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Assembly devices made for the "One man" shop


Brad Vickery

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Bailing wire was once was considered the best known method responsible for the making the American west. Today that has changed by the advent of Duct tape, Super glue, Velcro, as wood crafters Hi tech screws & biscuts. But below I have a helper to act as a second pair of hands for the guy that works by himself in a wood shop, that makes boxes into anything.

 

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These supports are similar to those my Grandfather had. The dimensions for each bracket are 3" wide 7" long and 7" tall and made from 1/2 Baltic Birch ply wood as my preferred material for shop jigs & fixtures, for the most part.

 

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A base accepts two supports, and is the same width and twice the length (1/2" x3" x 14"). You can go longer but for storage sake I saw no reason because you have so much adjustment. You can leave a tail if you want to clamp the fixture to you work table. My work tables are replaceable so I screw a lot of my fixtures directly to the table. When I get real anal retentive I use a spoil board to attach the fixtures. The base has 4 holes in it. Two of which hold in my case 1/4" " Tee nuts which the first bore in sequence is a counter bore so the t nut will be more than flush with the bottom. In this scenario the counter bore is 3/4' diameter and 3/32" deep centered 2" in from the end. A second pair of "T" nuts can be added down the line but I never found that necessary. The "T" nut holes center treadled shaft required a 5/16" bore to be bored in the center of the "t" nut counter bore. I used a fence and a stop for the counter bore in the same setting for both. I then placed the stop in 1" with the 5/16 bit to bore holes on each end to hang the finished fixtures for storage. Because I am the way that I am a slight counter sink bit cleaned the holes with a slight chamfer. The photo below shows the bases top & bottom.

 

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On the supports box joints were used in the 90 degree corner and a 1/4" dado runs parallel the length 1/4" deep and 1/2" in from the edges to accept 1/4" birch plywood corner bracing to maintain a 90 degree angle. A single 1/4 slot is created centered and about 1†from each end it is stopped. This is done on half the support arms to facilitate the adjustment knob & bolt for adjusting the supports in & out. It is a easy task on a router table with stop blocks. A ¼ hole was bored in the path prior as a starter hole. Once the material is finish milled a dry fit is to routing is made. Make double sure in the dry fit process all your joinery is consistent and accurate.

 

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The assembly would be matching the two support pieces aligning the dados. Glue is put in the corner joint and the dado. Place the 1/4 ply angle supports in the bottom dados inset about 1/8 from the edge where the corner comes together. Now draw the two support pieces to form the 90 degree angle with the upright of the corner to enter in its dado mate. Remember I said the lower one is only about 1/8 of an inch from the end of the support? That wont allow the support arm pieces to seat into their corner purposely. This is so when you clamp the corner into fit the plywood is firmly and completely seated in that dado. Working in your glue up time, make sure all is aligned and you have solid seated joints. Check the 90 degree angle with a square and make adjustments as needed. This is not the time find your milling is sloppy so make double sure in the dry fit process all your joinery is consistent and accurate. Once I find the support arm is square and all is in place I toe nail a pin front & back, top & bottom of both the angle bracket where it meets the dado penetrating the bracket and the support arm.

 

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After assembling the support arms turn your attention to installing the two nuts into the counter bored holes. This production used ¼ x 2 carriage bolts, washers & ¼ threaded mini knobs. The bolts are threaded through the top of the mini knob completely, and a washer is placed over the other end of the bolt and the bolt is inserted through the slot and threaded deep enough to sufficiently garb but not protrude beyond the base bottom side. Now you can use your preference of corner clamps to handle the task at hand.

 

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My final thing would storage of these awkward devices. Remember the other holes that I chamfered with a countersink bit, on the ends of the base? They hang like ducks in a row.

 

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By Brad Vickery copyright.

 

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