A simple project using some simple jigs

[Beerhippie]

A few years back, the Powers That Be at the brewery decided our iconic wood tap handles, which we've been using for so long, our customers refer to our beers as "The Stick", needed some sprucing up.

I've made a few simple jigs for this simple (but tedious) job to ease things along.

We buy the blank tap handles from a local woodworker:



That's what we used for the first twenty-five or so years. The handles are made from locally-sourced river birch, a native species in our area.

These blank birch plywood badges come from some factory somewhere that seems to die-cut them:



Who have decided they hate us enough to use that vacuum-wrapped packaging instead of just bundling them with rubber bands as they've done in the past.

My job is to put our brand on the badges, then mate them to the tops of the tap handles. That's 144 blank badges and handles to do.

First step is to brand them--literally:



I like to use my hundred-year old tools sometimes--like this Clayton-Lambert torch.



Makin' smoke. Jigs just don't get much simpler than that one--six nails and a scrap of 2X4.

I'll finish this post when I get back from lunch....

 

[Beerhippie]

Now I need to drill 144 holes in the 144 badges.

I made up this jig for that purpose a few years back when first presented with a couple hundred of tap handles to modify:



The index bar on the front made it Q&E to set up, but



I built it for a different drill press.



That works well enough. With the box of undrilled badges on the left and an empty box on the right, I can shove one badge into the end, drill the one in the middle and the one at the other end falls into the waiting box.

Next step is to epoxy these:



Into these:



I'm not sure if the old Jorgensen hand screw quite qualifies as a "jig", but it does a great job of it.

 

[Beerhippie]

Getting there:



That's the second batch of twenty. While the 5-minute epoxy is setting, I'll go back and straighten the posts (1/8" all-thread).

 

[Beerhippie]

Cut to the chase.

I made up two of these simple jigs:



A scrap of two-by and some pieces of 3/8-16 all thread--the standard tap handle thread--epoxied in perpendicular to the board.

They allow me to drill a hole in the top of the handle



that's parallel to the threaded insert so the badge stands straight when installed on a tap faucet. Then they hold the handles straight while I epoxy the badges on.

Finished product:



The sales folks will add a label when they go out.

That's 37, so only 107 to go!

In use:



If you ever drink our beer from the tap, you can remember that my grubby hands have been on every one of the handles.

 

[paulsomlo]

I like that holder for the vacuum nozzle, I could use something like that.

 

[Beerhippie]

I like that holder for the vacuum nozzle, I could use something like that.

RAM Mounts. They're made more for holding camera and cell phones in vehicles, but super versatile around the shop, too. There are cheaper knock-offs than the RAM branded ones, some of which aren't bad. The "claw" is meant for mounting to handlebars.

 

[NUTTSGT]

You're kind of a jack of all trades there it would appear.

 

[Beerhippie]

You're kind of a jack of all trades there it would appear.

My friends would say that you left out one three-letter word there.

 

[NUTTSGT]

My friends would say that you left out one three-letter word there.

Ace.