Woodsmith Table Saw Tenoning Jig

[barrysumpter]

Tritoneers and Jig Riggers,

While the kind gentlemen (all my heros) who run this bulletinboard are reviewing my suggestion to start a new forum for plans, I thought it best to start a new thread on how I'm sorting out the ins-n-outs of building this jig.

Firstly, thanks to Barry White whose initial posting drew my attention to Woodsmith. His willingness to share information, answering what to me seemed like and endless berage of interested quiestions, and his inginuity in modifying the jig to the Triton is what convinced me to persue this design.

Barry White's initial thread:
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6156

After searhcing the internet for almost a month and reviewing many, many plans and making the judgement as to either router based to table saw based jigs, I've convinced myself that the table saw based jig would be more confortable for me. As I'd rather push the workpiece using a fixed jig than to attempt to push a router by hand. Again, that just's me.

[barrysumpter]

As I've already started this project from Woodsmith plans I'll continue.

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My 9 year old daughter has been monopolising my woodshop
time by asking me to help her build a few projects with her.

She calls. I drop everything (safely of course).

This being the first time she was interested in me helping her help herself to learn the various hand and motorized electrical tools.

She seems to be able to name them faster than I can remember their names.

We've made a baby rocker from the disigned in the book WoodWorking for Kids. ISBN 0-8069-0430-5 .

And a mockup of a mobile phone she designed herself.
(I know I'll be working for her soon. ;) )

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Aquiring the plans for the Table Saw Tenoning Jig was a bit of a challenge.

The offer on Woodsmith plans were for a kit. As in plans and hardware from America. Not interested in paying heaps of freight charges (with exchange rate about $70AU all up) for hardware I can get here for a fraction of the charge.

Time Life refused to sell me just one book. So I attempted to ring WoodSmith. The number posted on their web site had been disconnected. Had me thinking negative thoughts.

Used www.yellowpages.com since I had the area code it was easy. Contacted their headquarters and they transfered me to the Managing Sales Director.

She was very polite (American customer service of course) informing me that the plans were NOT downloadable. The plans from ShopNotes #6 from years and years ago. And that the kit would contain ShopNotes #6 as the plans along with the hardware.

She understood the expense of shipping to Australia. And agreed to scan the pages in and send them to me via Email. Stateing clearly that "we don't like doing this" but would make an acception.

And only charged me a small amount ( to little to note here ).

I received the scans in only a few hours in my email.

Absolutely brilliant service.

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We're still corresponding about the quality of the scan, her scanner, and other copyright questions I had sent her.

For me, the scan was just blurry enough to give me a headache after only a few paragraphs. So I retyped the wording in MSWord.
Regretably, some of the photos are just blurry enough to obscure a number of measurements I couldn't either logically deduce from rest of the plans and instructions or from the parts listings. Luckily, I can , so far, deduce that a 1/2" here or there wouldn't matter to one or two particular steps in the over all project.

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I was a bit confused at first as whether to use imperial ( american plan ) or metric ( Triton Table Saw ).

In the interim I wanted to see how much plywood the project required.

I used CutList Plus: http://www.bridgewooddesign.com/

And found that I could get away with only 19 x 600 x 600 Plywood for this project.

Although I don't mind paying a few extra dollars to get a 100 count of screws when I only need 10, I didn't want to spend $80AU for 1800 x900 sheet of ply or $130AU for 2400 x 1200 when I could cut the pieces from offcuts laying around the shop.
(Special thanks and acknowledgement to Robo for selling me these plywood sheets quite a few years ago. I'm still usin' 'em mate! ;) )

Not only did CutList Plus help with the cutting layout, it allows me to switch between metric and imperial easily. So I simply printed the partslist and layout in both standards.

I just have to make quadrupily sure that I've transposed the numbers from the plan to the cutlist parts list correctly.

Using unit notations correctly ( " and mm ).

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[barrysumpter]

Whew!

Finally have time to add to this thread!

Just wanted to thank all those who assisted in scanning the plans for me. And those who volunteered their help.

Its very much appreciated.

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Continuing my correspondence with WoodSmith publishers I did get their permission to get another set of the same plans copied from whereever I coud find them. Since I had paid for them already.

They also sent me a copyright post which they send out to interested parties about their rights to their publishings and our rights to build the project and sell them.

With no restrictions other than NOT using their copyright names or images to sell our work (and specificlly not to sell their plans).

As long as its for personnal use we can copy / scan their plans.

We can build and sell as we please. ( again not using their copy righted names or advertising materials (images) )


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I'd like to make the point that you should always always start with a decent plan. I spent so much time trying to workout the blurred text and measurements that it took the fun out of the project. 3/8 5/8 7/8 were the culprits.

Although I seem to have this passion for sticking with a problem no matter how hard or impossible it might seem.

Masocistic I guess.

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As Barry White mentioned some of the materials in the US are different here.

Specifically the availablity of coach bolts, coupling bolts, plastic wing nuts, and springs.

Since I already had the Triton 1/4" wing nuts (now superceeded) I needed all coachbolts to be 1/4".

The coach bolts threads were only 1/3 to 1/4 of the bolt itself.
So I purchased a range of them (very cheap really) 6" to 4" in 1/2" increments.

Coupling bolts were sourced from a bolt specialist.

Springs were sourced from Bunnings with a bit of trial and error.
As the springs thickness when compressed restricted the size of the work piece in the jig.

I had started with thicker springs and had to replace them with thinner (not shorter, thinner) ones to get my 19mm decking to fit.
And later cofirmed that my 1/4" ply would fit as well. (For lap jointing in other projects)

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Finishing up I hand sanded everthing.

Some more than others to take the sharp edges off and to make for easier sliding.

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All parts fit snuggly. And there is no play in the jig.

I'll test its accuracy soon as the lady has asked for more fly screens.

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