Popular Woodworking 2002-02 № 126, страница 24
Ingenious Jigs Clamp Assist Simple solutions to three perplexing assembly problems. Most woodworkers operate under the theory that you can't have too many clamps and stock them by the dozens, even the hundreds. I'm one of those, I admit. My clamp inventory takes up a whole corner of my shop — when my shop is straightened up, that is. On most days, my clamp collection is spread out over the entire shop so I can enjoy it properly. For all my clamps, however, I frequently run across assembly tasks that I can't do properly with store-bought clamping equipment alone. For these tasks, I've developed several simple "clamp assists" that extend the capabilities of ordinary clamps to help accomplish extraordinary clamping jobs. Holding Assembled Parts Square When assembling projects, you frequently need to hold the parts square to one another. Miter clamps have their place, but they aren't as versatile or as easy to use as corner squares. These simple jigs are triangular pieces of plywood with cleats along the edges at right angles to one another. You clamp the cleats to the parts you are assembling and the corner squares hold them at 90°. To make the corner squares, first cut right triangles from 3/4"-inch plywood. Note that I put a little notch in the right corner. When you glue the parts together, sometimes a little glue squeezes out of the joint. The notch prevents the glue from sticking the jig to the assembly. Attach cleats to the right sides, then trim the cleats on a table saw to make sure the outside edges are precisely 90° from one another. When using the corner squares, clamp the cleats to the parts of the assembly.You can make fine adjustments by loosening a clamp until it's just snug and tapping the clamped part with a mallet until it shifts a fraction of an inch.At right, I'm trimming the corner square on the saw. 3/4" 3/4" Corner Square These jigs are useful for dozens of shop chores. They also will hold temporary assemblies together while you test the fit of the parts. They hold boards together while you drill holes for fasteners, or hold the parts of J I jS 22 Popular Woodworking February 2002 |
