Kerfmaker made simple

1. glad to see a new post from you… :)

2. this is a fantastic jig. thanks for introducing it again for those of us that missed the previous posts about it. definitely something that should be in any shop. added to my never ending list.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

Nice and simple, maybe even simple enough for me to try.

You could probably make a couple of these for your different thickness blades. You’d just have to keep them marked somehow so you don’t mix them up.

-- You know.... I think that old wood needs to be furniture.

Steve, I saw the original post, and you have done a great job of simplifying the build. Now I just have to go back and watch the video. I can intuitively see the point of this, but am still not quite visualizing exactly how it works. LOL!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Looks simple enough you could make one for every groove cutter you have.

Charlie M.,

This geometry will explain how it works.

Wow, I have to build one of these now. Quick, simple, and effective.

-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.

Cool!——Thanks

-- Kent Shepherd * The goal is-----More Tools!

Until I see this post I didn’t even know what a Kerfmaker is. This is ingenious! Thanks for simplifying this clever device to make it doable at my skill level. That will be my next project.

-- Simon, Danville, IL

Very nicely done I like it.

-- David '65

Now we see real LJ’s….we will buy no tools that we can make! I like the idea and certainly will join in the que to get one made….I like the simplicity here…although Treeman’s was very nice too…

I am currently working on another jig I want to use for making segmented/staved vessels…soon as that is done I should have some spare hardwood for this…

Thanks for taking the hard parts and breaking them down for us…NICE JOB.

-- Woodworking.....My small slice of heaven!

Great job Steve.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

am i the only one that doesnt get what this is supposed to do? :-/

Thanks everyone.

Mike,
It is a jig for easy control of the width of the groove for inserting various thicknesses of cross pieces. These width of these grooves are usually just cut by trial and error. The best thing to do is probably to view the video at Bridge City.

Video>

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

HI Steve;

Too bad they don’t have a workbench. Then they could stop beating on their saw table!

Nice little jig.

Very handy.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

I now use a Delta 745 and I really do not want to overload the motor by using a dado blade. At least this will allow me to see if I can get satisfactory results w/o using the dado. Thanks to treeman bringing this to our attention and SPalm for this simple way of making one. At first I wondered if it needed to be made out of aluminum or brass, but I think I have a piece of mesquite that needs to be made into one of these.

-- jstegall

Hey Steve, nice job on your design, it looks like a handy and useful tool. Thanks for sharing…Blkcherry

I had been thinking of something for this purpose and kept thinking of some sort of hinged mechanism where the one side would be adjustable or something. Anyway, those ideas are all sawdust now after seeing these. I’m making one tomorrow.

Thanks a bunch for all who posted these designs.

-- Rick, Pa. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Thanks for the post…building mine tonight…

ahhhh thanks for the video steve man i was thinking it was used to set dado stack widths lol.

this is very cool!

do you think you could also set the kerfmaker to measure the thickness of your toothblade, then crosscut both pieces to make them flush, then when you set it back it even, you will have that one piece shorter…or am I missing something?

-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.

good job

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Hey, this little tool has had quite a ride. Lots of versions.

PictureBoy, I think I see what you are saying. Open the ‘caliper’ and close it on the blade you want to use. Lock it with this measurement. Crosscut the ends flush. Now the device will be calibrated to the width of the blade. It should work.

I see some problems with it although. The blade you are trying to measure would have a tendency to dig into the wood, which could lead to an inaccurate measurement. I don’t know.

I think the adjustable screw out the end seems to be the most common way people are compensating for the blade width. Late on that Sunday night when I tried to reduce this little jig to its minimum configuration, I was just thinking “minimal, minimal”, so I only wanted one adjustment, and this is what I came up with. I still am not crazy about a single little screw head being the contact point, but it seems to be working for people.

Just as we have one sliding/locking bar, we could have two sliding/locking bars. This would give more surface area for the jig to be slammed against.

Steve

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon