Inlay stringing/banding milling jig

[mark david]

I am currently working on a simple router jig so I Can mill stringing and banding for inlay work.
I have in the past used my drum sander to make stringing as thin as 3mm or so but the router jig should enable me to mill stringing as small as 1mm square.
I have cobbled together a crude prototype and made some 2mm square stringing successfully.
Will upload some photos when I get round to it.

[Superbunny]

Looking forward to it.:D:D

SB

[mark david]

Hi Here are some photos of the working stringing jig

It is quite unsophisticated but seems to work,it operates in a similar way to a thicknesser.
Basic construction is from two wood offcuts,the first offcut forms the basic fence of the jig and has a taper cut on one end which gives some clearance once the stringing has been fed through the narrowest part of the jig,It provides a wide opening which tapers down towards the cutter.

The second piece of timber has two holes cut with a forstner bit,the smaller of the two is cut right through the timber allowing the router cutter to pass throught it,this hole is slightly larger than the cutter you want to use.the second hole doesn't go right through but intersects the smaller hole,this hole is purely for a small dust extraction hose to stop the jig clogging.
This piece of timber has a crude spring,(a carpet cutting blade with the edge ground down in this case)you can use whatever you have available.The spring forces the stringing on to the back fence and away from the cutter.

There is strip of wood screwed to the outfeed part so that it sits higher than the infeed,the same principal as with a thicknesser.
The outfeed sits at the same level as the edge of the cutter,check with a straightedge and then clamp in place.

Before starting up the router set the thickness you want the starting to be and make sure both pieces of the jig are clamped securely.
You will need to bandsaw your stringing to rough size before passing through the jig,you will need two planed edges as reference surfaces.
When you feed the stringing through you can garb the end an pull through slowly.

[Superbunny]

I get the general idea but would like to see it in action if possible.:D:D

SB

[Arron]

Great idea and thanks for sharing.

I currently use my bandsaw and drum sander to manufacture 6 x 1mm stringing, but there are a lot steps and too many failures involved so I would like a better way.

Could you upload a photo of a piece of (contrasting colour) timber midway through the process - preferably an enlargened shot around the cutter. I'd just like to check some of my assumptions about clearances are correct.

Its sort of like a micro-thicknesser laid on its side.

Thanks again
Arron

[Arron]

Also, for the benefit of someone like me who doesnt use a router much, is there a safety angle here? I always thought the workpiece being passed through a router should always be free on the outside edge, so that it doesnt get pinched between cutter and fence ?

Or is it just that when limited to stringing its all too small to be a genuine threat?

Cheers
Arron