Workers Of Wood

Posted: **Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:25 am**

Here is a link to a Fine Wood Working email showing another type of thin rip jig for the TS. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2008/05 ... -push-sled I like the idea of this one as it allows use of the fence and doesn't require the fence get reset for every rip which will result in strips of more even thickness.One of the main risks of having the strip on the inside of the blade is having it lift as it goes past the back of the blade and get thrown in the process. The hold down strip on the jig will prevent that. However, I would slot the holes in the hold down strip so it can be adjusted for multiple sizes.

I would also use this jig with a splitter to make sure the cut strip doesn't wander into the back of the blade. I took one of my saw inserts and installed a #40 machine screw through it from the underside about 1 1/2" behind the blade. A #40 is very close to the thickness of a thin kerf blade and it works perfectly.

I really like this jig. It solves a number of issues that other thin rip jigs have. In use I would use some kind of push block to hold the piece you are cutting strips off of tight against the jig.

Posted: **Sat Jun 26, 2021 12:11 pm**

I had some other thoughts about the jig. One flaw in this design is that the base plate of the jig needs to be about the same thickness as what you are trying to rip. A little thicker work piece would still work but a thinner work piece wouldn't work. One way to make it accept a wider variety of thicknesses would be to make it an L shape with a base and vertical side that is next to the blade. Then the hold down would move up and down instead of horizontally. You would need to make sure that the screws and wing nuts are well above where the blade will be. I can't remember ripping thin strips over and inch wide but if you thought you might rip something thicker then the maximum a 10" blade can rip is about 3 1/8" so putting the screws 3 1/2" high would cover anything the saw could do.

Posted: **Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:39 am**

Great suggestion. I rip a lot of 1/8" thick strips from 1/2" material to make strips for kumiko which are typically relatively short. For longer strips used for edge banding plywood, I use the Rockler jig and have gotten used to having to reset the fence for each strip. I also use a 1/16" kerf blade to cut the strips to minimize "loss" - I looked at the thin kerf blade sold by Infinity (a really nice blade BTW) but kind choked on the price so am using a 7-1/4" Diablo blade and having pretty good luck with that.

It should be pretty easy to modify the fixture shown - add a second (narrow) strip on top at the outer edge and use a strip with slotted holes to act as the hold-down. Going to give that a try when I'm getting ready to cut another batch of strips.

Posted: **Mon Jun 28, 2021 12:48 pm**

You could make a jig for cutting 1/2" material but then if you wanted to do banding for 3/4" ply which would need to be at least 7/8 of an inch thick to give you material to trim flush then the hold down strip probably wouldn't do a good job and might even have a tendency to push your work away from the jig. The slotted vertical hold down would give the jig a lot more range of sizes it could work with. When I do strips the way you have been I wind up with more variations in thickness than I care for and I think this idea they came up with should allow for much better uniformity.

BTW Tom, how steep was the learning curve in doing Kumiko? After seeing a few articles on it in FWW I was thinking about giving it a try someday.

Posted: **Mon Jun 28, 2021 3:31 pm**

The jig seems to be limited to short pieces...wouldn't a TS sled with a stop accomplish the same...?

I generally use a short fence set to the size of the strip and then rip as usual. The strip falls between the blade and the fence in the space provided by the short fence width (I use 3/4"). This also allows for as long a strip as desired...

I can see the issue with the size of the base...if it's greater than the strip material the hold-down won't be effective...if it's less than the strip material then you stand a chance of pushing the strip into the blade (as Charles noted) or the sled base will just lift off the TS surface when the hold-down is tightened.

Posted: **Mon Jun 28, 2021 10:57 pm**

Nickp wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 3:31 pm The jig seems to be limited to short pieces...wouldn't a TS sled with a stop accomplish the same...?
I suppose it would work just as well. Length would depend on your sled. You'd still need some type of hold down I assume.FWW shows a fairly short jig but it could be longer. At some point it will be hard to keep the work piece down on the table once there is too much unsupported weight.
I generally use a short fence set to the size of the strip and then rip as usual. The strip falls between the blade and the fence in the space provided by the short fence width (I use 3/4"). This also allows for as long a strip as desired...
Do you need a splitter to keep the piece tracking properly through the blade?/

I can see the issue with the size of the base...if it's greater than the strip material the hold-down won't be effective...if it's less than the strip material then you stand a chance of pushing the strip into the blade (as Charles noted) or the sled base will just lift off the TS surface when the hold-down is tightened.

Posted: **Tue Jun 29, 2021 6:16 am**

Cherryville Chuck wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 12:48 pm You could make a jig for cutting 1/2" material but then if you wanted to do banding for 3/4" ply which would need to be at least 7/8 of an inch thick to give you material to trim flush then the hold down strip probably wouldn't do a good job and might even have a tendency to push your work away from the jig. The slotted vertical hold down would give the jig a lot more range of sizes it could work with. When I do strips the way you have been I wind up with more variations in thickness than I care for and I think this idea they came up with should allow for much better uniformity.

BTW Tom, how steep was the learning curve in doing Kumiko? After seeing a few articles on it in FWW I was thinking about giving it a try someday.

Chuck,

The learning curve, to date, has been pretty steep, probably because of needing to make uniform thickness strips, deciding whether the surface finish off the saw was acceptable or whether a secondary planing operation was required, etc. Watching various YouTube videos, there seems to be a choice to be made to whether to cut the angled ends with a block plane or chisel. Think I've settled on the chisel option, but the chisel has to be super sharp (so lots of practice sharpening and touching up the edges as they dull - dull being a relative term - so a strop needs to be handy. I also found that I was having more luck using a butt chisel, easier to control with only the one hand. I'll post a photo when I get a panel finished and assembled - may be a while though.

I've seen various posts about fixtures of this type used to cut thin strips, and 24" length seems to be the limit mentioned for the strip length possible, which actually would cover most of the strips I use for edge banding plywood doors and drawer fronts. I think I'm getting pretty good consistency on the thickness using the Rockler jig - no actual measurements, just the impression from holding a bundle when I'm finished cutting.. I usually cut extras when I'm set-up so I have some on hand for the next time, and use one of the left-over strips to set the jig when I'm cutting more. And, given the need to move the fence for each cut, one needs to get a feel for the contact pressure of the edge of the board on the jig roller when moving the fence.

Posted: **Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:16 am**

Cherryville Chuck wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 10:57 pm
Nickp wrote: ↑Mon Jun 28, 2021 3:31 pm The jig seems to be limited to short pieces...wouldn't a TS sled with a stop accomplish the same...?
I suppose it would work just as well. Length would depend on your sled. You'd still need some type of hold down I assume.FWW shows a fairly short jig but it could be longer. At some point it will be hard to keep the work piece down on the table once there is too much unsupported weight.
I generally use a short fence set to the size of the strip and then rip as usual. The strip falls between the blade and the fence in the space provided by the short fence width (I use 3/4"). This also allows for as long a strip as desired...
Do you need a splitter to keep the piece tracking properly through the blade?/

I can see the issue with the size of the base...if it's greater than the strip material the hold-down won't be effective...if it's less than the strip material then you stand a chance of pushing the strip into the blade (as Charles noted) or the sled base will just lift off the TS surface when the hold-down is tightened.

My Darra James did not have a splitter so I always used a short fence adjusted just to the cutting edge of the blade and extended back to the rail. I used the short fence for all ripping. My Bosch 4100 does have a riving knife but I still have a short fence installed. Once the cutting edge of the blade has done its job any alignment is really up to how the workpiece is handled...the splitter does not add any additional alignment. I've got a whole box or two of jigs that I find I don't use so I guess I've gotten used to alternatives. I do like the jig Charles posted so I might play with it...as soon as my arm stops spasming

Posted: **Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:48 am**

As has already been mentioned here, the inability to cut long lengths and any height (thickness of stock material being sawn) are major negatives.

Posted: **Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:04 am**

Chuck,

The learning curve, to date, has been pretty steep, probably because of needing to make uniform thickness strips, deciding whether the surface finish off the saw was acceptable or whether a secondary planing operation was required, etc. Watching various YouTube videos, there seems to be a choice to be made to whether to cut the angled ends with a block plane or chisel. Think I've settled on the chisel option, but the chisel has to be super sharp (so lots of practice sharpening and touching up the edges as they dull - dull being a relative term - so a strop needs to be handy. I also found that I was having more luck using a butt chisel, easier to control with only the one hand. I'll post a photo when I get a panel finished and assembled - may be a while though.

I've seen various posts about fixtures of this type used to cut thin strips, and 24" length seems to be the limit mentioned for the strip length possible, which actually would cover most of the strips I use for edge banding plywood doors and drawer fronts. I think I'm getting pretty good consistency on the thickness using the Rockler jig - no actual measurements, just the impression from holding a bundle when I'm finished cutting.. I usually cut extras when I'm set-up so I have some on hand for the next time, and use one of the left-over strips to set the jig when I'm cutting more. And, given the need to move the fence for each cut, one needs to get a feel for the contact pressure of the edge of the board on the jig roller when moving the fence.

I suspected it was much harder than it looks. I finding dealing with very small pieces to be more challenging than handling very large ones. I thought maybe I had seen the strips being cut with a plane blade in the FWW articles. I can't remember if a jig I saw was for Kumiko or for sizing strips for inlay on Federal styled furniture but it was a jig with a plane blade and a fixed opening that you would pull the strips though to size them.

Posted: **Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:20 am**

DaninVan wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:48 am As has already been mentioned here, the inability to cut long lengths and any height (thickness of stock material being sawn) are major negatives.

Every other method I've seen involves moving something between cuts and this usually causes inconsistencies in thickness. That's why I likes this design. If you were doing something the size of a bookcase you might need strips 5 to 6 feet long for the uprights but for shelves they would rarely be very long. The longest ones I've cut were for plywood cupboard doors and to edge melamine board (I hate that melamine banding that's typically used) for bathroom vanities so around 30" max. To that length I think this jig would work.

I've never tried the short fence method like Nick has used. The idea that the piece is unsupported at the end kind of spooks me despite that I occasionally cut pieces freehand on the saw and I know how risky that is. Maybe I'll have to give that a try. I remember Phil P on the old forum saying that was the norm in England.

Posted: **Tue Jun 29, 2021 12:10 pm**

I have used the short fence a number of times and have never had a problem with it.
Almost got to liking it even without a splitter.
on the thin strips I use a drum sander on both sides to get a good glue edge and face of strip.
Herb

Posted: **Thu Jul 01, 2021 11:46 am**

"...Every other method I've seen involves moving something between cuts and this usually causes inconsistencies in thickness..."
-Charles
Should I go looking for that article I did about my thin=rip system?
....OK; found it!
https://workersofwood.com/viewtopic.php?p=1251#p1251

Posted: **Thu Jul 01, 2021 3:05 pm**

How does it work? It looks like you're using it to cut a rabbet in the photo.

BTW, if you remember Botelho (Claudio) from Brazil, he has a youtube video of how he makes feather boards. He rips strips of wood or mdf the thickness of the saw kerf plus about 1/8". Then he lines the board he's making into a feather board against his saw fence so that it will leave about a 1/8" finger on the first cut. Then he adds the strips he made as shims against the fence for each of the rest of the fingers. It makes for a nice, neat job with even thickness fingers that should have reasonably uniform springiness.

Posted: **Thu Jul 01, 2021 6:45 pm**

Nope, not a rabbet.
I'm just heading out but I'll type up a description this evening.

Posted: **Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:19 am**

I see where MCLS just came out with their new Thin Rip Jig. Looks similar to Rockler, Grizzly, etc.
Herb

Posted: **Fri Jul 09, 2021 11:38 am**

It is essentially the same as the Rockler one. I made one similar to both but just used a dome headed bolt instead of a roller. My home made jig has the main adjustment like those do plus the bolt I used is threaded into the jig which gives fine adjustment.

The problem is you keep having to move the fence each cut and unless you set the jig up close to the fence rail then when you move the fence over and clamp it down you put varying amounts of torque on the fence because it is never perfectly lined up with the jig. And if you move the jig close to the fence rail it's hard to set the jig to the thickness you want because it's so far away from the blade. That's why I liked the idea behind the FWW jig. The fence stays put so you get great consistency from piece to piece.

Workers Of Wood

Another thin rip jig

Another thin rip jig

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