Qstick Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 (edited) I need to find 2 - 18" and 2 - 30" long by 3/4 or 1" straight edges. I was initially picturing aluminum, but I suppose anything non corrosive and not overly soft would work. Any ideas where I might find such a beast??? Also should be able to adhere one side to a pc. of lumber in a semi permanent manner..... Zach Edit to add the adhesion part........ Edited February 20, 2007 by Qstick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Maybe if you explained what the project is we might be able to help. Fairly straight with holes to mount to a piece of wood, you might see if you can find the frame to an aluminum door. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wide45 Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Cut to length... http://www.acehardware.com/sm-ace-aluminum...pi-1285788.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qstick Posted February 20, 2007 Author Share Posted February 20, 2007 I am trying to use them to help make a couple jigs. I just started learning a bit about woodworking and using a router etc...and would like to make a dado jig or 2. I would make the straightedge out of lumber, but I don;t have a way to plane a perfectly straight edge yet.... This is a brand new hobby and I'm trying to not go off the deep end quite yet.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 I am trying to use them to help make a couple jigs. I just started learning a bit about woodworking and using a router etc...and would like to make a dado jig or 2. I would make the straightedge out of lumber, but I don;t have a way to plane a perfectly straight edge yet....This is a brand new hobby and I'm trying to not go off the deep end quite yet.............. Now I see. Consider some aluminium box tubing (square or rectangular) for strength. Some 1-1/4" x 2-1/2" might be the ticket. Straight, rigid and light weight. Can also be easily drilled for mounting to material or your workspace deck. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qstick Posted February 20, 2007 Author Share Posted February 20, 2007 THanks Bill - any ideas where I might find the box tubing? ZH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Al angle from the hardware store is fairly straight. Probably as straight as any piece of wood you might be able to make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 THanks Bill - any ideas where I might find the box tubing?ZH Check your Yellow Pages for metal fabricators and supplies. They usually carry square and rectangular aluminum material in various sizes and metal thicknesses and will on a $$$ per cut basis will cut to length. If there are none listed, possibly check under metal building supplies. HTH Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumpnav Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 Go to the Borg and get a piece of melamine. It is straight, and the slick edge will help with the router. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 you can try these from Woodcraft. http://woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5819 They are a national franchise woodworking store. You can go here to see if they have a store near you: http://www.woodcraft.com/stores/ Then there is Rockler: http://www.rockler.com/index.cfm?cookietest=1 Same thing, they have stores nationwide too. http://www.rockler.com/retail/index.cfm If you're using a router with a circular base to mill dados (grooves across the width or the grain of a board), you need to keep in mind that the router base may not be concentric to the router bit you're using (the base isn't centered on the bit). The thing to do then is just put a mark on the base, anywhere is fine as long as it helps the routing process and doesn't make it more cumbersome, and keep that same marked point against your straightedge at all times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qstick Posted February 20, 2007 Author Share Posted February 20, 2007 THanks for the links - I have ordered a few bits from Rockler and seemed pretty pleased with them so far. What I would like to do is to take the straightedge and glue it to a pc. of plywood. THen, while keeping my router against the straightedge, I would make a pass on the plywood and have the edge represent a place to line up with my marks on the board I'm cutting a dado in for the future. It seems like a decent way to be fairly precise int he future. The straightedge clamp combo might not be the best for this purpose - but I appreciate the thought, Zach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted February 20, 2007 Share Posted February 20, 2007 just use plywood. here's a good set up: http://benchnotes.com/Router%20Dado%20Guid..._dado_guide.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qstick Posted February 20, 2007 Author Share Posted February 20, 2007 I was thinking more along these lines.... http://www.newwoodworker.com/rtrdadojig.html but without a way to plane the guide 100% straight, an alu. block seemed like a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 The catch w/ that jig, Qstick, is that you'll never get more than 45% of the router's base on that jig. As you probably already know, routers are top heavy and very susceptible to tipping, which could really screw up your work. DOH!!! The other thing that I have seen is similar to a draftperson's T-square. The longer vertical part of the jig is what the router rides against, but it's base is fully supported by the material. The shorter horizontal piece butts up against your workpiece. You clamp the T-square in place to keep it from moving. When you first plow a dado w/ it, you keep the router moving until it digs into the horizontal piece of the T. That'll be your witness mark for the next dado. As long as you dedicate a T-square jig for each size router bit you intend to mill dadoes with, you're good to go, WRT to those witness marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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