| Project by Jim Jakosh | posted 296 days ago | 2089 views | 7 times favorited | 21 comments | ![]() |
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Slow day in the shop- nothing doing- so I thought I share a few of the crude but effective hand made tools I use every day in the shop.
The first one is a piece of 2×8 and I cut in a hurry to hold my router for doing the edge work on a small piece that I could not put the router over. I just clamp it to the bench and pop in the router and it holds it upside down for a quick trim so I don’t have to roll out the router table and set it up. It serves as a mini router table.
The second one is a center finding tool I saw in a magazine for sale. It was so simple and I use it all the time now. I just took a piece of 1/8” Lexan and started scribing circles on it every 1” diameter and closer for the smaller ones. I drill a small hole in the center for my awl and place it over a log to center it over the mass and poke a center hole. Then I center drill the log on both ends and mount it in the lathe.
The last two I use in the lathe all the time. Having been in Quality Control, I like GO- NO Go gauges. They are quick at making a call on a part and they keep you out of trouble down the line.. I measured my 4 jaw lathe chuck fully closed and fully open and made the determination of what size it would accept internally and externally. Then I cut this go / no-go gauge out of Lexan on the mill to those determined sizes. You could use wood on the band saw and make one that is very effective. It sure beats measuring each time you go to cut an tenon or internal mortise.
The last one is an 8 degree gauge for the tenon and it is cut to 7/16” , the max length the tenon can be so as not to bottom out in the jaws.
Have a great rest of the weekend!!...............Jim
-- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!!
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21 comments so far
kiefer
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1839 posts in 835 days
#1 posted 296 days ago
Thanks Jim.
My kind of tool/jig cheap and useful .
Thanks for sharing .
-- Kiefer 松
QuickWay
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77 posts in 750 days
#2 posted 296 days ago
Thanks Jim, I am just beginning to learn turning. Your tips are great.
-- Bill Native Texan
Jamie Speirs
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3674 posts in 1025 days
#3 posted 295 days ago
Great Jim
They may seem crude but they
are ones that Work.
It is great to share.
-- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
sedcokid
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2506 posts in 1767 days
#4 posted 295 days ago
Jim, What great Ideas!! I have simular tools but always appreciate seeing others too.
Thanks for sharing!!
-- Chuck Emery, Michigan,
Grumpy
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17839 posts in 2019 days
#5 posted 295 days ago
There’s nothing like a good jig Jim.
-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python
Joe Lyddon
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6392 posts in 2221 days
#6 posted 295 days ago
Very Interesting…
Thank you.
-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?ppuser=1389&cat=500"
peteg
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2268 posts in 991 days
#7 posted 295 days ago
We all have our own take on these types of templates / gadgets Jim, but always great to see “the other guys” ideas :))
Pete
-- Pete G: If you always do what you always did you'll always get what you always got
Roger
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9191 posts in 972 days
#8 posted 295 days ago
Super simple, and to the point useful. I really like the gauge for the chuck. Very smart and quick.. I’ll be addin one o them to my turnin drawer
-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net
dakremer
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2270 posts in 1260 days
#9 posted 295 days ago
I like that center hole marker!! great idea!
-- Hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!!!!
rance
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3856 posts in 1329 days
#10 posted 295 days ago
I need those last two. Probably the last three. Well done Jim.
-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--
Bob Collins
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1128 posts in 1852 days
#11 posted 295 days ago
Nice useful gadgets Jim, good to see what you use.
-- Bob C, Australia. I love sharing as long as it is not my tools
majuvla
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1581 posts in 1036 days
#12 posted 295 days ago
Very good and useful tips.
-- Ivan, Croatia, Wooddicted
Tom Godfrey
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388 posts in 344 days
#13 posted 295 days ago
Thanks for sharing. Plan on making all of those for my shop. I think the circle finder is the best of the four but like all of them.
-- Tom Godfrey Landrum South Carolina (tom@thcww.com) 864-384-4938
Jim Jakosh
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7264 posts in 1274 days
#14 posted 295 days ago
Hey guys, thanks for all the nice comments. I just like to share the things that make woodworking more fun for me with all of you. It is great to see that some of you will make them. You will not be disappointed. I used to get take my chuck and scroll it down to the smallest opening just to see if a small tenon was not too small to fit in . Then I got thinking about a go no-go gauge to determine that for me. I have one in my kit that I take to Arizona, too.
You made my day!!!!!!!!!!!!!....................Jim
-- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!!
scrollingmom
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461 posts in 632 days
#15 posted 295 days ago
Cool tools. thanks for sharing.
-- Kelly, Allen,KS
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