be 38mm wide. Screw a piece of 2x1 batten across the end of the jig (slot end) at exactly 90degrees to the slot then just clamp the jig in position and away you go perfectly square housings every time and it hasn't cost anything. You may need to cut the slot to one side of the jig so that there is room on the other side to clamp it down and still give the router full access. Keith |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by zambezi on Dec 18th, 2004, 9:20am Now that is a good idea!! I will have to try that (when i get some time). Cheers |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by coggy on Dec 18th, 2004, 11:04am Quote:
I have a couple of them and use them a lot. There great for cutting the btm of doors with a circular saw, using for a jigsaw and router etc. Just line up where you want them and turn the handle and it clamps in place ;) Still cant find that adjustable fence i saw in a mag ??? It was a fence for your router, i know it fits DW routers and basiacally if your housing out for 18mm MDF shelves you would run it from a straight edge where you wanted it and then put an offcut of the 18mm MDF in the little jaws in the fence which would set the housing to exactly the 18mm or whatever material thickness your wanting to house to. Ralph Laughton reviewed it in a magazine and i spoke to him about it and he said they were fantastic ;D I think they was from abroad but there was a place in UK that you could order them from, they do have a website which shows them on but i can not find it :'( Jase |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by coggy on Dec 18th, 2004, 11:12am I have jusy e-mailed Raplh to find it so will post once i have the details ;) Coggy |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by big_all on Dec 18th, 2004, 12:45pm following on from kieths jig Quote:
when your happy the first slot is in the right place, draw a mark on the work using the edge of the jig remove jig measure the required distance for the shelves from the mark youve just drawn then all you have to do is line up the edge to the marks to get each position accurately |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by big_all on Dec 18th, 2004, 2:19pm another point is when marking up mark one component and transfer the marks from the origional to all the others this way if you make a mistake its a parralel mistake ::) ::) ;) |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by coggy on Dec 18th, 2004, 2:19pm Right then got the info: The Accurate guide . It is a US import, here is their website: http://www.accuratewoodtools.com/ This is a Workshop Demos. He has a bit on it: http://www.woodshopdemos.com/nprod-2c.htm ...and here is a UK supplier: http://www.woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/accurate_guide.htm It is not a jig as such so might not be any good to you but thought it might be helpful Jase |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by Aquila on Dec 19th, 2004, 3:52pm Trend do an Offset Trenching Base that goes on the bottom of the router. It is pentagon shaped and the distance from the shortest edge to the center is 100mm, when you turn it each side is 1mm wider so it will cut up to 5mm larger than the cutter without moving the straightedge. Part No TEMP/OTB/A hope this helps |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by jasonB on Dec 19th, 2004, 4:06pm You may find this video useful http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/wvt098.asp Lots of other tips & vids on this site. Jason |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by Dewy on Dec 19th, 2004, 5:51pm wrote on Dec 19th, 2004, 3:52pm:
The trouble with this guide is that you are likely to make the first cut and then turn the router base to make the next cut further away from the straight edge. This means you climb cut which is difficult to hold the router against the straight edge. The best way is to make the first cut with the 5mm gap so that the next cut is closer to the straight edge. You can only make each subsequent cut at 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5mm different so you cant get the width perfect. |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by john_elliott on Dec 19th, 2004, 7:04pm Or, you could do shelves the way I do, no trench, just pocket screw the shelves and screw to the sides with some polyurethane glue. At least as strong if not stronger than sinking the shelves in to trenches Someone coming tomorrow am for the clamp guide etc tomorrow am, BTW John |
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Title: Re: Jig for shelves??? Post by zambezi on Dec 19th, 2004, 11:00pm Thanks John, i did not go for it coz it is a tad long for me (may only use it once every 2 months and i have no idea where about you live, i am still trying to recover from my trip to JerryD's for the pipe freezer) |
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