I want to make a serving tray with angled sides and box / finger joints at the corners. I figured , cut the sides to length and at the angles I want. (15deg sides) Then to make a jig to hold pieces and tilt blade at same 15deg angle. Any tips on how to do this?
Wow, my brain hurst trying to envision this. Very cool problem. Pretty hard to explain my thought in writing but...
I think you ar right to cut the miter and the bevel first. Yes typical ox joint jig with with following modifications.
Or buy a multi router. They d> I want to make a serving tray with angled sides and box / finger
I built a bunch of those trays (mine had 10deg sides), but I used a router table & incra jig to cut dovetail joints. If you're cutting finger joints on the table saw, you have two challenges:
To cope with #1, I'd screw a tall face piece to the miter gage. Be sure it rides 90 degrees to the table vertically and is stiff enough not to flex. Attach a cleat to the front of the face piece that will hold your tray piece at the required 15 degree angle side to side. Clamp the tray piece to the face piece once you have it in position, and make your cuts.
For #2, you may find it necessary to use slightly wider pins than usual or double your pin width at the edges. Be very careful with layout and practice on scrap cut to the same dimensions and angles as your finished stock.
DonkeyHody "Every man is my superior in that I can learn from him." - Thomas Carlyle
OK, but if you tilt the blade, the blade height will have to be adjusted for each cut, because the workpiece will only touch the table at one point. Also, the tilted geometry will complicate the spacing.
I respectfully disagree. The side and end still meet at 90 degrees. They don't "know" about the flare if the pins are cut perpendicular to the angled end, not perpendicular to the piece as a whole. Words fail me in trying to explain it better.
Remember that the ends of the tray usually have curved edges that don't reference well. By using the method I described in my other post, you can always reference off the edge that will be on the bottom of the box. That edge is always straight. Use a spacer against the index pin on your jig to offset the first cut on either the end pieces or the side pieces. Then all parts are interchangeable and you don't have to deal with multiple indexes.
Never pass up an excuse for a new tool!
DonkeyHody "We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it - and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again---and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore." - Mark Twain
I remember seeing Norm do this with dovetails and IIRC he cut the anlges and miters first then just routed the dovetails. Been a while since I've seen that episode.
Wed, Jan 9, 2008, 8:35am (EST-3) snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com (Snog) doth query: Any tips on how to do this?
Yeah. Take some scrap wood and try it. Then keep going until you get it the way you want. Works for me.
JOAT
10 Out Of 10 Terrorists Prefer Hillary For President- Bumper Sticker I quite agree.
A traditional English bee hive has sloping sides to each section just like your tray and they are always made with box/finger joints. The hive is known as the WBC type. There is one here:
Tim w
Tage Frid has plans to make just that kind of joint. P. 93 of the book 1 if you have it. If not, I'd recommend it highly.
However, his plan is similar to yours. He cuts them on a TS with a dado and an angled block/jig similar to a normal box cutting jig.
I know with my skill level, I'd be doing a fair bit of trial and error with this one.
Regarding the blade height thing and work piece only touching at one point, my idea is exactly not that but to hold the piece in such a manner that the entire face of the mitered edge is in contact with the table. This means the fence must lean back and the piece with rise to the left or right as you look down the line of the blade. One piece cut left, one piece cut right.
Regardless, I am just dream> > I think you ar right to cut the miter and the bevel first. Yes typical
Yeah, I don't think that is going to work. You are going to cut off any angle you previously cut. It needs to be a single cut.
You are on to the correct train of thought of holding the wood at an angle while making a miter cut.
Wow guys Thanks for the advice - I will be using the Table saw and "keep going until you get it the way you want" as JT said. This is to be a tray as gift for a doctor that did a good job on me with some router inlay in the middle. One thing I figgerd out is that the Saw Blade needs to be tilted...anyone agree? Thanks Snogger
Tilting the blade will achieve the goal of getting the pins to line up with the grain. However, I think it will cause other alignment issues that I can visualize but can't articulate very well. The top of your cut won't be parallel to the end of the workpiece that's on the table. Try it.
If all else fails, I know this will work:
Please report back.
DonkeyHody "I'd rather expect the best of people and be wrong than expect the worst and be right."
Just tilting the blade will not do it... in addition to that the wood has to lean so that the depth of cut is consistent with the angle on the end of the board... Did you see the sketch of the jig I posted on ABPW? That shows the two different dimensions in space that you need to consider.
John
Please report back. Reporting back....... DonkeyHody I can visualise it now - but i figger the balde has to tilt to cut "with" the grain
Please report back again when you have made a box.
DonkeyHody "I'd rather expect the best of people and be wrong than expect the worst and be right."
Never Got Around to it...? I Still have some incredible wood I'd like to use making a tray for my doctor. Did find a guy that sorted it - WOOOOW is all I can say ! Its all here --->
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