Veneer cutting jig

[John Samuel]

I made up a jig to help cut a series of uniform veneers. Here it is. It is held to the table with T bolts.
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The board is pushed against the ball rollers (which have a piece of soft rubber under them to provide them with some "give") by the fence, then the fence is locked. Next, the board is pushed through steadily. I need not worry about holding the board against the fence ... the ball rollers do that.

Once the first veneer is cut, the board is put against the rollers again, and the fence is moved up to press the board against the rollers once again, and locked. Voila! Another veneer, the same thickness as the previous veneer. Today I reduced a 30 mm thick board to 5 mm (see pic), and did so whilst safely cutting 1 mm veneers.
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This is only a prototype, and I think it might work best with a blade that gives a reasonably smooth cut. Any other bright ideas out there?

Cheerio!

John

[John Samuel]

Today a 55 mm slab was converted into 16 veneers, each 2.3 mm thick. It was a piece of cake with the jig, which I have fallen in love with.

The jig makes veneering easier and safer ... almost impossible to get fingers near teeth.

[I_wanna_Shed]

That looks great John - good idea and work on the jig. Do you have your fence (and jig?) preset at an angle to match the drift of the blade, or have you managed to eliminate the blade drift?

Thanks
Nathan.

[Dengue]

Good one John. :2tsup:

Can you give us some idea of the dimensions please?

I imagine you position it so the furthest ball is right next to the cutting edge of the blade?

Not sure if you will get much additional compression from the matting under each ball, as the balls are screwed to the jig. Is this correct? But I like the concept of spring loading to keep constant pressure on the workpiece

[John Samuel]

That looks great John - good idea and work on the jig. Do you have your fence (and jig?) preset at an angle to match the drift of the blade, or have you managed to eliminate the blade drift?

Thanks
Nathan.
Nathan,

There is a tad of blade drift. I set the fence so fence and blade are aligned (get rid of drift). To set up the jig I lock the fence just touching the blade. Then I have some 30 mm wide veneers, cut on the table saw and sanded to size on the drum sander. They are cut to be the desired veneer thickness plus the saw kerf. These veneers are placed against the ball rollers, and then pressure against the jig presses these veneers against the fence. The jig is clamped into place, the setting veneers are pulled out, and we are set to go. The fence is aligned with the blade, and the jig is aligned with the fence.

So, any future blade, with a different drift, can easily be accommodated.

[John Samuel]

Good one John. :2tsup:

Can you give us some idea of the dimensions please?

I imagine you position it so the furthest ball is right next to the cutting edge of the blade?

Not sure if you will get much additional compression from the matting under each ball, as the balls are screwed to the jig. Is this correct? But I like the concept of spring loading to keep constant pressure on the workpiece
Dengy,

The jig is 200 wide, 220 high (to match the fence) and 300 long. The dimensions were a function of the table size. If the table were bigger, so too would be the jig.

The balls closest to the blade are about 15-20 mm away from the teeth.

The ball rollers came with short, fat screws, which I did not use. I used longer, thinner screws, so they don't actually engage the ball rollers which can slide in and out on the screws. When inserting the screws, I put just a little pressure on the soft rubber. This means the balls can move by about 1 mm as they compress the rubber, which is plenty. Also, the give in the rubber allowed me to adjust the ball rollers in or out so when the rollers were placed on the cast saw table, all rollers were in contact.

When I set a board up to be cut, I press the board against the ball rollers with the fence, to compress the rubber a bit. It is the soft rubber pushing back through the ball rollers which maintains constant pressure on the board, pushing it against the fence. The ball rollers "flex" in and out as they roll over any fine tooth marks left by the blade.

The jig started out as a prototype, but my guess is that it will be in my shop forever. I struggle to describe the ease with which veneers are now cut, one after another, all the same thickness. For now, let's say it is as easy as piddling in bed.

[Evanism]

How do you punch the board through? The last few must be a challenge.

[I_wanna_Shed]

Thanks for the extra info John!

[John Samuel]

How do you punch the board through? The last few must be a challenge.
The fence is melamine coated, and I give it a spray with PTFE occasionally to keep it slippery.

The action of the ball rollers pushing on the fence does increase the resistance a bit, as well the pressure that must be applied to push the board through the saw, but it is not a big deal.

Pushing the board through is simpler than ever before. Because the ball rollers hold the board against the fence, all I need worry about is applying constant pressure to the board as I push it through.

With a board that is less than about 50 mm thick, it is almost impossible to get your fingers near the teeth, because of the narrow gap between the jig and the fence. I switch to a push stick as the tail of the board approaches the jig.

In terms of nice, steady control of the board, nothing is as good as a power feeder, but this jig is as close to that kind of control as damn is to swearing ... and it is $1,300 cheaper.

One of the very nice things about the jig is that you can turn all of the board into veneers. Today I took the last veneer off a board that was only 6-7 mm thick. Usually, a thin board like that wants to warp, but the ball rollers keep the board flat, pressed against the fence. Taking that last veneer off today was no more difficult than cutting the first.

This little jig cost about $50 to make, including two T bolt clamps, six ball rollers and some scrap 14 mm MDF. Build time (apart from time to allow glue to dry) was about an hour. This is the best $50 I have spent in a while.

By the way, I built it the same way I set up the jig for veneering. The base was clamped to the table, the riser was clamped to the fence (which is parallel to the blade) the two were glued and brought together/clamped. Then I cut and fit the bracing pieces, and glued/clamped them into place. Next oversize holes were drilled through which the T bolts pass. Then the ball rollers were fastened to the riser with the soft rubber behind them. Finally, the jig was placed on the table saw table, rollers down. The rollers were adjusted, in or out as necessary, until all the ball rollers were in contact with the saw table.

Cheerio!

John

[Dengue]

he fence is melamine coated, and I give it a spray with PTFE occasionally to keep it slippery.

I am learning something new here every day, John. Never heard of this PTFE spray before - where do you get it? It would be great to put on the 300mm wide melamine sheet I use as a false base for my thicknesser. This sheet extends from the beginning of the infeed table to the outer edge of the outfeed table to minimise snipe and allow me to dress thin material.

Would this PTFE get on the workpiece and affect any future finish like silicone does?

Thanks for posting the dimensions of your marvellous jig and details of how your built it.

Post Note: Found it here (http://www.crcindustries.com.au/dry-glide-with-ptfe)

[John Samuel]

Would this PTFE get on the workpiece and affect any future finish like silicone does?

Dengy,

I use it because it does not create a problem with the wood or the finish.

Being a slackard, I am always looking for an easier way. So, I use the PTFE (from Bunnings' tool shop) on surfaces such as saw tables, fences, jointer/thicknesser beds, and so on instead of waxing or etc. My routine is that when I finish for he day I clean off these surfaces and give them a light spray. The spray protects as well as lubricates. Next time I'm in the shop these surfaces are given a light wipe to remove excess, and work commences with nice slippery surfaces. I reckon wax is more slippery, but because I am lazy, I use the spray. During a longer job with the jointer or thicknesser I sometimes give the beds a light spray half way through.

I also use it on threads for control systems on things like drum sanders and thicknessers. Works for me.

Cheerio!

John

[Godfrey]

Looks like a good jig for cutting consistent veneers. Do you joint the cut side of the board between cuts?


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[Trav]

That's fantastic John. I like it a lot.

I'm surprised, however, that you don't need three column of castors. Doesn't the board shift a bit (even a little bit it too much for thin veneer) when it passes off the first column of castors?

Trav

[John Samuel]

Looks like a good jig for cutting consistent veneers. Do you joint the cut side of the board between cuts?
No. I am using a carbide tipped blade and the cut is so smooth I don't need to joint between veneers.

[John Samuel]

That's fantastic John. I like it a lot.

I'm surprised, however, that you don't need three column of castors. Doesn't the board shift a bit (even a little bit it too much for thin veneer) when it passes off the first column of castors?
Trav

Had the same thought myself, Trav.

Was prepared to put on another column of ball rollers if it was necessary. It is not. The darned thing works like a bought one.

I think it is the "push" of the rubber behind the ball rollers that does the trick. I have been watching the board where it contacts the fence. Even after the board clears the first column of rollers, the board sits flat on the fence. I have pulled off veneers between 0.6 and 0.4 mm without the problem you mention, even with very wide boards.

In fact I have been wondering if a single column of rollers just in front of the blade would do the job. Maybe I have over-engineered the job ... again.

Cheerio!

John

[Godfrey]

No. I am using a carbide tipped blade and the cut is so smooth I don't need to joint between veneers.

Thanks John.


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[Evanism]

In fact I have been wondering if a single column of rollers just in front of the blade would do the job. Maybe I have over-engineered the job ... again.

I'm giving this premise a crack!

I moved the Laguna to its final place today (slow work, I'm a bit knackered at the moment!). Your jig has inspired me to soup up a few puzzle boxes with sexy timbers.

Will report back, if you don't beat me to the punch. :)

[John Samuel]

I'm giving this premise a crack!

I moved the Laguna to its final place today (slow work, I'm a bit knackered at the moment!). Your jig has inspired me to soup up a few puzzle boxes with sexy timbers.

Will report back, if you don't beat me to the punch. :)
I have pulled up a chair ... boiled the billy ... and wait with bated breath.

Not going to rework mine ... it works. But I would be surprised if a single column of rollers did not do a good job, providing they can "push" the board onto the fence a bit.

Cheerio!

John

[rwbuild]

Had the same thought myself, Trav.

Was prepared to put on another column of ball rollers if it was necessary. It is not. The darned thing works like a bought one.

I think it is the "push" of the rubber behind the ball rollers that does the trick. I have been watching the board where it contacts the fence. Even after the board clears the first column of rollers, the board sits flat on the fence. I have pulled off veneers between 0.6 and 0.4 mm without the problem you mention, even with very wide boards.

In fact I have been wondering if a single column of rollers just in front of the blade would do the job. Maybe I have over-engineered the job ... again.

Cheerio!

John

If it ain't broke, don't fix it :2tsup:

[John Samuel]

All these years later, and I am still using that prototype jig, and it still works like a bought one.

Has anyone come up with improvements. Always looking for a better way.

[KahoyKutter]

Thanks for sharing your jig, John. What type of soft rubber did you use between your rollers and the jig. Was it similar to neoprene in softness or harder ?

[John Samuel]

Thanks for sharing your jig, John. What type of soft rubber did you use between your rollers and the jig. Was it similar to neoprene in softness or harder ?

I bought the rubber in a 25 mm wide strip, from Clark Rubber. It is the softest rubber they had apart from the spongy stuff. At the time I thought the spongy stuff might not "rebound" quickly enough, but now reckon it would likely be OK. The soft rubber is key to the success of the jig, because it applies constant pressure which holds the work piece against the fence. As the tooth marks pass over the rollers, they can move a tad to keep constant pressure on the work piece. Magik!

[John Samuel]

Thought I'd update this thread with some notes on re-sawing.

In recent times I've bought a fair bit of timber as 50 mm slabs or boards. Done a fair bit of converting 50 mm boards into two thinner boards on the bandsaw.

First I dress both sides and either one or both edges, depending on the job. Then I set up the fence and the jig to get the blade dead centre in the board/slab. The jig holds the timber against the fence. All I need to do is to lean on the end to push it through the saw.

Re-sawed some 2,400 X 150 X 50 mm boards this week. For this job I was standing 2.4 M away from the blade at the start of the cut. It worked like a charm.

If you find yourself cutting veneers or re-sawing boards, a jig like this is well worth considering. I reckon you need only one row of ball rollers, immediately in front of the blade.

[johknee]

I found a video with a similar jig


https://youtu.be/5ZTULJNLzjQ

[John Samuel]

It is similar, Johnknee, but mine is a lot simpler. They both work.

[labr@]

I bought some of those rollers and put them on a jig a few months ago but did not try it out until today. Had a need to produce some silky oak veneer so gave it a go and it turned out quite well.

The timber was only 100 mm wide and my jig is a bit different but even so I'm impressed with the fact that it cut quite consistent veneers at 0.75mm thickness.

I had a few goes at getting the thickness set and also found that at the end of the cut the timber block tended to twist away from the fence but it was all good once I worked things out.

Might need to make a higher version for cutting wider veneers.

Thanks for starting this thread John, and also for the follow up post that brought it to my attention.

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[John Samuel]

Just saw your post, Bob.

Looks good!

[John Samuel]

Here's my conversion of the standard fence that came with the saw. The standard fence is not tall enough for resawing and cutting veneers. I could buy an OEM item, providing I was willing to sell a kidney or a grandchild to pay for it. Pass ... I'll make it.

I had a kitchen cabinet door that was removed when installing a dishwasher for my son. It is HMR particleboard with melamine veneers.

You will notice the fence has a triangle shaped hollow.

I cut a piece of cedar so it would fit into the hollow fence. Then I drilled three holes through the fence after rebating them. Then these holes were used as a template. The fence was clamped to the piece of particleboard so I could drill through the fence and into the wood. Tee nuts were driven into the holes in the wood, Then the new 225 mm high fence was bolted to the tee nuts in the piece of cedar whilst inside the fence.

Works like a bought one.

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