Using up the scraps

**homey** · 19th September 2022, 02:43 PM

Hi Dallas,

For the type of boxes in my original post i.e. where the lid sits between the two end walls and the front and back walls are butt, dowel or mortice jointed I make the lids and back walls the same length so I can use the same stops.

I drill the hinge holes before gluing up the box - this also allowed me to put the hinge chamfer on the outside of the back wall which would have been more complex after assembly.

To save resetting anything at the drill I set the bench drill at the correct height to drill the back walls then, for the holes in the top I put a spacer block under the top to bring it to exactly the same height as the back had been when it was drilled. This meant no raising and lowering of the drill press table and the depth stop on the drill press did not need to be reset.

So one set of stop settings and one drill press depth setting.

Once the box is assembled the lid might need to be trimmed at either end to get the desired fit. I do this on my 12” sander or on a shooting board. It’s only a tiny amount either end and it allows me to be certain the lid will fit with exactly the clearance I want.

i hope that makes sense, Dallas. If I’ve misunderstood the question plase let me know.

AAARGH!!! Re-reading your post I think I’ve answered the wrong question

If the question is about getting the stop setting exactly the same on both sides my approach is to have a thin piece of timber, place one end where the left stop is to go then drill a small hole. If you then flip the piece so the stop end is facing to the right and then position it so the drill bit (I use a 2mm bit) fits into the hole, you automatically have the correct spacing for the right stop.

Did I get it this time?

Best regards,

Brian

**Treecycle** · 19th September 2022, 04:58 PM

You certainly did get it right the second time. That's exactly the type of setup instructions I was after as the holes will have to be same distance from the ends. I assume your setting piece still has to be exactly the same length as the box/lid or have I misinterpreted something?
Even though the first answer was on a slightly different path, I can certainly take some good ideas from that as well.
Thankyou very much for your time and wisdom.

**homey** · 20th September 2022, 10:38 AM

Hi Dallas,

I don’t worry too much about the setting piece being the length of the box as long as it’s more than half the length so it can be flipped.

My piece is 8mm deep ( front to back) and has the 2mm drilled hole at the centre mark i.e. 4mm. This means that when the setting piece is in place it also gives me the correct 4mm distance for the fence. Then when I drill the hinge holes the centre of the hole is 4mm from the fence putting the outside edge of the hole 1.5mm from the edge.

Finally a 45 degree chamfer cut to just a fraction past the centre point of the hole and it’s done.

I love any little jigs and setup pieces that cut my error rate and allow me to make boxes without having to measure stuff

Best regards,

Brian

**Treecycle** · 20th September 2022, 06:25 PM

Hi Brian,

I must be thick as a brick but I can't quite get my head around your setup when you say that the setting piece only has to be a bit more than half the length of the box. Below are a couple of photos I took of a mock set up I did today. With my set up I find that I need to have the setting piece almost as long as the box to make it work. I have set the stops either side of the drill bit using the set up piece as shown in the first photo. The second photo shows how a box back or lid would sit to drill the holes equal distance in from the ends
Can you set me straight on where I'm going wrong please.

Barrel hinge drill setup_1.jpg Barrel hinge drill setup_2.jpg

Thanks

**homey** · 21st September 2022, 12:14 AM

Hi Dallas,

Apologies- I think it is my explanation that's the problem

I've been dashing around a bit these past couple of days - I should have stopped and drawn a diagram.

Here's a diagram of the layout of left and right stops using the same setup piece. However, I'm only setting up one stop at a time, drilling the two holes, removing that stop, flipping the setup piece to the other side, setting that stop then drilling those two holes.

Yes you could set both stops at once but they'd need to be a very long way apart. This way it's a simple setup and rotating/flipping the setup piece around the drill axis ensures the stops are equal distance both sides.

F3652ADB-4E1E-4131-B266-9FD2FC36E07D.jpg

Best regards,

Brian

**Treecycle** · 21st September 2022, 10:24 AM

Thankyou very much Brian. Sorry to be hassling you when you've got a lot on but now I see it. I didn't realise that you were only doing one stop at a time. Doing it your way means you only need one setting piece for multiple boxes if you keep the holes the same distance from the end on all of them.
I am a very visual person so seeing your drawing makes it as plain as day now. I appreciate all your replies.

Thanks,
Dallas

**homey** · 21st September 2022, 12:17 PM

Hi Dallas,

Glad it made sense. I need to make another batch of these soon for the Neighbourhood Centre’s Christmas market so I’ll try to do a proper WIP report with photos.

The project I’m currently busy on is a box for a nephew’s wedding. As usual with time-critical stuff the project is fighting me all the way. As my wife says “the hurrider you go the behinder you get”.

I’ll post a WIP report on that one soon.

Best regards,

Brian

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