joining kitchen work tops

[lindon]

can anyone help me out by telling me how i can join a work tops together using a router and a jig.

[journeyman Mick]

Lindon,
on the commercially made tops that I have used there are a couple of biscuits used for alignment and then small turnbuckle bolts to draw the two halves together. Usually the tops are supplied with all the holes and slots already made. It would be a fairly simple matter to make a jig for your router to cut the "dog bone" shaped cutout the turnbuckles require. If you have tops joining at an angle and they have a cuved front edge of any description it gets a bit harder though. More details on the type of tops, materials and profile etc would be helpful.

Mick

[Sprog]

can anyone help me out by telling me how i can join a work tops together using a router and a jig.

You can download the manuals for the Trend Combi Jigs which give detailed instructions on using the jigs.
Most of the jigs are very similar so you should not have too many problems if using a different brand of jig.

Any of the files starting with "com" will have the instructions.

Trend Combi Jig Manuals (http://www.trendmachinery.co.uk/libfiles/librarymain.asp?path=library/Instruction_Manuals)

Also see their Inprofile 3 magazine for more info
Inprofile Magazine 3 (http://www.trendmachinery.co.uk/library/InProfile_Magazine/inprofile3.pdf)

Trend Combi 651 Jig

[silentC]

Commercial jobs with rolled edges are usually done with a template that cuts flat up to about 2" from the rolled edge and then does a 45 deg. turn for the last bit. You use both sides of the same template to cut both sides of the join then they slot together. You could easily make one, or I'm sure you can buy them - it's just a piece of phenolic about 5mm thick. You need a template guide to suit.

Looks like this, only longer: