Nautical Research Journal Shop notes
T in strip jig By Kurt Van Dahm
Cutting thin strips of equal thickness is one of the most common scratch building or kit bashing chores we face as ship modelers.
T ere are two ways to cut thin strips on the table saw—to the right of the blade or to the leſt of the blade.
Cutting strips to the right of the blade, between the blade and the fence can be dangerous. T e cut off piece can be trapped between the blade and the fence and be launched back towards the operator with violent force. People have been seriously injured
and even killed when this happens on full size saws. While our hobby-size saws are not likely to result in injuries as serious as the full size saws, it is best to reduce risks when possible. When the cut off piece is to the leſt of the blade there is no risk of it binding and launching back at the operator.
T e reason most give for cutting strips to the right of the blade is that once the fence is adjusted to give the proper width strip the fence does not need to be adjusted again regardless of the number of strips being cut. Cutting strips to the leſt of the blade requires that the fence be adjusted aſt er each cut to produce the next strip. It is extremely diffi cult to make repeated fence adjustments with any consistency of strip width—even with micrometer adjustment devices for the fence.
A very easy and safe way to produce consistently accurate strips while cutting to the leſt of the blade is to use a shop-made jig that is adjusted one time and then any number of same size strips can be cut. T ese jigs are readily available for full size saws, but they will not work on our smaller hobby saws. T e solution for me was to make my own jig to fi t my Byrnes saw. With the jig adjusted to the desired thickness, the jig is slid in the track towards the front of the saw and the fi rst strip is cut. (Figure 1) To cut subsequent strips, the sheet wood is brought back to the jig, the fence is moved to the leſt and tightened and the next strip is cut. (Figure 2)
1. T e jig being set up - measure from blade to tip of jig - tighten knob.
I made a jig a few years ago using a piece of fl at sheet wood and an old X-acto clamp (now out of production). (Figure 3) I wanted a nicer jig for an
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2. T e jig being set up - measure from blade to tip of jig - tighten knob.
3. First generation jig
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