Another use for the M&T jig.

This thread was originally posted on SMC 02/14/09.

After fourteen ands a half years, we decided to hang new curtains in the bedroom and great room. As with most everything, the commercially available curtain rod hangers left a lot to be desired and we could not find anything that we really liked. So I decided to make simple brackets out of oak to go along with the oak that I'm using to replace the window casings. They were to be 3/4" thick, 3.5" high and 4" long with a 1.372" slot for the store bought, stained, and varnished curtain rod. I cut the blanks and rounded over the exposed edges and corners.



At the drill press, I then drilled a 1.375" hole .25" deep with the center centered vertically and set back from the end by 1".



I then needed to come up with a way to create the slot leading to the hole.



I realized that the M&T jig that I used previously to drill holes for the retrofit shelf standards, would be perfect to consistently hold the relatively small work pieces for routing. To hold the work piece at the proper angle to rout the slot, I cut two 25 degree wedges from some .5" plywood. I then cut the large ends off the triangles to use to create a right angle to hold the work piece that would be then be held in place by a push clamp pushing at an angle against a third side.



It took just a few minutes to cut the pieces and tack them down with 23 guage pins (a lot less time than it is taking to write this). The jig was clamped to the movable platform.



The whole process took about a tenth of the time it has taken for me to prepare this posting. I think it was a lot faster and easier than making a template (something I hate to do), and since the plywood of the jig is just tacked together, it can be taken apart to be used in another jig, or if I were to be making lots of these, I could glue the jig together and keep it forever.

One of these days, I'll finish designing this M&T jig so I can post about how to use it for M&T.

John Schreiber Posted:

Slick work Truly EZ for a difficult project. Did you have the stops set or did you just do it by eye? If the stops were set, how did you set them?

Dik Harrison Replied:

Stops were definitely used.

John,

I do not trust things to freehand. I always want a fence, guide, template or bearing to help.

I set the stops for beginning outside the work piece enough to clear it safely, and so that the bit, a 1" boring bit, would stop tangent to the hole on either side. I hope that makes sense, if not I'll make a
drawing.

As you can see, the jig is mirrored because the two brackets are mirror images.


John Schreiber Replied:

I agree on using the stops whenever you can. It is much more reliable than doing it freehand. Do you set the stops by measuring from the workpiece to the guide rails and SRK? Or do you retract the bit to just above the workpiece, then move the router into each position and move the stops into place? Not sure if that is clear, but basically I'm asking how you set the position of the stops.

Dik Harrison Replied:

John,

I place the stops by placing the bit where I want it to stop, and then locking down the stop. The only time I measure is when I'm doing something like routing a slot, but even then I feel more comfortable
drawing the layout and placing the bit. That way I don't forget to account for the width of the bit.

I wish I had a plastic insert for the SRK base that would have concentric circles around the center of the bit, then I could pull out the router motor, place the insert, and set up using the circles inscribed on the insert and layout lines.


Burt Waddel Posted:

Dik,

Another great application for the EZ. It is clear that you have learned to think "EZ". I probably sound like a broken record but I am constantly amazed at the applications I find for the EZ.

Have Fun!

Burt


Jim Mumford Posted:

Dik,
I like that articulating clamp you made. Looks like it would come in handy quite often. Nice jig, nice work!
-Jim

Dik Harrison Replied:

Jim,

It is really quite simple. The head end is an 8" x 5/16" stove bolt with the head stuck in a hole that is big enough to allow the head to swivel, and held in place with a strip of aluminum, also with a hole
large enough to allow the head to swivel. On the other end, the block is threaded for the bolt and the knobs are attached to t-bolts that go in the t-slot. This is a better picture of the clamp.



Bill Griggs Posted:

hold down

Dik,
Could you explain how the hold down portion of your indexer works. I saw the drawing but I was wondering how you made the notch to hold the part to the rail.

Bill

Dik Harrison Replied:

Bill,

First I milled the block like the block on the left. Then with a chisel, I shaved the protrusion down like the block on the right.



Bill Griggs Replied:

Thanks Dik.

I was wondering how that was done.

Bill


Dik Harrison Posted:

A couple of pics of the finished product.