Material for Finger joint jig

[Dust Maker]

I have borrowed a 1/2" comb from a friend of mine and want to use it to make a finger joint jig . What material should I use to make a copy of it. My initial thoughts are 1/2" MDF.

Thanks in advance

Dustmaker

[Woodlee]

I have borrowed a 1/2" comb from a friend of mine and want to use it to make a finger joint jig . What material should I use to make a copy of it. My initial thoughts are 1/2" MDF.

Thanks in advance

Dustmaker
I assume its similar to a dovetail jig comb which I've seen made from aluminium..
You could make it from 3mm aluminium ,which you can rout with a cheap straight tc cutter and a slow speed on your router , you can use a bit of kero as a coolant/lubricant for the cutter if you need it .
Or get it punched out by a sheet metal shop ,just get them to punch the holes and then cut the slots through your self with a hack saw and clean up with a file.
Just a couple of ideas.

[Wood Butcher]

At one of the schools I've been at they make the guides out of 8mm perspex using the original one as a template. This is because since inevitably the students are going to chew up the combs with the routers, the teachers can easily make replacements.

I wouldn't make it out of MDF as it would be to easily damaged I think.

[spokeshave]

I'm with Wood Butcher, i think MDF would get damaged too easily.

I replaced the pressed aluminium comb on my dovetail jig with one i made from a high density plastic i bought from a local plastic and rubber retailer. I couldn't tell you the specifics of what type of plastic it is but it is less brittle than perspex and doesn't scratch all that much either. I used the original as a template to cut the grooves in the right places. It came out ok.

Maybe you could find something similar in your area. The piece i got was approx 900mm by 600mm and cost about $20.

Good Luck.

[bpj1968]

What you could do is photcopy the original and then stick it to your material with spray adhesive to save marking it out if you were to drill and cut

[ciscokid]

I made one out of a piece of recycled oak. The piece of timber had been a horse fence board for years and when it came down to make way for a gate I just ran it through the planer. Come to think of it, part of it also became a taper jig too. Nice and hard, it will last a little while.