Hey yall, I built this jig to be able to plane very small pieces of wood. The idea is that the rails (circled) will just barely lift the plane off of the template so that the template is not planed. This is an enlarged version of the one I will make later. The piece that I will eventually be planing will be about 2-3mm.
My problem is that I need these rails to be dead even thickness so that the thickness of the planed material is consistent. I experimented with wood but have two problems:
I need these rails to be extremely thin (less than 1 mm if possible)
If metal, how would I fasten the rail to the bed so that the plane would glide on the rail unobstructed.
This led me to think that a thin metal sheet is my only option. But I think I’m asking too much of this thin of a material.
I’m kind of stumped on what to do, an alternative would be to change the design of the jig so that the rails height can be adjusted and set with screws. I attached a picture of this idea on the last slide. I’m open to completely new ideas too .
Hey Zak @zak I have used the jig Paul Sellers made in this youtube video many times for exactly what you’re describing. Let me know if this is helpful, and if it isn’t, let’s look at another option.
As I’m enjoying my coffee, thought occurred to me that you 3D print the above jig.
Hmmm, I think you could even make the jig thickness adjustable by printing separate shims in varying thicknesses that could be stacked on the outside rails where the plane rides.
Hey Michael, hope alls good. I actually followed that exact video. My challenge is that my pieces are much smaller than Paul’s, so the plywood rails he is using won’t work for me.
Hmm ok I like the 3D print option but I’ve never 3D printed before . What appeals to me about the 3D print is the integrity of the dimensions. This way the only inconsistency would be in the plane setting, rather than the jig itself. My rails would need to be near 1 mm. I want it to barely glide above the jig. Perhaps I could replicate what I have now in a 3D print, and use Al’s above idea of the UHMV tape?
Zak, when do you plan to be in again? If you’re up to it, I’d love to see your project . piece and setup and trouble shoot with you. This is a great opportunity to learn from each other, And we can go over the sharpening issue.
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. What appeals to me about the 3D print is the integrity of the dimensions. This way the only inconsistency would be in the plane setting, rather than the jig itself. My rails would need to be near 1 mm. I want it to barely glide above the jig. Perhaps I could replicate what I have now in a 3D print, and use Al’s above idea of the UHMV tape?