WWND- What would Niki do? #2: Mitered foot jig for small boxes

This is the jig that really should have been the first of the series. I have to lay out the story a bit. Let’s just say that I am 3-D challenged. I started off to make a batch of mitered feet for jewelry boxes. I used the table saw and jointer to make a long strip of wood with a 45° chamfer on one edge, about 36” long x 3” wide x .5” thick. I laid out the edge opposite the chamfer with an approximate 30° taper, each foot section about three inches long. Having cut each out to the approximate length, I cut a little wedge of the appropriate length and angle and had planned to used a top-bearing trim bit to clean up the edges after rough cutting close to the line with the band saw.

The pieces were tiny – scary, and before I even got to the router I decided to just see how they would fit together. Guess what. I had made eight left side pieces. Whoops. That’s when I said to myself, what would Niki do in this circumstance?

Side A

Using 1/2” mdf I made this jig which forced my feeble brain to create both sides of the miter. The chamfered edge of the wood rides the chamfered edge of the jig, butting against the stop block. Using both sides of the jig to draw the layout lines (4 each side this time!), I rough cut outside the lines. The pieces are then placed on the jig, Sandpaper holds them in place with a little finger pressure up by the stop blocks. I found that using a pattern cutting bit (bearing on the bottom) causes the bit to more tightly force the work pieces against the stops. A cutter length of an inch provides just enough cutter to do the job without leaving too much screaming carbide above the work and too near the fingers. I used a starting pin to ease the cutter into the little bit of overhang. The router leaves the clean edge desired at the appropriate angle. Flip, mount the other side of the foot to the jig and repeat.

Side B

I cut triangular glue blocks of identical length using a stop block on the table saw with the miter gauge.
I glued them in place with a rub joint, then cut them to length. For the project I had in mind they were cut shorter than the jigs provision for 3” high feet, but 3” length making the feet from scratch keeps the size more manageable around the blades and cutters. I will glue and dowel them to the box when I decide to use them.

Here are the finished feet.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.