How To: Make multiple replacement parts without measuring

[98TJ]

Had a friend post on facebook - looking for someone to make some parts for him...

Woodworking people - Anyone know someone who can make me one of these? The base for the leg of a table we have needs to be repaired or re-made. I can pull one of the remaining 3 good ones if you need a template to work off of. Thanks!

http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/432107_3298717157566_1557003540_32946426_1727241293_n.jpg

Of course he got the "MD can do it" response, and had others offer to make them as well. Just for the hell of it, I offered to do it.

He asked if I was ready to do it, told him sure, and he the good part was in the mail.

Today the box arrived.
http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/419195_1941934285329_1751610005_938604_1195171990_n.jpg

After seeing the parts I decided to make them without a single measurement.

Just because.

Follow along if you wish.

First thing I did was break out the template tape. Stuck a couple of pieces on the bottom of the "good" piece I was sent.
http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/395781_1941994246828_1751610005_938620_141807776_n.jpg

Then stuck it on a piece of wood that was the proper thickness and rough cut the lumber on the band saw.

I moved to the router and used a 1/2" flush trim bit to cut blanks that were exactly the same size as the good piece.

Time to cut the chamfer. Again, I used the good piece for setup.
http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/419441_1941948365681_1751610005_938607_1359313529_n.jpg

Cutting the chamfer.

And just like that, I had four perfect blanks.
http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/426645_1942026487634_1751610005_938627_2121690391_n.jpg

Next step was to cut the pocket in the top of each piece. Again, I used the "good" piece for setup. Here's the table on the drill press adjusted at the correct angle. I have no idea what it is - I just know it's right. Notice the wood under the "good" piece. I marked the location of the good piece on the wood so I could cut out a pocket and make a jig.

Cut the jig on the band saw and used the good piece one more time to get the jig properly positioned. Set the stop on the drill press
http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/425711_1942047848168_1751610005_938631_1105893166_n.jpg

Clamped each good piece in place and slowly fed that 1 3/4" bit into the wood.
http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/419111_1942065688614_1751610005_938638_1167443993_n.jpg

Result is a matching depth of cut at the proper angle.

Had to cut another pocket in the bottom of each piece for T-nuts. Just placed the "down" corner when I cut the top pocket "up" when I cut the bottom. Set depth of cut and placed the jig here.

Used the template tape one more time to place the good piece on top of each new piece (keeping orientation correct) and used the good piece as a guide for drilling the four holes in the new pieces with a hand drill. After that I chucked a single flute countersink in the hand drill and countersunk each hole.

End result...

Top
http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/426867_1942506619637_1751610005_938763_1325672476_n.jpg

Bottom

 

[purplezr2]

Cool, is the center a nut type retainer?

 

[98TJ]

Cool, is the center a nut type retainer?

Yeah. It's a 1/4" - 20 T-nut

 

[metal1313]

nice work man. what band saw and router table do you use? i need a good table and better bits and things will be much easier for me here with some projects in the future

 

[98TJ]

I use a JessEm router lift in a table made from MDF with an Alucobond top surface.
http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/426566_1942620982496_1751610005_938842_143582765_n.jpg

I have the Rout-R-Lift FX but the current equivalent is the Rout-R-Lift II.

They're great because your depth of cut adjustments and bit changes are handled above the table. Unless it's time for cleaning, there's no need to remove the router once it's installed in the lift.

The band saw is a simple benchtop Delta unit. Drill press is a 10" Ryobi.

 

[mike13u]

Nice job man. thanks for sharing

 

[NUTTSGT]

It always great when you can merely copy something and not have to measure it. It seems to prevent mistakes with "measure once/cut twice!"

 

[MoonRise]

Nice write-up with pictures and everything.

But I'll give you a few safety-related demerits.

Unless the bandsaw picture was just staged for the photo and the upper blade guide was moved upwards for better visibility in the photo, the bandsaw upper blade guide is -supposed- to be just a bit above the workpiece being cut. It supports the blade better and also helps to remind you to keep your bodyparts away from the blade. Usual practice is get the upper guide as close as you can without it getting in the way, but usually with about 1/4 inch to 1 inch from the top of the workpiece.

In the router table pics with your hand holding the workpiece that close to a spinning router bit just scares the Bejeebus out of me!! You slip just a little or the bit grabs the wood or the wood shift or splits or whatever and your hand is into the spinning bit in less than the blink of an eye.

Better safe practice is to use some sort of clamp or jig or carrier-board so that your hands are plenty far away from the bit or blade. Old-style Wooden handscrew is quick and easy.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Category/2082689/Handscrews.aspx

But the entire idea of 'use the existing part and set up the tools with that and no measuring' is certinaly a Good-Idea.

 

[98TJ]

Thanks, guys.

MoonRise, I moved the blade guide up and didn't move it back down. Good catch.

As far as the router, I route everything by hand unless it's a small item that's difficult to hold. Stuff like that gets template tape and is stuck to a larger piece - or routed THEN cut to size.

Feed rate and bit RPM also come into play.

All of these templates on the wall get routed by hand with template tape. It's much faster than routing a single side, re-clamping the piece, routing another side, re-clamping...

http://sphotos.**.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/381094_333545676671908_133186830041128_1399959_79746471_n.jpg

 

[darkone]

I was like that has to be a shop for building car audio because of all the rings and MDF. Then I saw the sticker on the table saw fence. Nice place to work.

 

[98TJ]

Yeah, that's the inside of the local shop.

I did this work in the garage, though.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

Nice and repeatable

 

[Ign]

I see only one problem: no one admits to being friends with DRM.