81 - Ultimate Sharpening Station, страница 44
Pattern Cutting Have you ever faced the task of making multiple copies of an odd-shaped workpiece and not had any idea how to get the job done? So you stand staring at a pile of wood and hope that a sudden inspiration will provide the solution. Well it could be that the answer you're looking for is the table saw trick of pattern cutting. This technique allows you to duplicate straight-edged work- pieces on the table saw accurately and quickly. The large dividers and shelves of a corner cupboard, as shown in the photo above, are a good example. But any hard-to-cut workpiece with straight sides is fair game for pattern cutting. The Secret The thought of pattern cutting on the table saw might sound a bit odd. But just think of it as template routing on the table saw. If you take a look at the drawing at left, you'll get the idea. You start by clamping a simple pattern-cutting fence to the rip fence of your table saw. The horizontal arm of the fence is aligned directly above the blade of the saw to act as a "rub" guide. A pattern attached to the workpiece follows the edge of the guide arm to "steer" the workpiece past the blade. The result is a flush cut that creates a perfect copy of the pattern. The advantage to this technique is that all you need is a master pattern and one simple setup. The Fence. The first item on the pattern-cutting "checklist" is the guide fence. If you take a close look at the photo above and the drawing at left, you'll be able to put one together pretty easily. So I'll just give you a few pointers. It's a good idea to make the fence about the same length as your rip fence. I like the long, steady guide surface this gives me. And when I'm pattern cutting, it's usually on 3/4M-thick stock. So the guide arm is attached to the upright about about %" from the bottom. The cutoffs from the workpieces will fall harmlessly between the upright and the saw blade. Usually these will only be narrow strips. But even so, you need plenty of ▲ Flush with the Blade. A square can take some of the guesswork out of adjusting the fence. 44 ShopNotes No. 81 |
