Jig Advice

[bakerkr]

Hi Everyone!

Need some advice on making a jog. I do not a vac table.

I making a 4" deep picture frame to hold lithophanes. I need to put two dados in the board, then using my miter fold bit, create the miters, then "fold" the board to get the frame. I can't use clamps across the board becuase of the dados. Anyone got pics or advice to point me in the right direction?

Thanks,
Kevin

[myxpykalix]

I made a litho box and what i did was to take a 3 or 4" wide piece of walnut that was 1/4" thick.
I toolpathed a 1/4" wide rectangle the entire length of the piece of walnut 1/8" deep (approx. 4 ft long?) approx. 1/4" in from front edge. That acted as the dado that held the lithopane in the frame.
Then I did the same thing at the back edge of the board to act as the rebate to hold the back on.
I set my board at the 0,0 corner and used a clamp on one end then used a scrap piece of mdf notched to hold the other end that i screwed into the table.
Instead of using a vbit to make my miters i used a miter saw to cut my edges.

For the hold down take a 2" wide 48" long piece of mdf or wood. Create a rectange 1" wide X 4" long X 1/4" deep and place it anywhere along this 48" long piece that you clamp down on both sides of the table and it holds the piece down. You need 2 of these. A zipped file with the PW art file and the sbp and a pic is included. A picture is worth a thousand words.


jig.zip (http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/312/jig-20856.zip) (43.2 k)

[bakerkr]

Jack -

I follow up until the second paragraph - I'm not sure what this piece is used for. Can you explain a little more?

Thanks,
Kevin

[myxpykalix]

Well since a picture is worth a thousand words, basically what i was trying to explain is to make a half-lap type joint that will hold the piece on the table in the groove while the clamps hold the sacrificial piece across the width of the table. I suppose you could also screw this in but since i have a vacumn I clamp it on the sides. Let me know if this helps.


6675

[bakerkr]

Jack -

Perfect, I get it now and must say that will fit my needs perfectly! BTW - how do you like your lithophanes? I found these rounds fluorscent lights at Lowes for $10.00

Thanks,
Kevin

[myxpykalix]

Do a search for "Cold cathode lights" they cost around $8.00 plus you need to get one of those "wall warts" (black big transformer). I like them and they are rated for 30,000 hours and put out no heat. Do a google search on above because someone had made a tutorial on how to wire it up and make the box right.
The place i got mine no longer carries the white ones www.directron.com (http://www.directron.com).

[myxpykalix]

Here is the pdf file for wiring and setting up cold cathode lights. Go get it as it won't be in the too long.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SHOPBOT/files/
Here is what they look like when lit up:
http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/312/20395.html

[bakerkr]

Jack -

I tried to cold cathode lights, they worked, but once you buy the transformer, add shipping, the wiring, and the available was beginning to look slim, it's not cost effective. I found those round fluorescents and will use foil on the back of the box. My protype looked pretty good, but still trying to find the best frame using little wood.

Thanks for the help,
Kevin

[bcammack]

Check places like www.allelectronics.com (http://www.allelectronics.com) or www.bgmicro.com (http://www.bgmicro.com) for cold cathode stuff. They often have stuff at really good prices.

[myxpykalix]

Well my concern was i was making these for placement in the house with my grandchildren and the voltage, heat, and long life made it attractive to me. The flourescent might be brighter but the softer light made it just right for a nite light.
Plus before i found the cold cathode, i looked everywhere for the flourescent lights, but could only find the bulbs but not the sockets to wire up and plug into. Please post a pic when you get yours done, i'd like to compare the difference in lighting.

[bakerkr]

Jack -

Will do, it's still a least a week away, we have the grandbaby this weekend and I usually spend as much time with her as possible.

Thanks,
Kevin