Bob Marino
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
- Messages
- 3,263
Rey,
Great job. Thanks for posting.
Bob
Great job. Thanks for posting.
Bob
A Festool MFT/TS55 Retrospective
- Thread starter johnsonri
- Start date
Per Swenson said:
Thanks Per,
yep Pittsburgh, home of the Steelers, is where I call home. In fact, if my blood wasn't already 'black and gold' for the Steelers, it would probably be 'black and green' for Festool.
John Langevin said:
I currently have the MFT 1080 and 800 connected with 1 mft connector on the side where they are even. The two tables are also connected by the fence that sits partly on the 1080 and partly on the 800. The fence sits in two holes on both tables. The fence and the 1 connector make for a pretty solid connection. I used to have a clamp on the other side of the 800 that connected to the 1080 at the bottom. But, I found that the clamp turned out not to be necessary.
As for the tap method, part of the reason that I chose melamine for the storyboard was so that it would slide easily under the rail. The workpiece and the storyboard slide with no problem under the rail without picking it up. The amount of travel is pretty small as well.
Don T said:
I can and will do that...stay tuned.
Bob Marino said:
Bob...well, I thank you back, for selling me my first batch of Festools a few years ago and spending time on the phone with me explaining some of the concepts to me and telling me how great all this Festool stuff was going to be
rjfarel said:
I have a few storyboards of different thicknesses. I tend to like the storyboard to be pretty close in thickness to the work piece. This helps to eliminate parallax.
John Langevin
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 246
Eiji Fuller said:
Eiji, I agree with you completely. If all tutorials of this quality and usefulness were grouped together in one place it would probably cut down on the number of repeat questions and serve as the first place to look.
This is something that I've wished for, but hadn't bothered to actually say it out loud. Duh! This would be so very useful to newbies like myself, and from the sound of it, some of the pros around here might get a little something out of them too...
Charles Wilson
Member
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
- Messages
- 145
b_m_hart said:
Ditto.
I am looking forward to the next installment.
Chuck
Many projects call for lap joints, both half and cross laps. The MFT/TS55 setup is capable of creating both joints and can do so very precisely. There are other tools in my shop that are capable of creating these joints, but when called upon, the MFT and TS55 are up to the task and ready to go.
I will show the layout and steps that I employ to create laps. As in previous cutting operations, cutting lap joints involve the use of the storyboard and fence. I also use a small rule to measure the lap. The use of the rule was used only for the purpose of this article to demonstrate where the cut was to me made. In normal operation, I would rely entirely on the measurement from the storyboard.
The first picture here shows the pine board that will be used as the workpiece. I will use the MFT/TS55 to cut half laps on either side of the workpice and a cross lap on the opposite side the piece.
[attachthumb=1]
The next picture shows the workpiece being measured for half laps. The rule indicates that the lap shoulder begin 2 inches from the end of each side. When using the storyboard, it is not necessary to use a rule. I am using it here for the purpose of this demonstration.
[attachthumb=2]
The half laps will be cut using the 'tap-cut, tap-cut' method. The layout of the operation is show below. The workpiece has been butted against the end of the storyboard. There is a space between the fence stop and the other end of the storyboard. The space here represents the distance from the end of the work piece and the shoulder of the half lap.
[attachthumb=3]
The picture below provides a closer look at the distance between the end of the story board and the fence stop. The greater the distance, the greater the lap shoulder is positioned from the end of the workpiece. (** Refer to the note included at the end of this article regarding the distance of the storyboard and the fence stop).
[attachthumb=4]
The incremental cuts have been made using 'tap-cut' on both sides of the workpiece. The workpiece is sitting at the location of the final 'tap-cut' and is just touching the fence stop. Since the storyboard marks the beginning of the cut and the fence stop marks the end of the cut, this becomes a very quick, repeatable and precise procedure. I could complete several laps per minute using this procedure, if necessary.
[attachthumb=5]
The workpiece now has half laps on both ends and has been removed from under the rail. I have placed a 2 inch wide melamine cut-off in close proximity to the workpiece. The melamine cutoff will be used to fill a cross lap in the middle of the workpiece.
As I indicated previously, it is not necessary to use a stand-alone measuring instrument when employing the storyboard. I will not use any measuring device for the cross lap, except for the storyboard. The Incra rule has been promptly returned to its place on the wall.
[attachthumb=6]
In order to accurately place the cross lap, both a starting and ending point need to be set. The starting point of the cross lap is made on the storyboard, and the ending point is made by setting the fence stop.
The next two pictures show the measurement being made for the starting point of the cross lap.
[attachthumb=7]
The fence stop has been set for the width of the lap. For clarity, I moved the melamine cut-off piece closer to the fence stop. During the actual cutting operation, when the storyboard reaches the fence stop, the cross lap has reached its desired width.
[attachthumb=8]
The next two pictures show that the cross lap has been cut, again using the 'tap-cut' method. The first picture shows the cut just after completion, under the rail. The cross lap has been cut to exact specification. The storyboard is resting against the fence stop to indicate that the cut is done. The other picture shows the melamine piece sitting just under the cross lap. The odds are very great that the piece will fit perfectly inside the cross lap.
The final set of pictures show the end result of the entire operation: two half laps at either end of the workpiece and a cross lap on the opposite side.
[attachthumb=9]
[attachthumb=10]
(**Note from earlier: A provision needs to be made to account for the width of the saw blade when setting up the spacing of the end of the storyboard and the fence stop. I use 3/32" to account for the width of the saw blade for certain cutting operations. This simply means that I tap the story three ticks left or right after I have measured).
I will show the layout and steps that I employ to create laps. As in previous cutting operations, cutting lap joints involve the use of the storyboard and fence. I also use a small rule to measure the lap. The use of the rule was used only for the purpose of this article to demonstrate where the cut was to me made. In normal operation, I would rely entirely on the measurement from the storyboard.
The first picture here shows the pine board that will be used as the workpiece. I will use the MFT/TS55 to cut half laps on either side of the workpice and a cross lap on the opposite side the piece.
[attachthumb=1]
The next picture shows the workpiece being measured for half laps. The rule indicates that the lap shoulder begin 2 inches from the end of each side. When using the storyboard, it is not necessary to use a rule. I am using it here for the purpose of this demonstration.
[attachthumb=2]
The half laps will be cut using the 'tap-cut, tap-cut' method. The layout of the operation is show below. The workpiece has been butted against the end of the storyboard. There is a space between the fence stop and the other end of the storyboard. The space here represents the distance from the end of the work piece and the shoulder of the half lap.
[attachthumb=3]
The picture below provides a closer look at the distance between the end of the story board and the fence stop. The greater the distance, the greater the lap shoulder is positioned from the end of the workpiece. (** Refer to the note included at the end of this article regarding the distance of the storyboard and the fence stop).
[attachthumb=4]
The incremental cuts have been made using 'tap-cut' on both sides of the workpiece. The workpiece is sitting at the location of the final 'tap-cut' and is just touching the fence stop. Since the storyboard marks the beginning of the cut and the fence stop marks the end of the cut, this becomes a very quick, repeatable and precise procedure. I could complete several laps per minute using this procedure, if necessary.
[attachthumb=5]
The workpiece now has half laps on both ends and has been removed from under the rail. I have placed a 2 inch wide melamine cut-off in close proximity to the workpiece. The melamine cutoff will be used to fill a cross lap in the middle of the workpiece.
As I indicated previously, it is not necessary to use a stand-alone measuring instrument when employing the storyboard. I will not use any measuring device for the cross lap, except for the storyboard. The Incra rule has been promptly returned to its place on the wall.
[attachthumb=6]
In order to accurately place the cross lap, both a starting and ending point need to be set. The starting point of the cross lap is made on the storyboard, and the ending point is made by setting the fence stop.
The next two pictures show the measurement being made for the starting point of the cross lap.
[attachthumb=7]
The fence stop has been set for the width of the lap. For clarity, I moved the melamine cut-off piece closer to the fence stop. During the actual cutting operation, when the storyboard reaches the fence stop, the cross lap has reached its desired width.
[attachthumb=8]
The next two pictures show that the cross lap has been cut, again using the 'tap-cut' method. The first picture shows the cut just after completion, under the rail. The cross lap has been cut to exact specification. The storyboard is resting against the fence stop to indicate that the cut is done. The other picture shows the melamine piece sitting just under the cross lap. The odds are very great that the piece will fit perfectly inside the cross lap.
The final set of pictures show the end result of the entire operation: two half laps at either end of the workpiece and a cross lap on the opposite side.
[attachthumb=9]
[attachthumb=10]
(**Note from earlier: A provision needs to be made to account for the width of the saw blade when setting up the spacing of the end of the storyboard and the fence stop. I use 3/32" to account for the width of the saw blade for certain cutting operations. This simply means that I tap the story three ticks left or right after I have measured).
Earlier in this retrospective look at the MFT/TS55 setup, I demonstrated my technique for creating grooves. Well, sometimes when I make grooves, I need corresponding tongues. What follows will serve as my examination of the tongue.
Creating tongues with the MFT/TS55 is really quite simple. The process is very similiar to the operation used for creating groove and cove cuts. The following pictures shows the components used to make tongues on a small melamine board. The components show here are the basic components used. As I get closer to making the actual cut, I will introduce a few optional components that I sometimes use.
[attachthumb=1]
The first step for getting a good tongue here is the layout of the storyboard. The storyboard is laid against the fence, under the rail. The storyboard is then measured out from the back of the rail. The distance measured out here determines the length of the tongue (** see note below).
[attachthumb=2]
[attachthumb=3]
The next picture shows the storyboard and the workpiece layed out after the measurement has been made. I included this picture to show the fence on the off-cut side of the rail. It is pretty important to have the workpiece stabilized when dealing with cuts on small pieces. While I have never seen a piece go flying when not using the off-cut side fence, I could certainly envision it happening.
The off-cut side fence is not the only method to stabilize the small workpiece here, but it is the method that I prefer. Using the clamp and fence, I basically have a sliding fence that can be used to clamp any size workpiece up to the size of the MFT itself. In the picture, I have the clamp and fence attached to the middle table. There is not a need for multiple MFTs to accomodate the fence. It will work fine with one-table setups.
[attachthumb=4]
Step two in this operation, involves the fence stop. The pictures below show where the stop was lock into place when the measurement was taken for the tongue in step one. Notice the distance between the stop and the end of the storyboard. This distance is the length of the tongue. During the actual cutting operation, when the storyboard reaches the fence stop, the tongue has reached its desired length.
[attachthumb=5]
The next two pictures show the optional components that I mentioned earlier. The optional components are an extra fence and a clamping element. These components make it easier to slide the storyboard while maintaining zero wiggle. With this setup, the angle clamp fits inside the side of the fence, instead the side of the storyboard. The storyboard's side groove is not used if the extra fence is used.
The clamping element is used to ensure that the fence and storyboard stay aligned exactly as needed. I do not usually use the clamping element for these operations, but I wanted to demonstrate their usefulness here. Using the storyboard without the extra clamping element has never caused an issue for me. But, if I am working with a more expensive or meaningful piece, I will use the clamping element just as a precaution, and my sanity.
[attachthumb=6]
The next layout shows everything measured out and ready for the entry of the TS55. I left the optional components on since they were already there.
[attachthumb=7]
The TS55 make an appearance in the next set of shots. These pictures show the front view of the TS55 sitting on the rail, ready to create the tongues. Notice that the plunge depth of the saw is currently set at around 15mm. The saw's plunge depth determines the thickness of the tongue. As the depth of the plunge is increased, the thickness of the tongue is decreased.
[attachthumb=8]
After the saw's plunge depth is set, the only thing left to do is complete the cutting operation. The cutting operation to create the tongue consists of the cut-tap, cut-tap method. As can be seen in the picture, my handy rubber mallet makes another appearance.
[attachthumb=9]
The final set of pictures here examine the end results of the operation. The bottom picture is actually the first picture taken. In the bottom picture, the tongue appears a little thicker than the top two pictures. The bottom picture is the tongue that I got with the saw's plunge depth set at 15mm. I added a mm or two to the saw's plunge depth and ended up with the tongues shown in the top two pictures.
[attachthumb=10]
That wraps up my technique for making tongues using the MFT/TS55 setup. The entire set-up, layout and cut process takes less than 5 minutes. If I have multiple tongues of the same length and width to make, I can knock out several per minute with this setup.
Again, this technique is not intended to compete with the capabilities of other methods or tools to make tongues. It is merely a technique that I have in my arsenal and a capability of the MFT/TS55 setup.
** Note from earlier: To be completely accurate here, the distance measured here is exactly 3/32" longer than the measurement indicated on the tape as the width of the saw blade kerf has to be added to this operation. The actual procedure then is, make the intended measurement, then shorten by 3/32". Still easy as pie.
Creating tongues with the MFT/TS55 is really quite simple. The process is very similiar to the operation used for creating groove and cove cuts. The following pictures shows the components used to make tongues on a small melamine board. The components show here are the basic components used. As I get closer to making the actual cut, I will introduce a few optional components that I sometimes use.
[attachthumb=1]
The first step for getting a good tongue here is the layout of the storyboard. The storyboard is laid against the fence, under the rail. The storyboard is then measured out from the back of the rail. The distance measured out here determines the length of the tongue (** see note below).
[attachthumb=2]
[attachthumb=3]
The next picture shows the storyboard and the workpiece layed out after the measurement has been made. I included this picture to show the fence on the off-cut side of the rail. It is pretty important to have the workpiece stabilized when dealing with cuts on small pieces. While I have never seen a piece go flying when not using the off-cut side fence, I could certainly envision it happening.
The off-cut side fence is not the only method to stabilize the small workpiece here, but it is the method that I prefer. Using the clamp and fence, I basically have a sliding fence that can be used to clamp any size workpiece up to the size of the MFT itself. In the picture, I have the clamp and fence attached to the middle table. There is not a need for multiple MFTs to accomodate the fence. It will work fine with one-table setups.
[attachthumb=4]
Step two in this operation, involves the fence stop. The pictures below show where the stop was lock into place when the measurement was taken for the tongue in step one. Notice the distance between the stop and the end of the storyboard. This distance is the length of the tongue. During the actual cutting operation, when the storyboard reaches the fence stop, the tongue has reached its desired length.
[attachthumb=5]
The next two pictures show the optional components that I mentioned earlier. The optional components are an extra fence and a clamping element. These components make it easier to slide the storyboard while maintaining zero wiggle. With this setup, the angle clamp fits inside the side of the fence, instead the side of the storyboard. The storyboard's side groove is not used if the extra fence is used.
The clamping element is used to ensure that the fence and storyboard stay aligned exactly as needed. I do not usually use the clamping element for these operations, but I wanted to demonstrate their usefulness here. Using the storyboard without the extra clamping element has never caused an issue for me. But, if I am working with a more expensive or meaningful piece, I will use the clamping element just as a precaution, and my sanity.
[attachthumb=6]
The next layout shows everything measured out and ready for the entry of the TS55. I left the optional components on since they were already there.
[attachthumb=7]
The TS55 make an appearance in the next set of shots. These pictures show the front view of the TS55 sitting on the rail, ready to create the tongues. Notice that the plunge depth of the saw is currently set at around 15mm. The saw's plunge depth determines the thickness of the tongue. As the depth of the plunge is increased, the thickness of the tongue is decreased.
[attachthumb=8]
After the saw's plunge depth is set, the only thing left to do is complete the cutting operation. The cutting operation to create the tongue consists of the cut-tap, cut-tap method. As can be seen in the picture, my handy rubber mallet makes another appearance.
[attachthumb=9]
The final set of pictures here examine the end results of the operation. The bottom picture is actually the first picture taken. In the bottom picture, the tongue appears a little thicker than the top two pictures. The bottom picture is the tongue that I got with the saw's plunge depth set at 15mm. I added a mm or two to the saw's plunge depth and ended up with the tongues shown in the top two pictures.
[attachthumb=10]
That wraps up my technique for making tongues using the MFT/TS55 setup. The entire set-up, layout and cut process takes less than 5 minutes. If I have multiple tongues of the same length and width to make, I can knock out several per minute with this setup.
Again, this technique is not intended to compete with the capabilities of other methods or tools to make tongues. It is merely a technique that I have in my arsenal and a capability of the MFT/TS55 setup.
** Note from earlier: To be completely accurate here, the distance measured here is exactly 3/32" longer than the measurement indicated on the tape as the width of the saw blade kerf has to be added to this operation. The actual procedure then is, make the intended measurement, then shorten by 3/32". Still easy as pie.
In an effort to make the articles of this post more readable for some, I have added hyperlinks to the 'contents' section of the very first post. You may notice that some of the articles are intermixed with replies. For example, there are replies between the Coves article and the Lap joints article.
Hopefully, this will make the whole thing more readable, while preserving the insightful comments and replies.
Hopefully, this will make the whole thing more readable, while preserving the insightful comments and replies.
Rey Johnson said:
John Stevens
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2007
- Messages
- 815
Rey Johnson said:
Hi, Rey. Just stopped by, and there isn't much I can add in the way of praise that hasn't already been said. I'm truly in your debt, because cove cuts are one of the only things I keep my table saw for anymore. This may be the end of the road for the TS.
FWIW, here's a suggestion that could be used for measurement in this and similar operations in which one piece has to fit inside another. Take a scrap piece from the same "male" that's going to be fit inside the "female" piece. Make a cut width-wise through that scrap piece. Take the pieces you just cut and press them together again along the kerf line. After the cut its width = original width minus saw kerf--just the dimension you want for setting the stop flag on the "rubber" side of the guide rail. Add a playing card or a few pieces of paper to the piece of scrap to give a little "breathing room." Hope this is clear without pics.
Regards,
John
John Stevens said:
Or, John, just glue the two pieces back together maybe? The glue line would add a small amount back. Probably less than a playing card but you now would have a one-piece gage block that would be easier to handle. If you don't want to wait for the glue you could use a cyanoacrylite gel like FastCap.
Gene Howerton
Member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2007
- Messages
- 138
Rey, I really enjoyed the article but could you tell me where you purchased the measuring tape for the story board? I can't seem to find one that reads both right and left with a zero point. Thanks
Gene
Gene
Gene Howerton said:
Thanks Gene. Those measuring tapes are from woodpecks. Here is a link to the product. I went ahead and bought several of them since they are so convenient and reasonbly priced.
http://www.woodpeck.com/lexanscales.html
BC6738F5BCE98B4
Member
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2007
- Messages
- 61
Let me join others in expressing their appreciation for your retrospective note. I have downloaded the .pdf version and will shortly have a color copy made at my local UPS or Kinko store (It is much cheaper than for me to buy a good color printer). I have three silly questions.
1. In your note you say that: "My storyboard is merely a piece of melamine with a routed groove along the side to accommodate a
Festool angle stop clamp. " (page 4 of the .pdf) . A web search for "Festool angle stop clamp" pulls up several items several of which I find it unlikely that you meant. This question is related to question two,
2. In your note you say that "The rounded groove of this bit fits the lip of the Festool angle stop clamp perfectly. You will see why that is beneficial in a moment. " (page 4 of the .pdf). Regardless of how much I have tried to boost the resolution of the picture, I can not tell for sure what sort of bit you used. Since you have said that it is important to have this grove shaped to fit the Festool angle stop clamp properly fitting, I would like to do it exactly correct. Do you have a manufacturer name and part number so that I can see whether I already have the bit or need an excuse to go to the store and get another one.
3. For those of us with failing eyesight and/or who can not consistently correct for parrallax) would you give some thought to how we might incorporate some other way of measuring the cut .
It has gotten to the point that I increasingly rely on the digital readout of my caliper instead of a standard linear measure. Frequently this requires extending the end piece of the caliper to the desired measure and locking it in place. I then adjust the wood to but against this part of the caliper.
One of the reasons I like your idea of a story board is that I think it will be possible to devise a way to fix the storyboard in the correct position and then not have to measure the piece of material to be cut.
1. In your note you say that: "My storyboard is merely a piece of melamine with a routed groove along the side to accommodate a
Festool angle stop clamp. " (page 4 of the .pdf) . A web search for "Festool angle stop clamp" pulls up several items several of which I find it unlikely that you meant. This question is related to question two,
2. In your note you say that "The rounded groove of this bit fits the lip of the Festool angle stop clamp perfectly. You will see why that is beneficial in a moment. " (page 4 of the .pdf). Regardless of how much I have tried to boost the resolution of the picture, I can not tell for sure what sort of bit you used. Since you have said that it is important to have this grove shaped to fit the Festool angle stop clamp properly fitting, I would like to do it exactly correct. Do you have a manufacturer name and part number so that I can see whether I already have the bit or need an excuse to go to the store and get another one.
3. For those of us with failing eyesight and/or who can not consistently correct for parrallax) would you give some thought to how we might incorporate some other way of measuring the cut .
It has gotten to the point that I increasingly rely on the digital readout of my caliper instead of a standard linear measure. Frequently this requires extending the end piece of the caliper to the desired measure and locking it in place. I then adjust the wood to but against this part of the caliper.
One of the reasons I like your idea of a story board is that I think it will be possible to devise a way to fix the storyboard in the correct position and then not have to measure the piece of material to be cut.
BC6738F5BCE98B4 said:
Hi there BC6738.....
Thanks for your comments about that MFT retrospective. The MFT is my favorite tool of all time!! If I had to get rid of all of my tools, the MFT would be the last thing to go.
As for your questions, here goes:
1. In your note you say that: "My storyboard is merely a piece of melamine with a routed groove along the side to accommodate a Festool angle stop clamp. " (page 4 of the .pdf) . A web search for "Festool angle stop clamp" pulls up several items several of which I find it unlikely that you meant.
The pic below shows the Festool accessory. It is made up of parts 21 through 28
[attachthumb=2]
2. Regardless of how much I have tried to boost the resolution of the picture, I can not tell for sure what sort of bit you used.
The pic here has the bit that I used. It is the round nose bit. The groove routed out is for the lip of part 23 in the previous pic. You can also use a small diameter straight bit (1/4 diameter, with either 1/2 or 1/4" inch shank). You'd just want the groove to be wide enough to accept the lip of part 23.
[attachthumb=1]
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/bt_core.html
part 6441 or 6442
3. For those of us with failing eyesight and/or who can not consistently correct for parrallax) would you give some thought to how we might incorporate some other way of measuring the cut ... I think it will be possible to devise a way to fix the storyboard in the correct position and then not have to measure the piece of material to be cut.
Actually, I have been thinking about this for a little while. I am contemplating two possible solutions here currently. The first way would be to modify and attach a digital caliper or a digital height guide to the story board. With that, sliding the storyboard would register the caliper with the correct, precise distance from the cut line.
The second approach would be to attach a micro-adjuster to the story board. The micro-adjust would then be used to dial in the precise distance from the cut line.
A 12" caliper would be a better fit than a 6" caliper here. The story board could be set with stops/detents at each foot mark. The attached caliper could then register the exact distance beyond the stop. So, if you needed a 13" cut, your story board would sit at the first stop (which is at 12 inch) and the caliper would then be adjusted to 1" to get you 13" from the cut line.
I don't know if the answer to the 3rd question makes complete sense, without a pic to show what I am referring to. I will put up a pic if/when I prototype something. I believe that a few others in the forum have gone down a similiar path with micro-adjusting.
As for not having to actually measure and mark the piece to be cut, that is definitely possible here. You should get precise, repeatable cuts without marking the piece.
Regards
Rey
Dave Ronyak
Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
- Messages
- 2,234
Rey and BC6738...,
If you have enough space to the side of your storyboard setup, you could attach your storyboard to an indexing machine such as those sold by Incra and JoinTech. Here's a photo of the JoinTech machine which I have.
JoinTech Indexing Machine
Actually I have the full setup with fence on my table saw/router tables. It includes the components shown above as well as front and back rails for the saw and a bridging mechanism that slides on those rails.
Both the JoinTech and Incra indexing machines have precision lead screw adjusters within which are capable of 0.001" or 0.002" increments and complete repeatability. In fact, if one of these index machines is used, you no longer need to create an indexed story board as described by Rey. Instead, the zeroing and indexing functions could be accomplished entirely by those same capabilities that are built into those indexing machines when a scale provided by the manufacturer of the indexing machine is inserted into one the slots provided for scales in the indexing machine. Also, with this variation of Rey's setup, other templates/scales provided with these indexing machines for making dovetails and box joints could be used with the TS 55 or a router on the Guide Rail to make a series of precisely spaced dados or flutes on a workpiece. A wide assortment of such templates/scales are provided with either the Incra or JoinTech indexing machines.
Dave R.
If you have enough space to the side of your storyboard setup, you could attach your storyboard to an indexing machine such as those sold by Incra and JoinTech. Here's a photo of the JoinTech machine which I have.
JoinTech Indexing Machine
Actually I have the full setup with fence on my table saw/router tables. It includes the components shown above as well as front and back rails for the saw and a bridging mechanism that slides on those rails.
Both the JoinTech and Incra indexing machines have precision lead screw adjusters within which are capable of 0.001" or 0.002" increments and complete repeatability. In fact, if one of these index machines is used, you no longer need to create an indexed story board as described by Rey. Instead, the zeroing and indexing functions could be accomplished entirely by those same capabilities that are built into those indexing machines when a scale provided by the manufacturer of the indexing machine is inserted into one the slots provided for scales in the indexing machine. Also, with this variation of Rey's setup, other templates/scales provided with these indexing machines for making dovetails and box joints could be used with the TS 55 or a router on the Guide Rail to make a series of precisely spaced dados or flutes on a workpiece. A wide assortment of such templates/scales are provided with either the Incra or JoinTech indexing machines.
Dave R.
