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- Thomasville, GA
AKA: The things we do for love!
Years ago, a relative gave us a device you mount under a kitchen cabinet to assist in removing jar lids. It's one of those simple things that works, so guess what? My wife (with my assistance) is going to the aid of a few neighbors who have various issues that reduces their grip and arm strength. And, of course, I volunteered to assist with the assistance by making a few copies of the opener we have.
This is the basic item - bottom view. I drew it in SketchUp to check some dimensions and decide how to make my cuts.
Here's the prototype:
And here are the components: 3/4" pine plywood I sanded down to about 5/8", 1/4" (7/32") pine ply I sanded to about 5/32". I wanted to thin the plywood a bit so the final assembly would be a bit thinner. For the blades to grip the jar lid, I cut pieces from an old bandsaw blade. To anchor the blades in the plywood, I drilled three holes (center and each end) and drove a brad through the wood and blades. A little sanding shaped the perimeter. I haven't decided whether to put any finish on them; will probably have help with that decision!
I used my bandsaw to cut the notches in the edge of one piece of plywood, using a stop block and a push block.
Ah, the things we do for love!
Years ago, a relative gave us a device you mount under a kitchen cabinet to assist in removing jar lids. It's one of those simple things that works, so guess what? My wife (with my assistance) is going to the aid of a few neighbors who have various issues that reduces their grip and arm strength. And, of course, I volunteered to assist with the assistance by making a few copies of the opener we have.
This is the basic item - bottom view. I drew it in SketchUp to check some dimensions and decide how to make my cuts.
Here's the prototype:
And here are the components: 3/4" pine plywood I sanded down to about 5/8", 1/4" (7/32") pine ply I sanded to about 5/32". I wanted to thin the plywood a bit so the final assembly would be a bit thinner. For the blades to grip the jar lid, I cut pieces from an old bandsaw blade. To anchor the blades in the plywood, I drilled three holes (center and each end) and drove a brad through the wood and blades. A little sanding shaped the perimeter. I haven't decided whether to put any finish on them; will probably have help with that decision!
I used my bandsaw to cut the notches in the edge of one piece of plywood, using a stop block and a push block.
Ah, the things we do for love!