Is there an adjustable angle jig to hold pieces perpendicularly?

[MayerMR]

Morning fellas,

This weekend I put together two spray paint can organizer racks where I needed needed to put the shelves at a 35 degree angle. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a woodworker, so I know there are tools out there that would have allowed me to cut channels into the wood, but I don't have them. That said, after measuring and marking the 35 degree angles on a side piece, I drilled and countersunk the holes and then used the first one as a pattern jig to drill the other side pieces.

The point of my post though was that I really struggled to hold each piece, properly aligned while sinking the screws into each shelf. I was thinking to myself...there has GOT to be a clamp of some sort that would allow me to hold a shelf in place, at my desired angle while also clamping perpendicularly to the side, to hold my work pieces together. That said, I couldn't find anything like it online...so maybe I'm the only fool that has struggled with such a thing?

Go ahead and ignore that side with all the wood putty filling the holes...I might have *ahem* forgot to flip the piece I was drilling with my "jig" piece over for proper orientation....

And here is where I gleaned my idea from...someone did a nice "instructables" build on this.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Spray-Paint-Rack-Improvements/

 

[tube_guy]

I usually use an angle plate and some clamps for something like that, but made from metal, when I'm welding.

https://www.zoro.com/dayton-angle-plate-right-4x4in-surface-18kg-38xm11/i/G2613305/

I'd just set a sliding T bevel to the 35 and use that to line up the angle plate at an angle.

I'd imagine screwing the wood together like that ends up pretty flexible anyway, so holding the 90 probably isn't super important. Maybe something like this would work?

https://www.fastenersplus.com/Simps...MIqb2bhMut2gIVkkwNCh3nOwCAEAQYAiABEgImA_D_BwE


Or you could just use another block of wood that's cut square and you could probably work your 35 degree angle into that too.

 

[MayerMR]

Thanks for the ideas tube_guy. I was hoping that there would be something out there that would be adjustable to a set angle, but I think you're right. I should have just cut a block of wood at a 35 degree angle and set it up that way...ergh. It's amazing the dumb things you do in the midst of a project and don't realize how a simpler solution is readily available until it's too late!

 

[DadsTools]

I'm impressed how well you did doing it the way you described. Nice job!

 

[MayerMR]

I'm impressed how well you did doing it the way you described. Nice job!

Why thank you...I assure you it was a pain in the ***..haha

 

[EOC_Jason]

Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head.

Easiest thing I would think would be cut a piece of scrap the right angle, clamp that down then you have something to but the wood against to hold it in place as you screw it.

 

[aka Larry]

Easiest thing I would think would be cut a piece of scrap the right angle, clamp that down then you have something to but the wood against to hold it in place as you screw it.

Yep. Any time I have a project that requires multiples, it's usually worth it to just make a jig out of some scrap to keep everything even and spaced the same.

 

[Air21]

Bridgeport.

 

[kctyphoon]

I think your best bet here would have been to secure the bottom shelf, set to the angle you wanted, then just cut a piece of wood as a spacer for each consecutive shelf.. if they are all 5" apart, once you angle is set on the first one, just a regular spacer would repeat that angle for every other shelf. Clamp as desired..

If that's not clear.. set your first shelf and secure to your vertical - (drawing a line to follow would be enough) then just cut a 2x4 (as an example) 8" long.. lay 2x4 flush on the first shelf - that would repeat that exact angle every 3.5" up... so maybe instead of a 2x4 - you use a 2x6 and make them 5.5" apart - or rip down any piece of wood to your desired spacing. This way you only figure out that angle for the first shelf..

 

[MayerMR]

Nothing that I can think of off the top of my head.

Easiest thing I would think would be cut a piece of scrap the right angle, clamp that down then you have something to but the wood against to hold it in place as you screw it.

Yep. Any time I have a project that requires multiples, it's usually worth it to just make a jig out of some scrap to keep everything even and spaced the same.

I think your best bet here would have been to secure the bottom shelf, set to the angle you wanted, then just cut a piece of wood as a spacer for each consecutive shelf.. if they are all 5" apart, once you angle is set on the first one, just a regular spacer would repeat that angle for every other shelf. Clamp as desired..

If that's not clear.. set your first shelf and secure to your vertical - (drawing a line to follow would be enough) then just cut a 2x4 (as an example) 8" long.. lay 2x4 flush on the first shelf - that would repeat that exact angle every 3.5" up... so maybe instead of a 2x4 - you use a 2x6 and make them 5.5" apart - or rip down any piece of wood to your desired spacing. This way you only figure out that angle for the first shelf..

Yep, all three of you nailed it. Honestly, I can't even fathom why/how something so simple didn't even cross my mind last night. Hell, even this morning I was thinking..."There's GOT to be a better way!?" And, of course, there was. *head slap*

 

[PugetDude]

I think your best bet here would have been to secure the bottom shelf, set to the angle you wanted, then just cut a piece of wood as a spacer for each consecutive shelf.. if they are all 5" apart, once you angle is set on the first one, just a regular spacer would repeat that angle for every other shelf. Clamp as desired..

If that's not clear.. set your first shelf and secure to your vertical - (drawing a line to follow would be enough) then just cut a 2x4 (as an example) 8" long.. lay 2x4 flush on the first shelf - that would repeat that exact angle every 3.5" up... so maybe instead of a 2x4 - you use a 2x6 and make them 5.5" apart - or rip down any piece of wood to your desired spacing. This way you only figure out that angle for the first shelf..

+1 on this- I've used spacers building shelves for years, best way to get them dead on...even a pencil line width adds up over a dozen shelves...

 

[bulldogr6]

Thicker material for the sides and use a dado blade in a radial arm or table saw

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[tube_guy]

Thicker material for the sides and use a dado blade in a radial arm or table saw

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Or screw some cleats underneath and at the end of each angled shelf so the screws aren't going into the endgrain of the shelves. Only problem might be a little wasted space. But if the shelf is used to store spray cans, they are cylindrical anyway so the cleats won't waste any space at all if they're sized properly.

 

[FTG-05]

I'm impressed how well you did doing it the way you described. Nice job!

Same here!

[insert beer icon here!]

Oh wait, it's right there! Here you go:

 

[MayerMR]

fellas, i thought I'd just follow-up to tell everyone how damn handy these things are!

 

[tarbellb]

Nice!

 

[rharman]

These have helped me out a few times...

http://www.rockler.com/adjustable-clamp-it-assembly-square

 

[seve7]

Bridgeport.

Nothing like using dynamite for a fly swatter.

This is a brilliant solution to aerosol cans.

 

[MayerMR]

These have helped me out a few times...

http://www.rockler.com/adjustable-clamp-it-assembly-square

Hey thanks! That might be helpful!

Nothing like using dynamite for a fly swatter.

This is a brilliant solution to aerosol cans.

Lol, yes, I think a Bridgeport would do it. You an extra layin' around somewhere?

I wish I could take the credit for the idea, but alas, it wasn't mine. I realized I needed another solution when I was putting away some red and silver spray paint cans I had just purchased and found two more of the exact same cans - one of them unused - behind some other non-spray paint cans on the shelf. Going through my cans to stack them in their new home I found many such extraneous purchases!