# Thin strip ripping jig



## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I've been meaning to make a thin strip ripping jig for a while now, since someone posted one they bought. I've kept all my fingers doing it the old fashioned way all these years but why push my luck when better technology is available?
This particular build is for a Unisaw which has a T slot for the miter slots. A 5/16" washer fits the T slot very well so I countersunk them for 5/16" flat head machine screws. I had a piece of birch hardwood that was about 1" thick that was a bit narrow so I decided to use 2 pieces glued together. This actually made building it easier as I cut the slots for the bolts on the table saw instead of doing it with a plunge router and once the slots were cut I glued the two halves together. 

I decided it could use a little fine adjustability so I drilled and tapped one face for a 3/8 x 16 thread/inch carriage bolt and the opposite face I tapped a 6mm x 1mm thread/inch metric carriage bolt in case I'm working in metric (the metric one is what I had in my spare parts). Hardwood threads just fine with metal cutting taps but I used very slightly smaller drills than my charts called for. The carriage bolts I thought were a good choice as the domed heads are low drag and the square shoulders behind the heads make it easy to count turns for the fine adjusting. 

There are many variations on this idea. This is only one of the possibilities.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

The other picture I tried uploading.


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## chessnut2 (Sep 15, 2011)

Looks interesting, Charles. Could you post a little more info on how it works? Thanks. Jim


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

I've never used a thin-rip jig. I've always just set the fence close to the blade and used a sacrificial fence if it was really close; but I'm always up for a better ways to do things. I have a magnetic featherboard like this one. Could I just lock it down with the nose toward the workpiece and use it in place of the jig? Or am I missing something?


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## kywoodchopper (Jul 18, 2013)

Hi Charles, you are right to keep the fingers away from the blade. I cut a lot of 1/8" thick splines. Instead of sawing them that narrow, I plane the boards, maybe 6" wide, to 1/8" thick then use the table saw to cut them to the width that I need. It is much safer and ensures the correct thickness. My planer has spiral cutter head and has a 3/4" thick support board in the base of the planer. I have no problems planing wood that thin. Malcolm / Kentucky USA


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

kywoodchopper said:


> Hi Charles, you are right to keep the fingers away from the blade. I cut a lot of 1/8" thick splines. Instead of sawing them that narrow, I plane the boards, maybe 6" wide, to 1/8" thick then use the table saw to cut them to the width that I need. It is much safer and ensures the correct thickness. My planer has spiral cutter head and has a 3/4" thick support board in the base of the planer. I have no problems planing wood that thin. Malcolm / Kentucky USA


some times rips need to be done for grain orientation...
ie.. shape layups...


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I have been wondering for a long time why anyone would need a thin rip jig. I am left handed so my fence is one the right side of the blade. If I want to cut thin strips I put the board on the right side of the blade and adjust the fence for the thickness I want the thin strip to be. The thin strip just falls to the right of the blade. I know a jig would be better or y'all wouldn't be talking about it. So can you explain why a jig is better?


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Don

A jig is like a stop block - by keeping the jig in place and moving the fence, the size of the thin strips will always be the same but will prevent the strip from getting caught between the blade and the fence as the strip is cut to the opposite side of the blade.
I don't use a jig for thin strips - I use my GRR RPR with a 1/4" leg and the strip cut between the blade and the fence. The GRRpr allows you to push both pieces through to the outfeed side and maintaining control of the strip until it clears the blade.
You can get an accessory leg for the GRRPR that allows you to rip 1/8" strips.


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## RÖENTGEEP (Feb 18, 2014)

vchiarelli said:


> Don
> 
> A jig is like a stop block - by keeping the jig in place and moving the fence, the size of the thin strips will always be the same but will prevent the strip from getting caught between the blade and the fence as the strip is cut to the opposite side of the blade.
> I don't use a jig for thin strips - I use my GRR RPR with a 1/4" leg and the strip cut between the blade and the fence. The GRRpr allows you to push both pieces through to the outfeed side and maintaining control of the strip until it clears the blade.
> You can get an accessory leg for the GRRPR that allows you to rip 1/8" strips.


Vince, could you post some pics about this procedure?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

plan ''A'' (shorts)...

sled...
stop block set to thickness desired...
proceed w/ rips/crosscut...

plan ''B'' (long)...

set fence to thickness desired...
rip 60% of the stock's length...
lift stock off of blade...
flip stock end for end...
complete rip...
lift stock off of blade...
set drop aside...
repeat cycle...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

*Shame!*

Re your procedure, Stick;
another guy who doesn't use a blade guard...:no:


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DaninVan said:


> Re your procedure, Stick;
> another guy who doesn't use a blade guard...:no:


it's an on again off again thing...


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

chessnut2 said:


> Looks interesting, Charles. Could you post a little more info on how it works? Thanks. Jim


The jig is just a stop block Jim. It's not as easy to use as cutting between the fence and the blade but it is safer on really thin cuts. When you use this jig you move the fence over to a new (closer) position after every cut. The stop block gives you an accurate repeatable reference for resetting the fence so that all your cut offs will be the same. Instead of having the cut off piece between the blade and fence, you now have the piece falling off the outside of the blade.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

RÖENTGEEP said:


> Vince, could you post some pics about this procedure?


 @RÖENTGEEP

Which procedure do you want pictures of, the jig or the GRRPR?

Chuck's response here will give you an explanation of the jig itself.
If it was the GRRPR portion in my reply, I can post pics later today.

http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/85370-thin-strip-ripping-jig-2.html#post1015962


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Re your procedure, Stick;
> another guy who doesn't use a blade guard...:no:


Thats me too, once was enough for me.
Herb


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## Moz (Nov 13, 2015)

I will be needing some thin strips, but am planning to use the vid "



" to do it with.
He was able to make some very thin slices that way...
~M


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## RÖENTGEEP (Feb 18, 2014)

vchiarelli said:


> @RÖENTGEEP
> 
> Which procedure do you want pictures of, the jig or the GRRPR?
> 
> ...


GRRPR. I just bougth two and want to have more idea how to use them. :wink:


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

My jig will cut very thin slices too but like he said while he was demonstrating the method "If it's close to right thickness, that's usually good enough and I'm happy". Note that you need a zero clearance throat plate to be cutting slices that thin.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Also to think about, changing the blade to a 7 1/4" thin kerf will reduce the wastage dramatically.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

RÖENTGEEP said:


> Vince, could you post some pics about this procedure?


 @RÖENTGEEP

Joseph, here's a pic of the Grr-ripper setup for thin strips.
Mine is showing the 1/4" leg closest to the fence (you can get a 1/8" leg for even closer ripping.

The narrow leg pushes the cut off past the blade while the wider legs push the main work piece through as well.

You probably know, the L-shaped piece on the right, away from the fence, drops down to offer support if your work piece is narrower than the width of the gripper, preventing the Grr-ripper from tipping sideways.

And of course, the center leg can be adjusted, left to right.


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## RÖENTGEEP (Feb 18, 2014)

vchiarelli said:


> @RÖENTGEEP
> 
> Joseph, here's a pic of the Grr-ripper setup for thin strips.
> Mine is showing the 1/4" leg closest to the fence (you can get a 1/8" leg for even closer ripping.
> ...


Perfect, thats what I wanted to see. Thanks a lot amigo. :wink:


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

RÖENTGEEP said:


> Perfect, thats what I wanted to see. Thanks a lot amigo. :wink:


you can make your own...


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

A standard Grrripper is good down to about 1/4". I use it a lot for that. You can get thinner sides that go to 1/8". [edit: saw that got posted. should have check just before posting] For thinner yet, you really need some sort of "other side from the fence" approach. I just use a magswitch as a stop. 








It works OK though I have it in mind to make a jig that uses a skate bearing.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> you can make your own...


stick

Joseph said earlier that he had purchased 2 grippers - wanted to see how I used them for ripping thin strips.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

vchiarelli said:


> stick
> 
> Joseph said earlier that he had purchased 2 grippers - wanted to see how I used them for ripping thin strips.


he did???
another post missed...


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## RÖENTGEEP (Feb 18, 2014)

Stick486 said:


> you can make your own...


Yes I could make one or two, but I saw to late that write up. :|



vchiarelli said:


> stick
> 
> Joseph said earlier that he had purchased 2 grippers - wanted to see how I used them for ripping thin strips.


Yes :wink:



Stick486 said:


> he did???
> another post missed...


Yeap :crying:


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> plan ''A'' (shorts)...
> 
> sled...
> stop block set to thickness desired...
> ...


This is the system I used for cutting the 200+ strips over 30" long for some laminations.

If your blade isn't exactly vertical, you will know as soon as you finish cutting the first piece.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> plan ''A'' (shorts)...
> 
> sled...
> stop block set to thickness desired...
> ...





cocobolo1 said:


> *This is the system I used *for cutting the 200+ strips over 30" long for some laminations.
> 
> If your blade isn't exactly vertical, you will know as soon as you finish cutting the first piece.


Stick
Is your offcut (thin rip) between blade and fence or opposite?

I can see this working if the thin piece is between blade/fence but if it's opposite, you'd be moving the fence each time because your work piece is getting narrower as you rip.

If it's between the blade/fence then you'd have to push the off cut completely through (narrow push stick?)


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

cocobolo1 said:


> This is the system I used for cutting the 200+ strips over 30" long for some laminations.
> 
> If your blade isn't exactly vertical, you will know as soon as you finish cutting the first piece.


or you are not using the correct blade for the task...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

vchiarelli said:


> Stick
> Is your *offcut (thin rip) between blade and fence* or opposite?
> 
> I can see this working if the thin piece is between blade/fence but if it's opposite, you'd be moving the fence each time because your work piece is getting narrower as you rip.
> ...


thin rip between the blade and fence...
no on the push stick...
but you will need a feather board for the last several rips..


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> or you are not using the correct blade for the task...


Let me explain...if you don't have the blade vertical, where the two ends of the cut meet, they won't be dead flat with each other. One side will be marginally proud of the other. 

It only takes a small fraction of a degree for this to happen. One tiny tweak of the blade will fix it. Remember you will only need to move the blade half of the distance of the difference.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

cocobolo1 said:


> Let me explain...if you don't have the blade vertical, where the two ends of the cut meet, they won't be dead flat with each other. One side will be marginally proud of the other.
> 
> It only takes a small fraction of a degree for this to happen. One tiny tweak of the blade will fix it. Remember you will only need to move the blade half of the distance of the difference.


what I meant was a basic ripping blade usually isn't good enough... they can leave a lot of scoring marks..
a glue line is more in order...

let's add a nicely tuned saw is a plus too to lisy...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> what I meant was a basic ripping blade usually isn't good enough... they can leave a lot of scoring marks..
> a glue line is more in order...
> 
> let's add a nicely tuned saw is a plus too to lisy...


True enough...very punny.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I have the Rockler Thin Strip jig. It has incriments marked out that are somewhat handy, but having the roller at the tip makes movement nice and smooth. Works like a champ (if your fence is really parallel). Notice the position is near the front of the blade.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

+ 1 on the glueline ripping blade. Big difference.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

It may have been the Rockler I saw that made me want to make one. The glue line blades work well. I think it is mostly due to the stiffer saw plate rather than the tooth grind. I have a couple of sets of blade stabilizers and they make a big difference too. They can take an average blade and make it cut close to glue line and they are a must if you are using a thin rim for narrow cuts. Even Forrest recommends using them although oddly, they only recommend using one. I prefer one on both sides.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> It may have been the Rockler I saw that made me want to make one. The glue line blades work well. I think it is mostly due to the stiffer saw plate rather than the tooth grind. I have a couple of sets of blade stabilizers and they make a big difference too. They can take an average blade and make it cut close to glue line and they are a must if you are using a thin rim for narrow cuts. Even Forrest recommends using them although oddly, they only recommend using one. I prefer one on both sides.


Charles, he may have a point there.

You might be familiar with the very large old circular blades used in days gone by at the big mills. Those blades are actually hammered into a dish shape. When the blade gets up to speed it flattens out.

Perhaps the same thing happens to a 10" blade...could be...I don't know for sure.

I expect that you might have the big stabilizers from Lee valley. Same here, but I must admit I never thought about using just one.

I have a question though. These glue line blades you refer to, is that the same thing as what we used to call planer blades? The body is thicker than the rim, so the thinner edge can only cut to about an inch thick...give or take. Thanks.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DesertRatTom said:


> I have the Rockler Thin Strip jig. It has incriments marked out that are somewhat handy, but having the roller at the tip makes movement nice and smooth. Works like a champ (if your fence is really parallel). Notice the position is near the front of the blade.


Oooooh! I do like that jig. Didn't see that in the Rockler display when I was at KMS the other day.

Now this one you would be re-setting your fence for each cut...yes? I'm going to have to get used to that idea. 

Another thing that I have done in the past is to set an auxiliary fence which stops about three inches or so past the leading edge of the saw blade when I am cutting thin strips. That way you avoid any possible 
chance of kickback and you don't have to re-set the fence for every cut.


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## RÖENTGEEP (Feb 18, 2014)

Here are some examples of ripping jigs, from very simple to more complicated. I prefer the last one:

A Quick Jig for Ripping Thin Strips
https://3dwoodworkingplans.com/thin-strip-ripping-jig/
Thin Strip Ripping Jig - by Matt Przybylski @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community
:wink:


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

The Rockler style thin rip jigs are great. You set the thickness you want, then simply move the fence to press the work piece against the jig, and repeat. Same size pieces are easy. You can even use brass setup bars to set the thickness with precision. I like making jigs, but some things are better purchased. Not to say anything negative against the original poster's innovative jig, this is one of those items. Anyone know of other brands of commercial thin rip jigs?


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

RÖENTGEEP beat me to the question. Thank you for the other options. Any other commercial jigs?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

cocobolo1 said:


> Charles, he may have a point there.
> 
> You might be familiar with the very large old circular blades used in days gone by at the big mills. Those blades are actually hammered into a dish shape. When the blade gets up to speed it flattens out.
> 
> ...


Keith last question first. My glue line blade is a Freud. I had a choice between 1" of cut or 3" of cut and I went with the 3".

There were a number of old style sawmills here when I first moved here. Most are gone now. I sold several of them logs and I would often help cant logs onto the carriage while they were sawing my wood so I am very familiar with those 48" and 52" blades you are talking about and I've seen them being hammered. Lost art there I think. Maybe it works the same with a 10" blade. I just don't know for sure.

Yes you move the fence each time.

All of Joeseph's links are variations on the same theme - i.e. = stop blocks.

You could put a roller on the end but I find if I put so much pressure against the stop that I would need a roller that I've torqued my fence and when I clamp it it will move closer to the blade than I wanted it to. (Unifence being used so I would think it applies to everyone's fence as well) The piece being ripped should just kiss the stop and the fence to the piece as well so the bearing should not be necessary.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

cocobolo1 said:


> Charles, he may have a point there.
> 
> You might be familiar with the very large old circular blades used in days gone by at the big mills. Those blades are actually hammered into a dish shape. When the blade gets up to speed it flattens out.
> 
> ...


from Freud...

This blade’s specially designed triple chip tooth design produces extremely smooth, true surfaces for gluing and finish work. There is no need for sanding or jointing after the cut. The ideal working range is from 1/8" to 1" thick. This blade also features laser cut anti-vibration slots, practically eliminating the vibration that resonates in standard blades. With this ultimate ripping blade, there is no need for stabilizers.

if you look at their line up the capacities change w/ the style of blade... 
2¾'' is no issue...

Freud Tools


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Keith last question first. My glue line blade is a Freud. I had a choice between 1" of cut or 3" of cut and I went with the 3".
> 
> There were a number of old style sawmills here when I first moved here. Most are gone now. I sold several of them logs and I would often help cant logs onto the carriage while they were sawing my wood so I am very familiar with those 48" and 52" blades you are talking about and I've seen them being hammered. Lost art there I think. Maybe it works the same with a 10" blade. I just don't know for sure.
> 
> ...


Thanks Charles.

Last time I bought a "planer blade" it was a Craftsman with just over the 1" thin rim. Get this...no carbide, it was just steel. And it did make really super smooth cuts. That tells you how long ago that was. I think it was in the late '70's.

Modern technology has made huge advancements from those ancient times, so I will be looking forward to getting one of the nice new carbide tipped blades.

As for the jig, I wonder if it couldn't be made with not one, but two wheels against the wood. Perhaps roller bearings such as I picked up the other day from Princess. A whole $2.49 each.

My mind is already going here...spring loaded tension on the bearings?


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> from Freud...
> 
> This blade’s specially designed triple chip tooth design produces extremely smooth, true surfaces for gluing and finish work. There is no need for sanding or jointing after the cut. The ideal working range is from 1/8" to 1" thick. This blade also features laser cut anti-vibration slots, practically eliminating the vibration that resonates in standard blades. With this ultimate ripping blade, there is no need for stabilizers.
> 
> ...


Thanks Stick. I took a peek at their glue line blade, pretty nice. I will check next time I go to town. I kind of doubt anyone will have that particular blade in Kamloops, but they can always order one.

One more for the toy box.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DesertRatTom said:


> I have the Rockler Thin Strip jig. It has incriments marked out that are somewhat handy, but having the roller at the tip makes movement nice and smooth. Works like a champ (if your fence is really parallel). Notice the position is near the front of the blade.


Tom, would it be possible for you to take a picture showing the roller at the tip? 

I'm curious to see how big it is. Thank you.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> You could put a roller on the end but I find if I put so much pressure against the stop that I would need a roller that I've torqued my fence and when I clamp it it will move closer to the blade than I wanted it to. (Unifence being used so I would think it applies to everyone's fence as well) The piece being ripped should just kiss the stop and the fence to the piece as well so the bearing should not be necessary.


So it sounds like the trick is to get even pressure against the fence and the stop, and that should be very low pressure. Almost nothing.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Keith someone asked a question a bit before you joined about planer blades and I had to think back to the last time I heard that term used and it was quite a while ago. I think the term planer blade meant that the teeth were hollow ground. I picked a circular saw blade up at some hardware store I was at in Vernon years ago for a spare and it sat for years before I needed it. When I used it I was amazed at how nice it cut so I took a good look at the teeth and it turned out they were hollow ground. Wish I had bought a bunch of them as they were only probably $6 or $7 each or I wouldn't have bothered. By the way, I bought the glue line blade (Freud) at Fisher's Hardware in Vernon for $105 about 10 years ago.

Like I said, if you actually need the roller on the end you are putting too much pressure against the stop. As soon as the piece clears the jig it will try and move over. One of the things I like about my design with the carriage bolts is that you can very easily make a fine adjustment if needed after you clamp it down. With the 3/8" x 16 thread bolt a 1/4 turn = 1/64", 1/2 turn = 1/32", and a full turn = 1/16". That makes for easy fine tuning. On mine if you flip it around it's metric and a full turn = 1mm. You could spend the $60 (I think it is) for the Rockler jig. I only spent $4 making mine and I think it will work better. Mine was designed for a saw with a T slot miter gauge track. If yours isn't a T track then the design would be slightly different.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Keith someone asked a question a bit before you joined about planer blades and I had to think back to the last time I heard that term used and it was quite a while ago. I think the term planer blade meant that the teeth were hollow ground. I picked a circular saw blade up at some hardware store I was at in Vernon years ago for a spare and it sat for years before I needed it. When I used it I was amazed at how nice it cut so I took a good look at the teeth and it turned out they were hollow ground. Wish I had bought a bunch of them as they were only probably $6 or $7 each or I wouldn't have bothered. By the way, I bought the glue line blade (Freud) at Fisher's Hardware in Vernon for $105 about 10 years ago.
> 
> Like I said, if you actually need the roller on the end you are putting too much pressure against the stop. As soon as the piece clears the jig it will try and move over. One of the things I like about my design with the carriage bolts is that you can very easily make a fine adjustment if needed after you clamp it down. With the 3/8" x 16 thread bolt a 1/4 turn = 1/64", 1/2 turn = 1/32", and a full turn = 1/16". That makes for easy fine tuning. On mine if you flip it around it's metric and a full turn = 1mm. You could spend the $60 (I think it is) for the Rockler jig. I only spent $4 making mine and I think it will work better. Mine was designed for a saw with a T slot miter gauge track. If yours isn't a T track then the design would be slightly different.


There's no arguing with success.

But I would still like to figure one out without having to move the fence for every cut.

Once I get done with the few thousand projects underway here, I will see what I can conjure up.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

If you are cutting around 1/4" it's not too big a deal to cut between the fence and blade. Much smaller and it becomes an issue. There just isn't a practical way to manage the cut off and it can become a projectile.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> If you are cutting around 1/4" it's not too big a deal to cut between the fence and blade. Much smaller and it becomes an issue. There just isn't a practical way to manage the cut off and it can become a projectile.


True with short pieces.

I just cut a couple of hundred pieces a little over 1/8" thick, about 2 1/2" wide and 30"+ long. No problem cutting those by flipping the boards end for end when you are about 2/3 the way through the cut.

Moz posted a video a day or two ago showing extremely short pieces being cut using DS tape. Strikes me it would be slow and cost prohibitive to do that unless you only needed one or two pieces.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

That's what I thought about the tape too, and he said he can only find the tape he likes at Peachtree in Atlanta. Seems needlessly costly and inefficient but it does work so it still is a solution. Just not a very practical one in my opinion. There is also no accurate repeatibility using that method. In a situation like yours where you are making segments that need to fit together it wouldn't give the results you need.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

cocobolo1 said:


> Tom, would it be possible for you to take a picture showing the roller at the tip?
> 
> I'm curious to see how big it is. Thank you.


It is cold out there in the shop this morning, but I recall the roller is about 3/4 inches. Here is a link to a shop made jig that uses a roller. Much fancier than the Rockler, but I still prefer the Rockler: Thin Strip Ripping Jig - by Matt Przybylski @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community Picture of it is attached.

You don't need a lot of pressure. It is the fence that guides the workpiece, the roller just limits the cut.


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Chuck, that's an interesting point about the pinch effect (my term) of the roller, gives me pause on using a skate bearing. I would think you'd get somewhat similar with any stop mechanism, though. Haven't noticed it with my crude magswitch stop.

Do you use the "micro adjust" of the carriage bolt much? That seems like a good idea in general.


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## RÖENTGEEP (Feb 18, 2014)

DesertRatTom said:


> It is cold out there in the shop this morning, but I recall the roller is about 3/4 inches. Here is a link to a shop made jig that uses a roller. Much fancier than the Rockler, but I still prefer the Rockler: Thin Strip Ripping Jig - by Matt Przybylski @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community Picture of it is attached.
> 
> You don't need a lot of pressure. It is the fence that guides the workpiece, the roller just limits the cut.


This was in my previous links and is what I like more :wink:


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> If you are cutting around 1/4" it's not too big a deal to cut between the fence and blade. *Much smaller and it becomes an issue*. There just isn't a practical way to manage the cut off and it can become a projectile.


Charles
The GRRipper with the 1/8" leg overcomes that.
The downward pressure from the Gripper maintains control of the cut off and pushes it through past the blade.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

PhilBa said:


> Chuck, that's an interesting point about the pinch effect (my term) of the roller, gives me pause on using a skate bearing. I would think you'd get somewhat similar with any stop mechanism, though. Haven't noticed it with my crude magswitch stop.
> 
> Do you use the "micro adjust" of the carriage bolt much? That seems like a good idea in general.


I just built it and haven't needed to use it yet. Most of the time I would expect close to be good enough. It would more likely be the repeatability which would be more important which is built into the jig. The bolts are there just in case I need something that accurately sized. I had both bolts in my spare parts and the taps and drills needed to thread the holes so it was a "just in case" idea.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

vchiarelli said:


> Charles
> The GRRipper with the 1/8" leg overcomes that.
> The downward pressure from the Gripper maintains control of the cut off and pushes it through past the blade.


It's probably very rare that you would need to cut something narrower than 1" so the Grripper is probably a good solution too and probably a little more accurate than the jig since the fence is only set once. I just don't have any plans to purchase a Grripper anytime soon.


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## woodie26 (May 31, 2009)

Tom, 
How did you make the piece that fits in the miter slot ?
Thanks


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

woodie26 said:


> Tom,
> How did you make the piece that fits in the miter slot ?
> Thanks


Which Tom? I make runners out of Poplar because that's what I have available. I am usually able to take a 3/4 piece and shave it down on with just a careful pass on the table saw. But then, I'm very fussy about the fence and the blade angle so it works. I start with the straightest piece poplar piece I can find. I often buy a fairly wide sheet because I want to be able to use the very best part for the runners.

The ply jig is not one I made so this description is how I usually make runners. 

I like the shop made jig in the picture pretty well, but as I've said, for this purpose I am happy to pay for a commercial jig. Besides, the Rockler jig is more compact. I'm having to put up some extra shelves to store all the jigs.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

DesertRatTom said:


> I'm having to put up some extra shelves to store all the jigs.


That's why I like to keep my jigs cheap and simple. That way when I'm done with them they get taken apart and reusable parts stored and the rest chucked out. There are only a few that I need to keep around like this one, my TS sled, and a coping sled for my Veritas router table. They take up way to much room for the occasional time you need most of them.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DesertRatTom said:


> I'm having to put up some extra shelves to store all the jigs.


Lucky you. I don't have ANY shelves yet, never mind extra. :surprise:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Keith someone asked a question a bit before you joined about planer blades and I had to think back to the last time I heard that term used and it was quite a while ago. I think the term planer blade meant that the teeth were hollow ground. I picked a circular saw blade up at some hardware store I was at in Vernon years ago for a spare and it sat for years before I needed it. When I used it I was amazed at how nice it cut so I took a good look at the teeth and it turned out they were hollow ground. Wish I had bought a bunch of them as they were only probably $6 or $7 each or I wouldn't have bothered. By the way, I bought the glue line blade (Freud) at Fisher's Hardware in Vernon for $105 about 10 years ago.
> 
> Like I said, if you actually need the roller on the end you are putting too much pressure against the stop. As soon as the piece clears the jig it will try and move over. One of the things I like about my design with the carriage bolts is that you can very easily make a fine adjustment if needed after you clamp it down. With the 3/8" x 16 thread bolt a 1/4 turn = 1/64", 1/2 turn = 1/32", and a full turn = 1/16". That makes for easy fine tuning. On mine if you flip it around it's metric and a full turn = 1mm. You could spend the $60 (I think it is) for the Rockler jig. I only spent $4 making mine and I think it will work better. Mine was designed for a saw with a T slot miter gauge track. If yours isn't a T track then the design would be slightly different.


Charles; I brought the subject up a few months ago re using the HSS hollow ground blade for cutting Aluminum.
The consensus was that it was perfect for that application.
Mine had been sitting in storage for at least a couple of decades.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

@DaninVan
That's probably the one I'm thinking of. 

I thought I would show another way of attaching the jig to a saw. The original way of flat head screws and washers is good for saws with T slots but most saws don't have those, including my Rockwell back up saw. The idea for this came from Stick's comment on using flat head screws and UHMW runners and that tightening the screws might swell the runners. In this case I want them to swell so that the runner locks in the track. 
The idea is simple, cut a 3/8 x 3/4 runner and drill it for the flat head bolts I used already, then countersink the runner for the heads and cut slits in fom each end so that when the bolts are tightened the ends spread and lock the runner into the groove. I tried after and it works easily. I didn't need to tighten the bolts much to lock it in place. 

One picture shows me setting the board up for making the runner. The board is flat grain so I wanted the 3/4" dimension to also be flat to reduce the chance of splitting. Another pic shows the runner drilled, countersunk, and the ends slit. I've always been told to drill holes at the ends to prevent splitting. That's the voice of experience so I listened to it. The last pic is the jig with runner assembled on the jig. There is zero free play. It took me around 20-25 minutes to make it and it cost nothing.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Seems I can only load one pic at a time. This was setting up to make the runner. I'm ripping slightly less than 3/8" thick by 3/4" high.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Pic of drilled runner.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

".....and it cost nothing"

I like that Charles, and your jig too. Works the same as the Kreg, and a whole lot cheaper (not you, the jig):no:


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Pic of drilled runner.


That's EXACTLY what I need to make for that little yellow plastic featherboard I just picked up. Great idea...and thank you!


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

*Drag and drop*

Charles, you should be able to drag and drop several photos at one go. I'm sure there's a limit, but I think it might be about 6 photos. I think I've done 5 in one post.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> Charles; I brought the subject up a few months ago re using the HSS hollow ground blade for cutting Aluminum.
> The consensus was that it was perfect for that application.
> Mine had been sitting in storage for at least a couple of decades.


Dan, any idea how thick the aluminum can be for cutting? I have some 1/2" thick aluminum plate here I will need to be cutting one of these days.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

cocobolo1 said:


> Charles, you should be able to drag and drop several photos at one go. I'm sure there's a limit, but I think it might be about 6 photos. I think I've done 5 in one post.


How do you do that from My Pictures onto this forum Keith? Even then I'm not sure it will work as I have been unable to copy and paste them to here either on my PC. I had to post these with my Iphone. The Manage Attachments function let me pick 3 pics out of my picture files but when it uploaded them only one went through. I can't use my PC any more with my Kodak 315 (old tech) which I used many times in the past. Now it times out without uploading. I can email the pictures to my wife but she has the same problem so I'm at a loss for what to do to get it to work again.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

@Cherryville Chuck

Charles: couple of issues - I see that each of the pictures you posted is over 1MB in size - that might prevent you from uploading more than 1 at a time - wondering if there is a size limit on the forum for each post.
What operating system is on your PC? Or, you can find a free program like Infranview to reduce the size before posting.
Why are you emailing them to your wife - you must have your own email address, I would assume - cut out the middle man - I mean middle woman.
I just tested with 5 pictures - at their original size they wouldn't go up, but as soon as I reduced the size, I was able to put up 5 pictures. I didn't complete the post as I was only testing.

If you open two windows, the one holding your pictures, and the forum, so that you can see both windows on your desktop, you can select your pictures and drag them into the picture area in your reply.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

It's either 7 or 7 Pro. Limit is 10 megs for the upload UI think, or it's 20. Each pic is about 1 so file size for the forum is not the issue, maybe for the phone. I emailed them from my PC to hers to see if there was a problem with corrupted files or something on mine blocking gthem but but she gets them in perfect condition and then has the same problem when trying to upload to forum. 9 out of 10 tries it says Timed out.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

I would reduce the size and then try the upload. A reduced size of about 600(long) by 400 should be sufficient for viewing on the forum. That would reduce the size of the file considerably.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> How do you do that from My Pictures onto this forum Keith? Even then I'm not sure it will work as I have been unable to copy and paste them to here either on my PC. I had to post these with my Iphone. The Manage Attachments function let me pick 3 pics out of my picture files but when it uploaded them only one went through. I can't use my PC any more with my Kodak 315 (old tech) which I used many times in the past. Now it times out without uploading. I can email the pictures to my wife but she has the same problem so I'm at a loss for what to do to get it to work again.


I doubt I can help you much with the technical issue, as I run a Mac. I keep my iPhoto page open as well as the Router forum page, then simply click on to the pic and drag it over to the posting page. That's it.

Seems to me that technology may have outpaced you. 

When I installed the latest O.S. for Mac on my laptop, I lost the iPhoto function...thankfully, I still have it on my desktop. So I have to load all the pics I use from there, and usually use my laptop for posting everything that doesn't need a pic. Mac has something just called photos now, but I haven't learned that one yet. I really like the old iPhoto.

This site automatically resizes pics that you upload, whereas the sister site, DIY Chatroom, does not. I have to resize my pics there before uploading, they have a 100kb limit.

Time for you to get a Mac!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I've spent a fair bit of time on macs at my kids places, both have them. I learned on PCs and I still find the macs a bit awkward. They don't seem quite as intuitive. I'll try reducing the file size but unless something has changed on the forum the old file sizes worked just fine. Every other picture in my uploads were done with it without doing that. That's what is so frustrating.


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

A 'timeout' is due to upload speed, size of item being uploaded, and timeout length specified on the receiving server.

Small file and reasonable/fast upload connection speed then there would be no problem. But combine large file, slow connection and there's a problem. Servers also are a victim of peak use, where many users at once wish to utilise their services, and this also has an impact. On our server, used for file and print sharing, if I copy a file with no other user, there's no issue. If my S/O also copies a file the speed difference is noticeable. This is on a 1 Gb network connection.

I always convert my images to 800x600 jpg. They retain enough detail and are not restrictively small to view.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I've spent a fair bit of time on macs at my kids places, both have them. I learned on PCs and I still find the macs a bit awkward. They don't seem quite as intuitive.


I learned on a Mac, so I guess it's a matter of perspective. I couldn't run a PC on a bet. Get a Mac, you'll love it.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

cocobolo1 said:


> I learned on a Mac, so I guess it's a matter of perspective. I couldn't run a PC on a bet. Get a Mac, you'll love it.


I'm a PC guy, by trade (network admin) ran a large Win network for 15 years, as well as a Netware network. But along with my PC laptop I've also got a Mac. Use the win 10 machine primarily cause I sit in front of the TV while using (mac is in the office)

Transitioning from windows to mac isn't very intuitive, especially for anyone who's never used one. On the other hand, I had a mac-trained tech at work who couldn't get around Windows to save his life. Moving from one to the other isn't easy, especially if someone is technically challenged.

Angie - I wouldn't think it's the forum servers - more likely that the upload speeds at the user's end, file size, are to blame.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Keith; re the hollow ground plate on the planer blade.
I'm over visiting, on Vanc. Is. Using SWMBO Jr's s 
o no access to my saved stuff.
Pat Warner's the goto guy I think, for machining Al on woodworking equip.
Here's a link with some interesting comments...
Cut aluminum on a table saw??


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

vchiarelli said:


> I would reduce the size and then try the upload. A reduced size of about 600(long) by 400 should be sufficient for viewing on the forum. That would reduce the size of the file considerably.


For changing picture size, I suggest you download Irfanview. Its free and very easy to use. Resizing is pretty much automatic, and it will also run most video formats. Been using it for many years, very reliable and simple to use. You can reduce picture size, crop, change sharpness.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I may have to try that Tom. I managed to download 2 pictures from my camera fianally for the magnet thread I started. Both files were only about 750k instead of the 1 meg the others have been. I don`t why their file size was smaller. I checked all the possible editing features I have and I couldn`t find a way to make them that small on purpose. Anyway the smaller file size went through without an issue.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

I have a three horse saw. My second, actually. I didn't have a thin strip ripping jig until about a year ago. In spite of that. I've cut a lot of thin strips, including 1/8" x 1/8" strips from 3/4" stock, or 3/8" rabbits and so on. I still have all my fingers and never had a close call. The reason is, I, from the beginning of my woodworking ventures, starting back around 73, have always used push shoes.

Generally, my push shoes were about fourteen inches long, so they did a good job of holding the wood down at the back of the blade, where it might pinch, then lift and toss the wood. I could not understand how someone could be brave enough to just a simple stick to push a piece past a blade, since, if things went south, they would have no control over the situation (my equipment scares me, but I have a lot of it).

The push shoes I used for cutting 1/8" strips covered the wood and pushed the strips on through. More specifically, if the wood was 7/8" thick, I cut the shoe so the heel was that thick and rode on the table. Since the shoe was from 3/4" ply, I just pushed it through the blade and repeated the cut as many times as was necessary.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I can pretty much echo what you say word for word Kelly. However, this seems like it might be a better idea so I`m going to give it a try for a while and see how I like it. It only cost me $4 for parts so it`s a cheap investment for the experiment.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

I think you'll like the jig. I use mine now and think it's a great addition to the collection of jigs, but still do it my old way too. It depends on how much I need to do and such.

I do think the process gets over complicated. Just as a feather board works fine without a roller or bearing, this does too. That said, I ordered the wrong bearing fro a piece of equipment and the bearings would serve this purpose well.




Cherryville Chuck said:


> I can pretty much echo what you say word for word Kelly. However, this seems like it might be a better idea so I`m going to give it a try for a while and see how I like it. It only cost me $4 for parts so it`s a cheap investment for the experiment.


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

DesertRatTom said:


> For changing picture size, I suggest you download Irfanview. Its free and very easy to use. Resizing is pretty much automatic, and it will also run most video formats. Been using it for many years, very reliable and simple to use. You can reduce picture size, crop, change sharpness.


Tom - I have a couple of Nikon cameras so I typically use Nikon software for editing, but I've also used Infranview for quick reductions.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

DesertRatTom said:


> For changing picture size, I suggest you download Irfanview. Its free and very easy to use. Resizing is pretty much automatic, and it will also run most video formats. Been using it for many years, very reliable and simple to use. You can reduce picture size, crop, change sharpness.


another vote for Irfanview...
IrfanView - Official Homepage - one of the most popular viewers worldwide


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## vindaloo (May 30, 2009)

vchiarelli said:


> Angie - I wouldn't think it's the forum servers - more likely that the upload speeds at the user's end, file size, are to blame.


I never said it was, I just stated all of what was possible. However, even ISP servers slow down occasionally, so it could be possible.


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## woodie26 (May 31, 2009)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Keith someone asked a question a bit before you joined about planer blades and I had to think back to the last time I heard that term used and it was quite a while ago. I think the term planer blade meant that the teeth were hollow ground. I picked a circular saw blade up at some hardware store I was at in Vernon years ago for a spare and it sat for years before I needed it. When I used it I was amazed at how nice it cut so I took a good look at the teeth and it turned out they were hollow ground. Wish I had bought a bunch of them as they were only probably $6 or $7 each or I wouldn't have bothered. By the way, I bought the glue line blade (Freud) at Fisher's Hardware in Vernon for $105 about 10 years ago.
> 
> Like I said, if you actually need the roller on the end you are putting too much pressure against the stop. As soon as the piece clears the jig it will try and move over. One of the things I like about my design with the carriage bolts is that you can very easily make a fine adjustment if needed after you clamp it down. With the 3/8" x 16 thread bolt a 1/4 turn = 1/64", 1/2 turn = 1/32", and a full turn = 1/16". That makes for easy fine tuning. On mine if you flip it around it's metric and a full turn = 1mm. You could spend the $60 (I think it is) for the Rockler jig. I only spent $4 making mine and I think it will work better. Mine was designed for a saw with a T slot miter gauge track. If yours isn't a T track then the design would be slightly different.


Do you have photos of your Jig?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

woodie26 said:


> Do you have photos of your Jig?


The jig pics are on page 1 of this thread. An alternate way of clamping it in the saw's miter groove is a few pages after. You can also click on my uploads just below my user name and that will take you to them. They should all be on the first page or maybe first 2.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Charles, I was in KMS Tools in Kamloops yesterday, great selection of blades. They have a 10" glue line blade on for $59. All sorts of deals on this month.

I guess they know that everyone is out of money after Christmas, so the January sales are terrific.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

That's cheap. I'd better check their online flyer. The Kelowna one is a little closer for me.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

I run my thin strip jig much farther back from the blade, so I don't have to shut the blade off to shift the fence left, or risk hitting it when I move the board and fence after each cut.



DesertRatTom said:


> I have the Rockler Thin Strip jig. It has incriments marked out that are somewhat handy, but having the roller at the tip makes movement nice and smooth. Works like a champ (if your fence is really parallel). Notice the position is near the front of the blade.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

I started with the Rockler jig but switched tot he one from Lee Valley as it has 2 bearings and more heft. I also built a small jig with magnetic hold downs to place a 1 1/2" vacuum hose close to the blade that sucks the cut off pieces off the blade. I believe that design came from this forum.


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