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The Multi Angle Clamping Jig continued
The picture on the right is a close up of the knurled bar
In each of the oak side cheeks are three drilled stopped holes to take an orange button. From the instructions:
"for mortising, place an orange stop in one of the three holes in each side piece. Use top hole if no riser plate, 2nd hole if one riser plate and 3rd hole if two riser plates. Re-clamp the jig with the stops riding on top of the fences."
On mine the the stops were easily inserted but didn't want to come out. I pleaded and threatened them but in the end had to resort to pliers. This is not at all due to poor manufacture, but in fact quite the converse as all the holes are very clean and accurate. Its more likely due to very slightly swollen wood in our rainy weather. The simple answer is to drill right through the cheeks so that they can be tapped out from the other side. Much better tight than loose.
To mortise a rail I found no problems with raising the jig until the ply was level with the base of the 'Rat plate and then clamping the work. What can be seen from the left hand photo is that there is a limit to how narrow a work-piece can be clamped. Narrower pieces will not be level with the top of the plywood if you want secure clamping. To mortise narrower work, a good router plunge depth and WoodRat's longer cutters will make an obvious advantage, however this jig's prime strengths are for angled work.
Level mounting of the jig is simplicity itself since the fixed washers on each cheek side just rest on the top of the fixed fences. The right hand photograph shows a piece of maple mounted for a 20 degree mitre cut.
Above left, a 20 degree cut achieved, clean, simple, quick no problems, however, a word of caution!
When clamped to the jig, the work is four inches or more from the channel face. Nothing can be done about this as it is a function of the fixed fence depth and the oak cheeks which enclose the hinges. Any minor play or "rattle" in the carriage therefore has the potential to be amplified at this distance out from the face if care is not taken to remove any slack when mounting the jig. On one cut I neglected to do this which resulted in a poor finish on the cheek of the cut as can be just seen on the picture above.
A 20 degree half lap mitre? Easy Peasy!!
So, in conclusion, what are my thoughts?
This is an innovative and robust jig made from quality materials. It is not cheap but you do get a very versatile addition to your WoodRat. If you plan to make furniture or indeed anything requiring angular cuts then it will be money well spent. I can see how much time and thought can be saved by using this device. I think I would like to add a couple of extra ferrules on mine and drill through the holes in the oak cheeks but these are purely personal preferences. Although not advertised, The Craftsman Gallery assure me that all parts are available as spares should you need any.
I can find no reason why you shouldn't buy one.
The whole jig kit costs $139
Rods are $8 each, Flanged sockets $4 each Drilled plywood face plate $20
All plus any delivery and tax charges relevant to your locality.
This page is available as Multi_Angle_Jig.pdf
For more information on The Craftsman Gallery products visit their web site www.chipsfly.com
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