Little Jig for Small Projects

 Repurposing a coffee jar, create a little jig, and on with a project.

It started with a left over 1/4 inch thick acrylic. Ripping it to 5 inch width.

A small table saw sled  made quick work on cutting the acrylic to size.

Making this jig was fun but, as sometimes the case, as soon as I finished it I realized there was one other little improvement I can do.  That will be in another blog if I decided to make it.  Perhaps I can explain a little more in detail how this thing works in its entirety. My full-size sleds are on sabbatical now that this little one takes over.  For small projects, anyway.

Featured in previous blogs, a kerf maker tool makes accurate grooves without measuring. Here I'm using a commercial miter bar with an innovative flip stop.  The stop slides along the track and set with a set screw.

Here is a close up (below) of that miter bar, made by Woodpeckers. The stops flip out of the way while keeping their positions for repeatable cuts. The stop can be micro-adjusted when necessary without loosening the set screw.

Flattening the edge with a jack plane is quick.

Ripping the work pieces to width.

Cutting to length on the sled is safe and repeatably accurate.

This is where the sled makes accurate tapered cuts on small work pieces safely.

Easing the edges of the cut acrylic with the sharpening jig

 Acrylic is stable and rigid in small dimensions as with this project and it is a great complement to wood for small pieces like these.

CA glue and accelerator makes for quick joinery of acrylic to wood.

The illusion of floating in mid-air

 

Non-draining planters featured in earlier projects have become my favorite because they use very little water, creating no spills and plants seem to be okay with it.

Tapered stand used a little differently.