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69K views 121 replies 59 participants last post by  stefang 
#1 ·
$12 Incremental Stop Block

An incremental stop block is a stop block for a fence that can be moved in precise increments or can be removed and then returned to exactly the same spot at a later time. This is how Incra got its name. I am too cheap to buy an Incra fence, so instead I spend hours trying to save a buck or two. Go figure. I mostly like the feature of being able to put the stop block exactly back where I had it earlier - and I use pencil marks, not the ruler.

I had posted an incremental stop block a couple of years ago in a blog that used threaded rod. While it worked OK, it had a couple of problems; it wasn't strong enough for heavy use and it wasn't portable to a new fence once the old fence wore out. I wore it out.

So I decided to go simple and strong with a new design. I went and peeked around the Incra website and found the replacement racks for some of their fences. These are plastic like Legos, but have precision teeth on one surface that are spaced 1/32 inch apart. They are 6 inches long and attach with two screws. When two racks are mated to each other they are really locked in place. They are very durable while only costing $2 each. So I bought 10 of them, and used five for this project.

I bought them by going to this web address:
http://www.incrementaltools.com/PARTS_INCRA_Wonder_Fence_p/pc-wonderfence.htm
And then selecting item number 16 from the pull down list on the right hand side:

ID#16 - PULT - 500600 [Add $1.95]

I mounted 4 of the racks to a strip of 1/8 inch thick aluminum. A pair of mated racks is about 5/8 inches so this sits nicely on top of a plain old 3/4 inch ply or MDF fence. (I am old school and don't like aluminum fences yet. I cut new zero clearance slots all the time. I made a new fence for these pictures). Then I mounted the aluminum strip on a piece of two inch tall, half inch ply. This assembly is now removable and can be mounted on a new fence. I also installed a row of small magnets to securely hold a ruler.

I then made a stop block with a rack inside and it also has a T-nut for the lock knob. It is kind of wide looking, but the screw holes in the racks are 4 inches apart. It hangs down 1 inch on the back and all the way to the table on the front. There is about an 1/8 inch gap on the inside when the lock knob is screwed out.

It works a charm. It's inexpensive. It's strong. Removal, moving, and re-installing the stop block is very smooth and easy. The whole thing can be moved to another fence in minutes.
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Three items that immediately pop to mind that are missing from this design:

Micro Adjust is used to hit the spots between the 1/32 increments. The aluminum bar actually has slotted mounting holes in it so it could slide side to side with a screw adjustment on the side but I could not get this to work consistently and it added a lot of slop. Alternatively the side of the stop block could have a protruding adjustment screw. Or just use shims. 1/32 inch works for most projects.

Flip Stop is use to get the stop block quickly out of the way. This requires a hinge which is easy enough, but causes weakness and slop in the system. The block is easy to remove. Maybe I'll add it at a later date.

Thin or Pointy Stock Catch is used to keep work-pieces from wedging under the stop block. It is implemented by adding a small groove near the bottom of the fence and a protruding tenon that rides in the groove. This could easily be added.

Comments and suggestions are welcome. I just think this is kind of nice trick to add to a fence for any number of tools.

Steve
 
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#4 ·
Ingenious Steve. Amazing what a couple of bucks and some brains can do. Unfortunately non of these great ideas work on my Euro machine, but I do enjoy seeing them anyway. I'm sure there will soon be a shortage of these Incra fence parts.
 
#5 ·
Steve, I'm not into cabinetry, but I can see how this would be a godsend addition to any sawbench & someone trtying to achieve accuracy & the ability to go back for repeat cuts.
Give a thinking Man a problem & time to solve & an answere will come forth, guarantee it
well done :)
Pete
 
#10 ·
Steve: If you were to modify your stop and include something like the Incra stop. then you'd be able to get it dialed in to the actual cutting edge of the blade and get to .001".

I've found out that I need two stops on the fence at the same time. If I'm doing a wrap around grain match I need a both a length and a width at the same time and I use a hinge to allow one to get out of the way.

The project where I used them are here
 
#11 ·
Thanks guys.

Karson, the wrap around grain procedure is exactly why I rebuilt this stop block. Except I just pop the fence back and forth, then I only need one, and it does not have to be a flip stop :)
But I still want the micro adjust as an option.

Steve
 
#13 ·
Steve about 10 years ago the had a clearance special of the Aluminum tracks in 30" length. I bought 6 of them for less than $10.00 a piece. I've used them on drill presses and other jigs.
 
#16 ·
I remember that unit you blogged. You might link to it above for ease of others finding it. It is still one of my favorite favorites. I just loved your ingenuity and cleverness.

This too is a boon in cleaverness. For micro adjust, add a 10-32 bolt that uses a flat-bladed screwdriver into the right side of your block. One turn gives you 1/32" adjustment. Put it in with Loctite(blue) to tighten it up a bit and eliminate the need for a lock nut.

Again, well done.
 
#22 ·
Steve,
What a great idea and plan to take advantage of those incremental blocks….. My blocks arrived just moments ago, we have 5 days of lousy rainy weather, and a warm dry shop…...
Henri
 
#23 ·
Fingernail Gouge Sharpening on the WorkSharp

While learning to turn, the tools in use eventually need to be sharpened. I looked at various jigs, holders, and solutions for sharpening. I own a WorkSharp, but I thought that I would not be able to do it all on this machine. But I have made a series of jigs, and am now able to sharpen all my major tools with it. First up is the trickiest one.

The hardest one to do is the Fingernail, or spindle gouge. Tormek and others have bars that slide out and pockets that hold the handle. I just could not justify the expense so I came up with a technique that is really pretty simple. Actually the flat sandpaper helps out here. This will work with any WorkSharp type clone too.

The first thing was to build a flat platform that is level with the sanding disc. This was solved with Stumpy Nubs' add-on cabinet. I downloaded the plans and built it out of ply with iron-on edge banding. I have not built the drawer yet but find the slots handy for storing extra paper and stuff. I have not used the rubbing compound discs. I believe that for turning tools 120 grit does a pretty good job by itself.


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Then I made a tool holder. I drilled a large enough hole for the tool to pass through, two holes for bolts, and one stopped hole for the dowel. Then I split the block on the tablesaw. I stuck a long 1/4 dowel in it, measured from the tip of the gouge to the center of the dowel at 5 inches, and clamped it. I then measured 5 inches from the center of the gouge and cut off the dowel. I then rounded the end of the dowel. The measurements are more accurate than the picture shows. I used 5 inches for both - 4 inches for both (or so) maybe better for your gouge. This determines the amount of 'fingernail' curve - just make them the same.


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I then made a quick measuring tool for next time by gluing a block to a thin piece of ply. This will allow easy clamp setup for subsequent sharpening. By pressing this jig against the flat part of the gouge, it is also good for checking that the dowel is 90 degrees to the gouge's face.


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I drew a centerline on the top of the wood platform. I took a piece of scrap, cut a notch in it, and clamped it on the platform.


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Now since the two legs of the triangle are 5 inches, the gouge will be ground at 45 degrees. Chuck up some 120 grit and roll the gouge from side to side while keeping the dowel in the notch. I 'paint' the gouge face with a Sharpie and that lets me know how I am doing. Move the notched board towards or away from the sandpaper to get some fresh grit. In the real world, I use both hands (one of them was taking these pictures). My left hand is kept near the sandpaper, keeping the tool in the middle, while the right hand sweeps the handle.


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Ta Da

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Comments and suggestions welcome,
Steve
 
#48 ·
Sharpening Gouges and Skews on the WorkSharp

This is part two on my journey of sharpening my lathe tools. The first part was a Fingernail Gouge.

Now on to the standard Spindle Roughing Gouge (SRG) and a Bowl Gouge. Both of these gouges are sharpened at 45 degrees. I started out making a triangle ramp to lift the gouges at 45 degrees, with grooves to roll the gouge in, but I gave up on it for now. One problem that I had was that my roughing gouge is not a perfect circle - it is more like a smiley face. It would not roll well in the groove that I had routed. So I went with the collar around the tool method. I might revisit this someday, but this certainly works pretty well for now. This is a pretty common way of sharpening.

First up was setting up the standard tool bar. The height on this is critical, and adjustable. I wanted it to be consistent, so I cut two little blocks at an inch and a half, and placed these under the bar. These blocks stay in place for all of the jigs.

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Then I made a holder for each tool. Drilled a hole large enough for the tool to pass through, drilled two bolt holes, and then split the bock in two. I trimmed the top piece to be flat so it would rest securely on the gouge. I then glued a wooden washer to the bottom piece.

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Clamp these to the tools. Slide it back and forth until it is at 45 degrees. Lock it down and make a setting tool for next time. The large gouge is at 1.5 inches and the small gouge is at 1.6 inches. Your settings may vary. Lay the gouge on the bar and sharpen by rolling it with a smooth motion. I waxed the washers to keep them from sticking.

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Ta Da

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Now for the Skews. Pretty much the same thing. To make the tool holder I cut some thin scraps into strips. The center section, which is thinner than the scew, has a cut at 30 degrees and is glued to one side with a gap of the width of my widest skew. The assembly is then clamped on to the skew and adjusted for a 15 degree bevel. A jig was made to remember this position for next time. Now on to the bar and sharpened, then flip and sharpened on the other side.

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Ta Da

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I actually did this for the cut-off tools too, but free hand sharpening is probably good enough for them.

Thanks for looking.
Comments and suggestions are very welcome.

Steve
 
#69 ·
Two shop helpers

I have been building a lot of cabinets recently. Not my favorite thing to do. Anyway, I came up with a couple of jig thingies to help. First problem was assembling carcasses all by myself. Pocket screws make it fast, strong, and easy to build a carcass. My problem was getting the first three pieces screwed together. So I made a bunch of little blocks by drilling a hole in them with the pocket screw jig. I then slightly rounded a small piece of 3/8 inch dowel and glued it in the hole. When tapped into an empty hole in the bottom of the carcass piece it will overhang by about a half inch, and form an overhang that is flush with the bottom piece. I tap a couple of these blocks in and then set it on top of the sides. A single clamp will now hold the sides tight and aligned. I then screw in the corners, tap the blocks out, and finish screwing the middle. Easy peasy lemon squeasy.
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Wood Rectangle Table Beige Flooring

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Wood Automotive design Floor Flooring Automotive exterior

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Computer desk Table Wood Floor Flooring

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Another problem was that I had to cut some 37 inch tall sides (24 inches wide), and my fence only allows cuts to 31 inches. So I made a simple removable plug to fit into the fence channel and extend it by using a cut off from a Douglas Fir 4×4 on the bandsaw. I then clamped a board onto the back for the fence to rest on. Seems to work a charm. I have a pencil mark on the left side of the fence that points to the ruler that is exactly 10 inches less than what I am going to cut. You might be able to see it pointing to 27 which means that the fence is set to 37 inches.
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Musical instrument Guitar accessory Wood String instrument accessory Musical instrument accessory

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Wood Gas Automotive exterior Parallel Plywood

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Wood Bumper Office equipment Gas Machine

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Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Gas Computer hardware

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Yellow Wood Gas Automotive exterior Machine

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Here is a quick pic of one of the cabinets that I built recently. Guest bathroom, maple with quarter sawn veneered frame and panel doors.
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Mirror Plumbing fixture Bathroom cabinet Sink Bathroom sink

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Steve
 

Attachments

#70 ·
Two shop helpers

I have been building a lot of cabinets recently. Not my favorite thing to do. Anyway, I came up with a couple of jig thingies to help. First problem was assembling carcasses all by myself. Pocket screws make it fast, strong, and easy to build a carcass. My problem was getting the first three pieces screwed together. So I made a bunch of little blocks by drilling a hole in them with the pocket screw jig. I then slightly rounded a small piece of 3/8 inch dowel and glued it in the hole. When tapped into an empty hole in the bottom of the carcass piece it will overhang by about a half inch, and form an overhang that is flush with the bottom piece. I tap a couple of these blocks in and then set it on top of the sides. A single clamp will now hold the sides tight and aligned. I then screw in the corners, tap the blocks out, and finish screwing the middle. Easy peasy lemon squeasy.
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Wood Rectangle Table Beige Flooring

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Wood Automotive design Floor Flooring Automotive exterior

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Computer desk Table Wood Floor Flooring

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Another problem was that I had to cut some 37 inch tall sides (24 inches wide), and my fence only allows cuts to 31 inches. So I made a simple removable plug to fit into the fence channel and extend it by using a cut off from a Douglas Fir 4×4 on the bandsaw. I then clamped a board onto the back for the fence to rest on. Seems to work a charm. I have a pencil mark on the left side of the fence that points to the ruler that is exactly 10 inches less than what I am going to cut. You might be able to see it pointing to 27 which means that the fence is set to 37 inches.
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Musical instrument Guitar accessory Wood String instrument accessory Musical instrument accessory

.
Wood Gas Automotive exterior Parallel Plywood

.
Wood Bumper Office equipment Gas Machine

.
Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Gas Computer hardware

.
Yellow Wood Gas Automotive exterior Machine

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Here is a quick pic of one of the cabinets that I built recently. Guest bathroom, maple with quarter sawn veneered frame and panel doors.
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Mirror Plumbing fixture Bathroom cabinet Sink Bathroom sink

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Steve
Very smart stuff, Steve. And the bathroom looks great.
 

Attachments

#94 ·
Machine Cut Through Dovetails

Simple, Fast, Easy, Thin Pins, Variable Spacing, Looks Hand Cut, Simple Set Up, Tastes like Chicken.

I have been playing around with dovetails for the last couple of weeks. I have tried many methods of making them, as complete hand cut ones are just too much work for me. I own a commercial Leigh dovetail jig but I have never been happy with the look or the futzing that it took to set it up. So this is what is working for me, all ideas are cobbled together from other designs. I cut the pins on a router table and then cut the tails on a bandsaw. It requires virtually no machine setup once two simple sliding jigs are made. The bottoms of the tails are still chopped out with a chisel, but with thin pins, this is really easy.
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I will show a whole sequence of pics on how I do it. Not sure if anything is really new here, but this works for me. First mark the center of the pins with a pencil line on the outside surface, as seen as four pencil lines on the piece of cherry. That's it. The width of the pins is determined later.

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My router table is really just the wing of my tablesaw. I did not have a miter gauge slot for it, so I plowed a 3/4 inch grove in a jointed 2×4 and bolted it to the wing.

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I then made a simple sliding sled out of 1/2 inch ply and glued on a stick to ride in the slot. I mounted two fences at opposing angles to the sled and supported them with triangle blocks. The fences determine the angle of the dovetail. (I actually made two of these sleds: One at 8.5:1.5 or 10 degrees and the other at 8:1 or at about 7.5 degrees. But the 8:1 ratio is what I would recommend.) To determine the position of the fences use the miter slot as a reference. Measure up 8 inches, and over 1 inch, and draw a line. Do another line in the opposite direction. Glue the fences on these lines making sure they are 90 degrees to the sled surface, add sticky sandpaper to the inside, glue triangle brackets to the outside, drill a hole for height adjustment access, and add a vacuum attachment.

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I used a 1/2 inch straight router bit and raised it through the sled to make the cutting slot. To set the height of the bit, place the tail work piece (walnut) on the sled and set the bit height just a tad taller than it is thick.

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I drew two lines on the sled that are 1/16 inch and 1/8 inch away from the bit on the left side. These determine the width of the pins. I really just use the 1/16 inch line which makes a pin width of 1/8 inch. But choice is good. I have half split this and made 1/16 inch pins, but they are too small for my taste.

Slide the sled so that the bit is somewhat in the center. Place the pencil line of the work piece on the pencil line of the sled and plunge into the side of the router bit. The bit enters the outside of the work piece first so it will be a clean cut. Back out and continue down one side, flip the board and do the other angle. Make sure that wood chips do not get under or behind the board when moving it. I use an old paint brush to flip any errant chips into the dust extractor as I progress. It finishes quickly. No clamps or spacing blocks. I want that hand cut look.

The closest fence. (Pic taken from the back)

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And the furthest fence.

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And I end up with this:

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Now transfer the pins to the tail board. I stand up the pin board on the end of the tail board and use a pencil to reach inside the pins and draw lines for the tails. I also use a roller marking gauge to cut a slight groove all around the tail board that is the thickness of the pin board plus a tad.

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Whew. Now the tails.
I made a sled for the bandsaw out of 1/2 inch ply and cut a partial slot. This is the reference for marking. Draw pencil lines from a point on this cut, of 90 degrees, and two at the 8:1 angle. (I also have a set for 10 degrees, but you don't have too.) Take a piece of ply that will be the fence and cut three partial kerfs into it by holding the fence on the pencil lines.

Remove the fence and drill two holes through it for locating dowels. Flip the fence over and transfer (drill through)these two holes into the sled so that the fence will be behind the blade. Do this on all three pencil lines. Then glue in short dowels into the fence. The fence should now be able to pop into each of the three positions.

I also clamped a stop block on my bandsaw's fence to act as a depth stop. You can just see it in the upper left corner of the pictures.

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Install the fence at one of the angles. Retreat the blade into the fence. I place the tail board so the saw cut will just cut the pencil line, but start conservative and creep up on the cut if you want.

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And continue on.

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Multiple cuts can be made if you don't like chopping out waste. The stop block helps the blade from going too deep.

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Align the fence to the other position, and continue.

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Align the fence to the 90 degree position and cut off the outside tails.

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Make more plunge cuts to remove waste.

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A little chisel work. Place a chisel on the cut line at the bottom of the tails and tada.

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Thanks for looking. Now I need to make some projects with dovetails.
Steve
 
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