# Jig for Benchtop Morticers



## OPJ (6 Aug 2008)

Some of you will have (hopefully! :wink: ) noticed this in my article for the current issue of British Woodworking. In case anyone wants any further information on how it's done, I thought I'd go in to a little more depth here.

The base consists of 18mm ply, grooved to accept standard aluminium T-track which is fixed with screws in to a sheet of 9mm MDF below. On the underside of the MDF are some rare Earth magnets, which help hold the base flat against the machine's casting while also allowing it to slide back and forth with the fence.







Dowels glued to the lower edge of the MDF fence locate with corresponding holes in the ply base and allow both sections to move together for optimum workpiece support. I did at first try using screws but there all they did was try to pull the base up slightly and out of square with the chisel. The extra holes you can see in each corner of the base allow another sub-base to be fitted on top, which should compensate for anything timber that is too short for the hold-down to have effect.






I shimmed the MDF fence with masking tape behind in order to get it square.

Here it is in action - the roller guides really are great!






Thanks again for looking.


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## Philly (6 Aug 2008)

The roller wheels look like a great idea - must have a look at a set of those!
Cheers
Philly


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## wizer (6 Aug 2008)

Good idea Olly. It says in the mag that you used Dakota rollers from Rutlands. I wonder if roller skate wheels could be used?


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## OPJ (6 Aug 2008)

Cheers, guys.

WiZeR, that sounds like a pretty good idea. You may still have to mount it to a block or something in order to make it adjustable like these Dakota ones (I think they're about £8 EACH, by the way).


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## wizer (7 Aug 2008)

yeh tbh at that price they're probably cheaper than skate wheels.


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## neilyweely (8 Aug 2008)

OPJ

I have been all round trying to find some T- track, but to no avail. i have looked for curtain track and all sorts. I know Rutlands sell it, but at 25quid a strip, is there really no alternative?

PLease PLEase PLEASE - someone tell me where I can get T-track cheap, I need about 5 meters of it, for jigs, extension tables and all sorts. At the mo I am considering bailing out and using channeling. 

AAAaaarrrrGGhhhhh

This is doing my head in!

HELP

Neil


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## wizer (8 Aug 2008)

Neil. Try Woodworkers Workshop You have to call him to make an order but he sells this: http://www.woodpeck.com/wpttrack.html in fact, most of this: http://www.woodpeck.com/ttrackmain.html


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## OPJ (9 Aug 2008)

£25 a length?!? It was only about £15, I think, when I bought a 3' length for this! :shock: 

You could always kind of 'make your own' as well, you know. Laminate the top or base from three thicknesses of material routing a large groove in the middle before you glue up and a narrow one for the bolt shank after. :wink:


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## Benchwayze (15 Nov 2008)

neilyweely":2o66y6iq said:


> OPJ
> 
> I have been all round trying to find some T- track, but to no avail. i have looked for curtain track and all sorts. I know Rutlands sell it, but at 25quid a strip, is there really no alternative?
> 
> ...



My rules say: 

There's always an alternative Neil; but like you, I have to cogitate for days sometimes, before it drops into place. 

Right now I am trying think of a way to put 4" high castors on my Sedgwick planer, without altering the height by more than an inch or so! 
I'll give the T-track some thought though. My rule says there must be an alternative! 

PM sent Neil


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## TheTiddles (15 Nov 2008)

neilyweely":6v0kloy9 said:


> PLease PLEase PLEASE - someone tell me where I can get T-track cheap



America.


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## Woodwould (15 Nov 2008)

It seems everyone requires T-track at some point or other. Some enterprising individual with a little financial backing should commission the production of some T-track from an aluminium extrusion manufacturer. You might be surprised at the cost.


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## Jake (15 Nov 2008)

Tilgear do 4ft for £8.95+VAT. Bottom of page 12

http://www.tilgear.info/secure/offersPD ... lcat08.pdf


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## TheTiddles (15 Nov 2008)

Woodwould":34a44av5 said:


> It seems everyone requires T-track at some point or other. Some enterprising individual with a little financial backing should commission the production of some T-track from an aluminium extrusion manufacturer. You might be surprised at the cost.



Rough numbers based on my own experience:
Extrusion & sizing die - £8,000-£15,000
Sample run - £10,000 - producing around 5,000m with 20% yield
Total price per metre £10 with a minimum order quantity of 1,000m
Subsequent runs are subject to a set-up qualification charge of £1,500
Additional charges will be levied for post-machining, cutting, finishing, plating and logistics

So, who fancies a punt?

It's very easy to say it can be made for less, but when you add everything in the costs get pretty high till you hit large volumes which nothing in woodwork ever is. I would expect the extrusion cost of t-track to be in the region of 15 pence per metre, but that is before adding plating, drilling, deburring, cutting, packaging etc... Oh, and extruders don't get out of bed for runs of less than 10km, who's got the garage space for that?

Aidan


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## Woodwould (15 Nov 2008)

You've obviously got experience of the process. But who needs plating (anodising?) and surely the average woodworker can drill their own holes and countersink them.

I've heard of several runs a lot less than 10km being viable. One small company I know of (in the UK) had some hinge profile extruded for one of their products at a very reasonable cost.

It may not be for the average backyarder, but for someone already in retailing with an appreciation of woodworking, it could be attractive.


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## ciscoeuk (10 Dec 2008)

> My rules say:
> 
> There's always an alternative Neil; but like you, I have to cogitate for days sometimes, before it drops into place.
> 
> ...


[/quote]

have you solved this proplem?

if you have noe i got plans for a mobile base that only rasies ip by 3/4"
made from ply and mdf


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