Thread: Material for Finger joint jig

Originally Posted by 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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.