Plastic Knobs for Jigs

[Glen Bridger]

Hi All,

For all those who like building jigs and fixtures, Dana Ridge in Brisbane have a large range and sizes of plastic knobs and hand wheels .

Have a look at there Web site www.dana-ridge.com.au
Phone 1800 806 316.
They are reasonable priced, the only problem is they sell most of them in Packs only. Eg 32 mm knob with M6 thread $74.50 (inc GST) for a pack of 25.

Cheers,

Glen.

[Bob Willson]

I have NOT found them to be reasonably priced Glen. I ordered from Rockler in the USA and got everything MUCH cheaper. Also, you can buy individual knobs.

[Rocker]

I buy the plastic knobs for my jigs from Bunnings. They sell ones with bolt extensions, see picture below, for about $4. I just use wing nuts instead of knobs to turn threaded rods for micro-adjustment.

Rocker

[Glen Bridger]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for that. I'll see if I can find their Web Site, if not I'll ask if you can Post it. How long do they usually take to delivery?

Thanks Rocker, I'll have a look in Bunnings. I did manage to buy a couple of knobs similar to those a few years ago in a cheapo shop, but haven't seen them again.

Glen.

[silentC]

Glen,

Lee Valley sells a good range of knobs etc. as well:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=41876&category=1,43455,43832&abspage=1&ccurrency=3&SID=

Not sure how the prices comapre to Rockler.

[Sturdee]

They are reasonable priced,


When we enquired from them earlier this year we were quoted approx $ 10 each (plus postage) for the knobs we wanted.

Not reasonable enough in my opinion. So I built my own as per http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=7812


Peter.

[MajorPanic]

If you are after specialist knobs or handles try http://www.dana-ridge.com.au

at West End, Brisbane.

[Bob Willson]

Ahem. Read the first post again Major. :)

[MajorPanic]

Ahem. Read the first post again Major. :)
Thanks Bob for reminding me how blind I am & how much of a short-term memory problem I have. :o

[Ian007]

I had a bit af a broblem a while back trying to get these tri knobs for jigs etc I just didnt want to pay the stupid prices people where asking for them so knowing that i can always find them in bulk much cheaper i started to look around and i must say it did take some looking but alas i did find them.
I ended up paying what i think is a fair price for them but i had to buy them in bulk as you do.

when i get some more batteries for the digital camera i will post some pics for ya.

Cheers Ian :)

[Rocker]

These knobs should be, but currently are not, stocked by Timbecon, Carbatec, etc. Maybe members who regularly visit their shops could suggest them to the management for those who are Bunnings-deprived. Bunnings in Morayfield stock them, so I imagine any other Bunnings that does not have them in stock should be able to order them in. Freight costs from the US and Canada make it expensive to order them from there, unless you are ordering something like a plane as well.

Rocker

[Bob Willson]

Glen,

Lee Valley sells a good range of knobs etc. as well:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=41876&category=1,43455,43832&abspage=1&ccurrency=3&SID=

Not sure how the prices comapre to Rockler.
Just followed this link silentC and that proves my point. The most expensive knobs here are still less than about 1/3 the price of Oz equivalents. So even allowing for postage and exchange rates you are still saving heaps

[Gwhat]

I have taken the plunge and done a bulk deal on a range of jig making supplies, knobs, tracks, stops etc.

I hope they will be here in about 10 days at which time I will post again.

Currently knobs look like being <$2, and 1200mm lengths T Track <$20.

Regards

Gwhat

[outback]

I tend to da as Rocker suggests. I purchase a bigger something, plane etc. from Lee VAlley, then pad out the box a bit with a couple of knobs or other small stuff I have trouble finding locally. This includes nearly everything from knobs to handles and decent hinges etc.

With this I can then reason to myself that the freight on the extras is negligble, and don't none of yous tell me different! :D

[bob w]

Will sail track from a marine supplier do the same job as the more specialised 'T' track?
If so I am on a winner as I have been quoted $6.00/mtr compared to the $20.00 for 1200mm as stated earlier in this thread by Gwhat.
Regards
Bob :D :D

[Glen Bridger]

Hi Bob,

Yep it will do, Capral sell it P/N 810957 EE4204 6106 T6 4.0m Mill Finish MARINE SAILTRACK 22 9. $11.52 per length.

Glen.

[Sopy]

I've used sail track and works well. Rolly Tasker has stock here in Perth.

For the bolts I use Knock Down System bolts threaded all the way to the head with a 6mm nut screwed all the way up. As for the knobs I have not worked that out yet making do with wing nuts.

Regards from perth

[Gwhat]

I agree that 'sail-track' may do for some applications, however........

The real advantage of T Track is that it has a whole range of accessories, slides, stops (flip) knobs, nuts etc. that make sure that any jig or table you make:-

Is safe to use.
Is accurate and stable
Looks the part


The track and accessories I'll have wont be as cheap as some alternatives but they will add a new dimension to the jigs and tables we can make.

Regards

Gwhat

[Bob Willson]

Sail track is also:

1) safe to use

2) accurate and stable

3) will take those same accessories that the 'T' track will take

4) looks great

5) is available locally

6) costs roughly less than 1/10th the price of 'T' track imported from overseas

7) you can go out and get it NOW

[stephenmeddings]

Last year I got some prices from Triton for their knobs.

The RTA424's cost $6.47 each and the RTA403 are $6.34 for the set.

In the end made some timber ones that do the job, but I await Gwhat's arrivial of jig supplies with interest.

Stephen

[Barry_White]

Well like Sturdee I used the Capral marine sail track and used the Sturdee Knobs.

I made my knobs out of a bit of Meranti and was quite surprised how much pressure you can apply with them and for any one that is a tighta**e or on a pension they should be ideal and you dont have to wait for them to come.

[Ian007]

As promised some pics of some of the ones i have been able to get


Cheers Ian :)

[stephenmeddings]

As promised some pics of some of the ones i have been able to get

In your first post you didn't say where you got them

[Ian007]

Sadly its from a wholesale only place and i had to open a trade account to get them. i also had to get them in large lots. they did tell me that they only sell by the outer packs of 100 for knobs and packs of 1000 for t nuts etc

I am willing to sell them to you guys if you pay for the postage on top of the cost of the parts. It would probably only be worth it if you got more than a couple because the postage would blow the price out. About $1.00 per knob for the bigger ones
send me a PM if ya want more info.

Cheers Ian :)

sitting here thinking of opening a mail order parts store for woodies. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :D :eek: :eek: maybe not :)

[Geoff Sims]

For general info, I've bought a range of TriKnobs , inserts and t-nuts from Ian007 in the last week, and even taking into account the postage, the savings are considerable. And it's good gear too.

I'm really happy with the stuff he sent me and I will definitely be seeking more.

Many thanks Ian

Cheers
Geoff

[bitingmidge]

Somewhere in the dim dark past, I had the idea of casting some myself.

I have searched in vain for info on re-melting plastic, (which makes me think it isn't for the home gadgeteer), but still don't think doing them in resin is all that hard....

Anyone had any casting experiences?

P

[Turbulance]

Ok - first of all I would like to let you all know how hard it was for me not to make a huge number of jokes based on how many knobs there are in this particular thread! :p

Now for the real stuff - I needed some knobs today - and after reading this post I went to Bunnies to see if I could find some - no success. So not to be defeated I decided that I could make the knobs in wood – I found them very easy to construct.

I have attached some pictures to show the knobs, and their construction.

The knobs work very well - better than plastic, and much nicer on the hands.

Once I had the first knob made, the second knob took me less the 15 minutes to make.

If anyone is interested I will post a new thread in the Plans section later, but the photos tell the most of the story. Just let me know if you want more details on how I made these. I have listed the parts I used below.

The shape I came up with looks a bit chunky, and could be changed very simply if it not to your liking, but finished with a couple of coats of boiled linseed oil, the wooden knobs are good to look at, and easy to grip, and turn.

The knobs could be made of any material, but I chose pine because I had some scrap that was just the right size.

Each knob is made from:

• 1 x 2” long ¼” bolt, with 1 x ¼” washer baized to the bolt head

• 1 x piece of Pine for the handle, with a hole drilled just deep enough to take the head of the bolt

• 1 x piece of 6 mm MDF to make the back of the knob, and to lock the bolt in place, drilled with a shallow hole that will just take the washer, and a ¼” hole all the way through for the shaft of the bolt

• 3 x chip board screws to hold the MDF to the Pine

• 1 x ¼” washer, placed between the back of the knob and the item to be that is to be locked down

I also used also used a ¼” Tee Nut, drilled, and hammered into the other side of the jig, to screw the knob into. I estimate that the total cost per knob is approximately $1.00. (If you have all the tools to make it that is, another good reason to give to SWMBO so that you can get that 14" bandsaw!) :D

[Rocker]

Turbulance,

It seems to me that your knob design doesn't provide a positive means of locking the bolt to the wood. Presumably yours works because the pine grips the hexagonal bolt head to some extent; but, if much force were applied, the wood would not effectively grip the bolt. However, if you used a carriage bolt instead and replaced the 6 mm MDF with 3 mm aluminium with a square hole to grip the square part of the carriage bolt, the knob's head would be effectively locked to the bolt. This would be more time-consuming and expensive to make, admittedly.

I don't see why you could not get Bunnings to special order the knobs, since at least some of their branches stock them. I will post the exact name for the knobs in the next day or two. Bunnings at Morayfield stock them with bolt diameters of 5/16" and 3/8".

Rocker

[bitingmidge]

Turbulance,

Thanks! I had thought about using my new found turning skills also... in that thought I was going to use threaded rod, tapped and epoxied into the timber, which would overcome Rocker's concern.

That's how I travelled the circle: I then thought, " since I have the epoxy out....."
:D :D :D

Cheers,

P

[Turbulance]

Turbulance,

It seems to me that your knob design doesn't provide a positive means of locking the bolt to the wood. Presumably yours works because the pine grips the hexagonal bolt head to some extent; but, if much force were applied, the wood would not effectively grip the bolt. However, if you used a carriage bolt instead and replaced the 6 mm MDF with 3 mm aluminium with a square hole to grip the square part of the carriage bolt, the knob's head would be effectively locked to the bolt. This would be more time-consuming and expensive to make, admittedly.

Rocker

Rocker - how much force do you need to apply in your jigs? :eek:

These knobs are very strong! As you turn them the MDF compresses against the washer trapped inside it, thus increasing the friction.

Also the total force depends on how many muscles you have in your arm, the maximum diameter of the knob, thus the size of the lever, and the total force you can apply to the bolt and washer - believe me when I say that I have tightened these knobs -and they DON'T slip, fracture, or break!

If you make the holes in the wood tight to the bolt, both in diameter, and in depth, you are applying quite a bit of friction to the welded bolt head, and washer. Then add an ever increasing compression force, applied to the trapped parts, as you tighten the knob to the work piece. I would say that wood is every bit as strong as plastic - possibly more so if the plastic is hollow moulded.

You could also use a larger diameter piece of steel, braised with silver solder, or welded to the bolt head, and have the MDF screws pass right trough it to increase the strength of the knob, but I truly think this is over kill, unless you are requiring a huge amount of force. I doubt the plastic knobs I have seen in this thread would stand up to such a force any better.

Also, you don't have to use MDF, or pine. Why not make them out of scapes of Jarrah? That was what I was going to do at first, but thought the Pine would be suitable, and much easier to work. The choice shapes, and materials are endless really.

[Rocker]

The knobs sold by Bunnings are called "50 mm nylon tri-wheel, bolt protrusion 5/16" Whit. x 7/8" ". They are manufactured by Cornall Home Hardware, 134 Barnfield Rd, West Heidelberg, Vic 3081. Their bar-code number is 9311655445162. The same company makes the T-nuts that Bunnings sell.

Rocker

[Rocker]

If you want make a quick and dirty improvised knob, here is one that will take you all of 30 seconds to produce. On the bandsaw, cut a 40 mm length of Capral sail track. Slip a 1/4" x 1 1/2" carriage bolt into the slot. Add a 5/16" washer to cover the projecting square part of the bolt. Add a 1/4" split washer and a nut; tighten the nut and add a 1/4" washer, and voila, a knob with bolt extension, costing about 50 cents. If you are really cheap, a nut tightened against a wing-nut on a piece of threaded rod works pretty well too, especially for larger-diameter, say 3/8", threaded rod.

Rocker

[Geoff Sims]

Turbulence

It seems to me that you are going to a lot of trouble to make wooden knobs at a cost of about $1 each when that is what I paid Ian007 for the real deal.

Cheers
Geoff

[Turbulance]

Turbulence

It seems to me that you are going to a lot of trouble to make wooden knobs at a cost of about $1 each when that is what I paid Ian007 for the real deal.

Cheers
Geoff

Ah - maybe if I could find such knobs for a $1.00 then I might consider them - but then again I have the pleasure of knowing I made most of my jig - and the knobs were fun to make. :-)

Since making two more of them I have found them much nicer on the hands that the old plastic knobs - and they really are strong. I have taken away the washer from behind the knobs that I was using on my home made feathers, as I find the increased surface area of the back of the knob contributes to the friction on the longer feathers, helping hold them down nice and ridgid.

The $1.00 was a rather fat estimate - their real cost is 1 bolt, and washer about 30 cents, and three chip board screws - I had the wood in scraps. If I was making these in bulk, I would be able to reduce that price even further.

So they are cheaper than the plastic ones, stronger, more customisable, fun to make, better to hold, and IMHO better to look at.

I will stick to my knobs thank you! :D

[Glen Bridger]

Hi Paul,

I do agree, they seem to be very time consuming to make for something relatively cheap. But hey, if you have the time, what the heck (I wish I did). They do look the part, and I'm guessing that they would realistically cost next to nothing to make, just time.

I ended up ordering some plastic knobs from Rockler in the USA. They worked out about $2.30 ea. I tried to make some timber ones out of some scraps of jarrah, but it proved to brittle and they broke. I will have another go later with pine or marranti, but at the moment I just don't have the time to try again, too many other jobs on the go.

Anyway, well done.

Glen. :)

[Turbulance]

Hi Paul,
I do agree, they seem to be very time consuming to make for something relatively cheap.
)

If you have all the bits, it takes about 10 minutes to make one, not sure how long it takes you to buy your knobs, but I bet it would be a little slower than 10 minutes, including delivery time...

Still I am biased, and I still have the bestknobs in town... ;)

[Gwhat]

Hi all.

The long awaited shipment has arrived, T Track, Knobs (with stud) and internal thread, slider nuts, Scale Track, and a swag of stops, toggle clamps etc. I'm trying to catalogue it all and have something up soon. In the meantime if anyone's interested they can PM me and I'll give indicative pricing.

Regards

Gwhat

[numbat]

Gwhat,

1. Where did you order your shipment from?

2. what prices did the components work out at?

3. what quantity did you buy (to constitute a bulk purchase)?

4. how long did it take to arrive?

Cheers

Wombat

[Gwhat]

Gwhat,

1. Where did you order your shipment from?

2. what prices did the components work out at?

3. what quantity did you buy (to constitute a bulk purchase)?

4. how long did it take to arrive?

This has been about 3 months in the making and supplies come from several manufacturers, the overall investment has been about $5k to date, as a keen woodworker I hope to make this something to keep me occupied in retirement (if I can ever find time).

I'm hoping to finalise a price list over the weekend. Watch this space.

Regards

Gwhat

[Glen Bridger]

Hi Turbulance,

Your absolutely right about the time to deliver. My order will take about 8 weeks. By the time they get here I'll probably have enough time to have another go making some.....once I finish my internal wardrobes, paving, dog run, shed, gardens.....the list goes on!

Glen.

[numbat]

I ordered about 10 each of the knobs, nuts etc in all sizes from Ian007. I got them within 2 days and they are great. Excellent quality and good pricing compared to what you would pay elsewhere.

Just commenting on a good experience and products.

Cheers

[outback]

I also got a few knobs from Ian, sent 'em to me straight away, quality is good.

Price is really good compared to the alternatives.

[Ian007]

Hi Guys,

I went to the wholesaler today and got several different kinds of tri knobs from them.

will take pics of them all and post as soon as i can.

Cheers Ian. :)

[ernknot]

Are you guys all "knobologists"?
Good information, thanks.
ernknot

[Ian007]

"knobologists"?
ernknot

I hope this has nothing to do with pillow biting :eek:
and only refers to the use of knobs in woodworking.
i am not saying that only knobs do woodworking :eek:

I will shut up now B4 i put my foot any further down my throat

:D Ian :D

[mat]

GWhat

How are going with that catalogue??

[Gwhat]

Thae interim catalogue will be ready early next week. In the meantime PM me for any specific queries.

Regards

Gwhat

[Gwhat]

I've just put the price list together, at this stage it can only be E-mailed or snail mailed.

E-mail [email protected] and I'll attach a copy and return.

Regards

Gwhat

[murray]

Just received my order from Woodpeckers in Melbourne, order placed ,despatched and delivered in a matter of days and a phone call from them saying when it will be despatched and a expected delivery date which was spot on .Great service and I wish them all the very best for the future
Murray

[Gwhat]

Hi all

THe price list is now operational with an interim price list available to download visit
www.woodpeckers.com.au

Regards

The Woodpecker

[boban]

Ian

Do you still have any of the knobs left?

[Ian007]

Ian

Do you still have any of the knobs left?


Yep lots :eek:

[Ian007]

I infact have some different sorts pics will show what I have.

[boban]

Ok then I will take the following:

6 of 5 star female knobs

6 of 3 star female knobs (large)

4 of 2 handled male knobs
4 of 3 star male knobs (large)

Tell me how much to send you for them and postage.

thank you Ian

[numbat]

Mitch,

The knobs for Ian are very good - I have bought quite a few and could have shown you the other night - if I could only remember which pile of stuff it is in stashed all round the house.

Cheers