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- Constantine, MI
My finger joint jig was beginning to show some wear as well as some limitations. I originally made the jig to make Greene style joints on urns. It did not need to be too tall or long for that. However, the size was proving to be a limiting factor for other work. The sacrificial backboard was 1/4” MDF and proved not to be deep enough to clear some of my bits.
The newest incarnation is about twice the size of the original. This allows me to clamp larger parts without having to run them past the edge of the workbench.
I did upgrade the backer to 1/2” MDF. One thing I will change the next time I need to use the jig is to cut off the top 2” of the backer and then more permanently mount it to the lower portion of the jig leaving a 2” gap at the top. Then, each time I need a fresh backer I can just set in a 2” strip of MDF rather than replace the entire thing.
I use a T track to hold corian fingers. They mill easily, wear very well, and won’t damage my cutters should I do something stupid.
Here’s the old and the new.
The new jig starts with a laminated sandwich of three pieces of 3/4” ply. Once glued up I joint one edge then square everything up on the table saw.
A dado blade is used to make the grove for the T track.
The finished jig. It works!
The newest incarnation is about twice the size of the original. This allows me to clamp larger parts without having to run them past the edge of the workbench.
I did upgrade the backer to 1/2” MDF. One thing I will change the next time I need to use the jig is to cut off the top 2” of the backer and then more permanently mount it to the lower portion of the jig leaving a 2” gap at the top. Then, each time I need a fresh backer I can just set in a 2” strip of MDF rather than replace the entire thing.
I use a T track to hold corian fingers. They mill easily, wear very well, and won’t damage my cutters should I do something stupid.
Here’s the old and the new.
The new jig starts with a laminated sandwich of three pieces of 3/4” ply. Once glued up I joint one edge then square everything up on the table saw.
A dado blade is used to make the grove for the T track.
The finished jig. It works!