How does one accurately cut a comb like the ones in the dovetail jigs? I could imagine building a comb of displaced similarly withed boards and cutting the inside of the comb. However the outside (ends) are also rounded the same as the internal curves. How does one accurately do this? I am sure there is an "easy" way. And before I get 20 people telling me to just get a pattern bit and copy an existing one, I am talking about "originating" such a piece.
Hi,
I won't tell you to copy an original with a pattern bit, but I will suggest purchasing a CNC aluminum one -- it'll hold up better and it starts out correctly too :)
It's what I did with my jig and I'm quite happy.
Try here (best price):
Oh well, good luck anyway! Mike
-BAT
Mike --
Perhaps I should have said that this was more of a concept question.
BTW that does seem like a great price.
I am looking to come up with a way to make such a shaped comb as the router templates. Possibly for some other purpose and perhaps in some other size/dimension but the idea being that if two of them were put together offset they could nest in each others curves.
There has to be a way to do it. I figure at some point a collared or bearing guided router can go around a squared off shape perhaps pretty narrow and make a curve. For example if I made a comb of say 1/4" wide strips 3/4 apart and went around them with a 1/4" bit in a 1/2" collar or something like that.... Or perhaps rather than making a comb and tracing it, make whatever the opposite of a comb is.. series of stopped channels wide enough that tracing in and out of them would cut out the curved combs..... I know you can make curves from square corners, all you have to do is see what happens when you trace the inside of a square frame with a router to see that. So somehow one could make a very careful squared shape then follow it with a properly collared but and make a comb.
I am sure I am not explaining this correctly, but I am sure someone out there intimately understands the math/physics of this well enough to say something that starts like... "All you gotta do is..."
Ok --
I think I was being stupid, since this idea just sort of popped into my head.
Perhaps it is not an issue of math or physics at all. Suppose I take a properly sized board at say 7/16 and put a 7/16 bullnose on it. Then slice it into say 1/4" thick fingers. Build the positive comb from that and 7/16 straight slices offset every other one. Then after that is layed out as long as I want it, follow it with a pattern bit. Does this sound like it would work? From that I would certainly have a "mother" comb as accurate as the bullnose and thickness/trueness of the original piece of wood. Of course I guess I could use some other material for the original comb pattern...
You would have to glue it to your base because the comb joint wouldn't be very strong and would likely break. I'm coming to the party late but have you thought about having it water jet or laser cut? You could have a short one made (6 or 8") and use it with a pattern bit to make as long a one as you need.
It can be done using an Incra Jig on a router table. Incra Jigs are incredible for making accurately spaced cuts. If you don't have such a setup, you could use an Incra Shopstop Fence and a home made guide for the router.
Woodpecker has the fences on sale at
Frank
Not sure how late you are to the party... But the point was to actually create one of these types of combs LIKE the ones used in the dovetail jigs. But to be able to make it without having to resort to having an outside machine shop make it, or have it cnc'ed or actually buying a pre-made one or a premade pattern. It is a dual question as I use the comb from the dovetail jig as an example, but the actual final project may be any size/dimension comb, just so that what is created could actually nest against itself (fingers into voids) and be the same shape. So if one could make one that would work at the dovetail jig that would be a proof of concept for the process.
It's the same jig that HF has on sale for $29.95 right now, They also have other templates for $10 bucks apiece. I just bought one after looking at the same thing offered by others.
Digger
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