Straight edges

Matt_S · 24 Oct 2006

I'm making some drawer units, from ply. I've done woodworking in uni/school workshops but I'm having difficulties in working out best way to do stuff now I'm garage based! The main thing I think is realising the limitations of my hand tool skills as I would have just used big machines before.

I'm wondering with my limitations both skills and tools how to end up with nice square panels at the right size! When they're too large for my small table saw (most are) if I rough down to size with jigsaw (don't have circular saw) could I use a router against a straight edge to do a final cut?

I presume I could cut by hand nice and close then finish with plane, this sounds good but beyond me, always end up with opposite high and low corners when planing an edge

Any suggestions?

ajbell · 24 Oct 2006

Matt

I have used a router to final dimension stock using a straight edge,
Trend have a straight edge - clamp which comes in various lengths.

But it always seems a longwinded process.

if you are out with your marking or placing of the straight edge
it will not lead to the desired results. You could try and stack
similar parts to ensure they are the the same dimension which would help.

You could also think of making a hardboard or MDF template and
using a bearing guided straight cutter. This should ensure that all identical parts are the correct dimensions (assuming your template is correct).

AndyB

Colin C · 24 Oct 2006

Hi Matt,

If you dont have a circular saw, you could get one from B&Q or if you are near London, I have one going for a small fee that is in good nick from whaht you want to do.

I would look at getting one any way :wink:

Scrit · 24 Oct 2006

Hi Matt

If you plane the edges to size you'll also be getting a lot of extra sharpening practice in as plywood (and for that matter MDF) is murder on cutting edges. One tip is to use a low angle plane such as a block plane as they seem to do a better job.

But first you've got to break-down your sheets. From what you say you have a small table saw, a jig saw, a hand plane and a router. The tool I'd choose from that "armoury" to rough out pieces would be the jigsaw, preferably with a relatively fine blade and with the orbit motion turned down to 1 or 0 (if your jigger has an orbit motion). Use a straight edge or plywood batten as a guide to get your cut as near to the line as possible, but be careful to check that the blade is cutting square - cheap and/or blunt jigsaw blades have a tendency to bend in cut. I'd then use your router to straighten the edges.

One think to bear in mind is that if you are designing a piece which will potentially have a lot of exposed edges it may be better to modify your design to reduce the need for absolute accuracy in a few pieces, at least when you are starting out. For example with this type of design (overhung top) accuracy of the top edges on the sides is less critical because the overhang hides the joint line from the avarege viewer. Similarly mounting the piece on a recessed plinth which is then painted black is another camouflage technique you might want to consider

Regards

Scrit

George_N · 24 Oct 2006

For a cheap and easy way to break down sheet material, have a look at this method. For squaring panels and things like drawer fronts/sides you should make yourself a crosscut sled for your table saw, there are some examples here. It's not high tech or expensive, you can lay your sheet of ply or whatever, on a couple of battens or better yet a sheet of insulating foam board, so that all parts are supported before, during and after the cut. With a cheap hand held circular saw and a cutting guide you can get surprisingly accurate cuts and it is much faster than a jigsaw. My experience, FWIW, of using router bits on man-made boards is that they dull very quickly.

Matt_S · 24 Oct 2006

Scrit, thanks, it helps that someone else would do it the same way with the tools I have! And yes I've built in for inaccuracies in that way!

I had roughed a few bits down as this was when I began to realise the next stage of getting accurate would be tricky! Considered getting a circular saw before I began and then decided I could make do, should've got one.

Colin I'm in Kent, not sure I could buy anything at the mo, but what make/model is your saw and what you be looking for it?

George am tempted to go for circular saw method to avoid using router too much, but as for the second link I'm stumped as to exactly what it does! I've got a Clarke saw with little square top seems that would only work on much bigger tables or am I looking at it wrong?

Thanks all.

George_N · 24 Oct 2006

Matt,
the crosscut sled usually has a runner on the underside that rides in the mitre slot in the table top. If your table saw doesn't have a mitre slot, you can build a sled that covers the whole table top and runners that ride against the edges of the table. There are lots of versions of the crosscut sled out there to suit most saw types. A bit of Googling should find something that will work with your Clarke saw.

Matt_S · 24 Oct 2006

yes it has mitre slot and now makes complete sense and is rather clever! thanks I need to think about exactly what cuts I need to make and one of those may be really useful

George_N · 24 Oct 2006

If you make a sled make sure you can use the blade guard of your saw or incorporate some sort of blade guard in the sled. I recently had 5 stitches in the end of my right thumb from using a sled with an unguarded blade. DO NOT take chances and think that you will remember to keep your fingers out of the way.

Matt_S · 24 Oct 2006

Ouch, don't want to do that. I couldn't use the standard guard and had kinda assumed that seeing the line already cut would be enough.

I am a bit scared of big power tools and if I'd done that I don't think I'd use one again! Guess it makes you super careful (at least for a while) afterwards!

Anonymous · 24 Oct 2006