Shop Made Rip Jig for TS55

[Patrick Cox]

I am going to make a jig for ripping narrow stock with my TS55 and I have a question.  I am typically working with 3 different materials...

1. 3/4" Plywood
2. 1x material (which I believe is slightly thicker than 3/4" once dimensioned.)
3. 1/2" plywood

I would say I will mainly use this jig for ripping 1x material but I am sure the need will arise for cutting narrow strips of plywood as well.

My plan is to glue a "fence" strip to the top of a roughly 4 foot board and then place the non cut edge of my rail against that fence and then cut the base of the jig down to the width of the rail.  I can then add spacers between the rail and the fence with the board to be cut placed underneath the rail and butted up next to the base of the jig and I can then rip pieces down to the desired size (same size as the spacer.) 

My initial thought was I would use the thickest material I would mainly cut and use that to build the jig.  So I bought a piece of pine at home depot that I thought looked straight but it turned out to be twisted.  So I think I will need to start over. 

So my question is, if I build the jig using plywood, would that work ok for cutting boards that are slightly thicker than plywood like 1x material?  If not, I guess I will need to spend a bit more money on dimensioned lumber as I don't have a jointer/planer.  Below is a sketch of what I am planning.  Please let me know if this does not make sense!  Thanks!

 

[ear3]

The difference between plywood and dimensioned l1x is typically between 1/32 and 1/16.  The problem I foresee is that when you rip 1x material, the rail would be raised ever so slightly and give you a cut that is slightly off 90.  I haven't tried it this way, so maybe the difference will be negligible.

In case you weren't aware of it, most of the parallel guide sets on the market come with a narrow rip option for making repetitive narrow cuts, though typically you have to use an extra board of the same thickness to support the piece.

What I have used in the past for making repetitive rip cuts in the field are the edge stops that go with the LR32 system, which you can buy separately:
http://festoolusa.com/power-tool-accessories/routers/hole-drilling-system/edge-stop-485758

(Just saw that these are $72 each!, so probably not worth it).

 

[TheSergeant]

I was planning on making something really similar for myself.  My thought was the make the fence portion of the jig adjustable as well as the height.  I was thinking of setting in t-track into each end of the jig (going perpendicular to the long face) so that the fence can move in or out  depending on the width desired.  I'm planning on using the Incra track that the Seneca parallel guides use so it has built in measurement scale that zeroed out with a different track (to account for the slinterguard hangover).  Then you just loosen some knurled nuts and slide each end of the fence to the width you want to cut. 

As for height, I was thinking of adding some additional re-enforcement on each of the long ends of the track and then basically having pieces that are the full width of the track that bolt onto those re-enforcement blocks so you can adjust the height.  If the material is 3/4" you'd just leave it flush.  If it's higher you extended the  piece down to raise the jig.  If you're cutting less than 3/4" you use a 1/2" or 1/4" spacer to raise the material being cut and then adjust the height to match the material+spacer piece height.

Hope that makes sense.  Maybe I should just make the thing though.  Tough to find the motivation since I have a table saw but I think it would be a quick project to tackle.  I'll post photos if I do

 

[Holmz]

If you are not using a table saw. Then how accurate does the cut need to be?
You could free hand it and leave it wide, and then use a router.

 

[Patrick Cox]

If you are not using a table saw. Then how accurate does the cut need to be?
You could free hand it and leave it wide, and then use a router.

I am not using a Table saw because I don't own one. I could buy a portable table saw but for now I want to see how I can get by without one. But I do want the same accuracy I could get with a table saw. Thx

 

[Holmz]

Have you considered something like the "Parallel Guide - 491469"?
How exactly you use it, I am not sure of ...

But one could cut the parts fat and plane them or sand them to size.

 

[ear3]

I would say build one out of plywood and then one 3/4 for store bought dimensional. If you get stuff planed from the lumberyard, you could just improvise and use scraps for support with a rigged stop that you can  remove afterwards.  Or trust in a good, repeatable measuring tool like the incra flex ruler.

 

[Corwin]

I am going to make a jig for ripping narrow stock with my TS55 and I have a question.  I am typically working with 3 different materials...

1. 3/4" Plywood
2. 1x material (which I believe is slightly thicker than 3/4" once dimensioned.)
3. 1/2" plywood

I would say I will mainly use this jig for ripping 1x material but I am sure the need will arise for cutting narrow strips of plywood as well.

My plan is to glue a "fence" strip to the top of a roughly 4 foot board and then place the non cut edge of my rail against that fence and then cut the base of the jig down to the width of the rail.  I can then add spacers between the rail and the fence with the board to be cut placed underneath the rail and butted up next to the base of the jig and I can then rip pieces down to the desired size (same size as the spacer.) 

My initial thought was I would use the thickest material I would mainly cut and use that to build the jig.  So I bought a piece of pine at home depot that I thought looked straight but it turned out to be twisted.  So I think I will need to start over. 

So my question is, if I build the jig using plywood, would that work ok for cutting boards that are slightly thicker than plywood like 1x material?  If not, I guess I will need to spend a bit more money on dimensioned lumber as I don't have a jointer/planer.  Below is a sketch of what I am planning.  Please let me know if this does not make sense!  Thanks!

Your plan will work just fine for the same thickness material you build the base from. And you can achieve great results. But, I do share your concern with material of a different thickness.

You may like to check out what I've posted in my A Different Parallel Guide and MFT Zero-Clearance Fence & Fenced Sled threads and my Narrow Strip Jig animation:

On Edit: Turn Closed Caption ON

 

[Patrick Cox]

Your plan will work just fine for the same thickness material you build the base from. And you can achieve great results. But, I do share your concern with material of a different thickness.

You may like to check out what I've posted in my A Different Parallel Guide and MFT Zero-Clearance Fence & Fenced Sled threads and my Narrow Strip Jig animation:

Very nice!  I will give this a try.  Thanks!