11-06-2011, 11:41 AM
Hi,
Ever since cutting the 45 cast iron wave winder gears two years ago I’ve been going to make a wooden box to house them.
My friend David (Yorkie) very kindly sent me detailed information and working drawings of how to construct and use a home made comb jointing router jig so here was the perfect opportunity.
Stacks of gears on bench.
Previously I’ve cut comb joints by hand and also on the table saw both being very time consuming due to all the marking out. I’ve never been a router fan but recently have used the router more and made friends with it. My router is a cheap one costing £15 it being half price in a closing down sale. Similar routers can be bought from Screwfix at £30.
I didn’t follow the drawing dimensions but used offcuts I had to hand making my jig larger. The table is made of ¾” thick plywood which proved too thick giving a very low cutter projection once the router was installed so to overcome this problem I drew around the router base and simple recessed using the router to ¼” deep giving a usable cutting depth.
The only critical measurement is the position of the location peg in relation to the cutter and following the detailed instructions this was easy to achieve, the instructions showed setting up for a ¼” dia cutter and this is what I used although any size cutter could be used once the basic idea is understood. It was still cold in the garage so rather than spend time using my hand tools I put the timber for the jig through my heavy machines and quickly completed the jig.
Router mounting.
I ran two test joints using the jig and the spacing was out on each but the third test piece was perfect giving a very tight joint. The jig is easily adjustable and care is needed at this stage to get it just right.
Our neighbour Eddie replaced his staircase about three years ago and I gladly accepted his old hardwood staircase storing it under our bungalow in flat pack form. I used some of this hardwood to make the box from; the wood was varnished and looked rather rough close up but once it had been thicknessed through my Startrite combination machine it looked beautiful and of course it was very stable having had years to dry out in a warm environment.
So far everything had been easy but now the problems began; looking at the four stacks of gears what would be the best way to box them allowing easy access? If I made a box to hold the four stacks on pegs this would work but selecting single gears would require removing the upper gears until the gear required was reached so this option was rejected.
Using jig and combs successfully cut.
To lay the gears on edge would give instant access but now the difference in diameters cropped up; to hold the 96T gear would need a box with a minimum internal depth of over 4” but the smallest gear at 26T would be right in the bottom of the box so after a lot more thought I decided to pack the gears out making them all level just under the closed lid.
The wood had been reduced to 7/16” thick and notes were taken as I accurately measured the stacks of gears allowing a little extra for dividing pieces and not forgetting to add at least the double thickness of the wood to accommodate the joints; this single point alone can easily cause such a box to end up undersized; always consider the joint thickness before cutting not after cutting. The wood was ripped on the Startrite table saw and cross cut on the Wadkin chop saw. I was in heaven using my machines and listening to them sing.
The new comb jig was mounted in the engineering vice and quickly adjusted both for cutting depth allowing 1/16” extra depth and also for comb spacing and I was amazed just how well the jig worked as it quickly added the combs to each board end. Having cut such joints before I was well aware to get the sequence right; the front and back pieces were run through first ensuring each top corner had a full finger but running both side pieces through I ensured each top corner had a recess. It is extremely easy to get caught out ending up with stepped pieces once assembled. The jig was then put away and the box joints assembled. The joints could not be pushed home by hand but after applying glue they were knocked home using a hammer and protection; the joints were tight and were checked with a set square before putting to one side to allow the glue to set.
Box well under way with sanded joints.
Now with the main box frame assembled I could consider the top and bottom pieces. I didn’t want a plain looking box and with a bit of extra care at this stage I could add a bit of decoration so decided to cut these two pieces oversize just enough to allow a routed moulding around each edge. The mouldings were quickly cut using the router and a rough assembly proved them to look acceptable.
Once the glue had set the joints were brought down flush using my home made belt sander fitted with an aggressive 60 grit belt. The bottom piece was secured with wood screws forming the basic box. I wanted to add feet to allow finger access under the box for lifting purposes as the box would be heavy once the gears were installed. Considering various styles of feet I settled on turning four using the woodturning lathe. Even this little job was difficult because I don’t have a short tool rest for the lathe and looking at the picture you will see the tool had a very long overhang from the rest to the reach the wood; experience allowed me to get away with turning like this but it is definitely not to be recommended; for best tool control and cutting results the rest needs to be very near the revolving wood. I added a burnt ring decoration to each foot then finished each with French polish. The feet were then drilled axially and countersunk to accept a wood screw then they were attached to the box.
Turning feet; please note distance of tool rest from work.
I spent a full day taking accurate measurements using my digital vernier caliper and cutting stepped packing pieces of wood. With the wood marked the steps were cut out using the large Startrite bandsaw; the bandsaw is fitted with a metal cutting blade and objected loudly at having thick hardwood pushed through it end grain on but eventually I succeeded and cut all the packing. At around £38 a time I don’t have the luxury of a selection of bandsaw blades. Plywood dividers were cut to separate the rows of gears and these dividers were notched to hold a spanner; I thought I might as well do the job to the best of my abilities and this would save having to keep finding a suitable spanner for gear changing on the winder. Once the packing was installed it all looked so easy but what a headache it had been; the gears fitted well as did the spanner.
Internal packing installed.
The lid had a moulding run around its edge using the router and a pair of brass butt hinges fitted. The hinges were then removed to facilitate french polishing and after sanding the entire box was stained using Jacobean Dark Oak spirit stain then finally French polished over a number of days.
In all I spent a very happy two weeks on this project including making the comb jointing jig. Apart from electricity the box cost me nothing to make; the wood was free; the hinges and finishing materials I already had from other projects. It is way over the top just for a box to house a set of gears but considering the amount of time I spent cutting the gears they deserved a good home. It would be nice to add a brass nameplate declaring the contents of the box and this is something I’ll look into because I know of two other AVO wave winders both having been separated from their gears rendering them useless other than as expensive ornaments.
Gears finally homed and a nice looking box.
This box is a one off and I made everything up as I went along; if detailed drawings had been available up front the box would have been completed much quicker but then I wouldn’t have as much satisfaction as I have now looking at it completed. Thank you so much for the comb jointing jig details David I can confirm the jig works beautifully.
Kind regards, Col.
Ever since cutting the 45 cast iron wave winder gears two years ago I’ve been going to make a wooden box to house them.
My friend David (Yorkie) very kindly sent me detailed information and working drawings of how to construct and use a home made comb jointing router jig so here was the perfect opportunity.
Stacks of gears on bench.
Previously I’ve cut comb joints by hand and also on the table saw both being very time consuming due to all the marking out. I’ve never been a router fan but recently have used the router more and made friends with it. My router is a cheap one costing £15 it being half price in a closing down sale. Similar routers can be bought from Screwfix at £30.
I didn’t follow the drawing dimensions but used offcuts I had to hand making my jig larger. The table is made of ¾” thick plywood which proved too thick giving a very low cutter projection once the router was installed so to overcome this problem I drew around the router base and simple recessed using the router to ¼” deep giving a usable cutting depth.
The only critical measurement is the position of the location peg in relation to the cutter and following the detailed instructions this was easy to achieve, the instructions showed setting up for a ¼” dia cutter and this is what I used although any size cutter could be used once the basic idea is understood. It was still cold in the garage so rather than spend time using my hand tools I put the timber for the jig through my heavy machines and quickly completed the jig.
Router mounting.
I ran two test joints using the jig and the spacing was out on each but the third test piece was perfect giving a very tight joint. The jig is easily adjustable and care is needed at this stage to get it just right.
Our neighbour Eddie replaced his staircase about three years ago and I gladly accepted his old hardwood staircase storing it under our bungalow in flat pack form. I used some of this hardwood to make the box from; the wood was varnished and looked rather rough close up but once it had been thicknessed through my Startrite combination machine it looked beautiful and of course it was very stable having had years to dry out in a warm environment.
So far everything had been easy but now the problems began; looking at the four stacks of gears what would be the best way to box them allowing easy access? If I made a box to hold the four stacks on pegs this would work but selecting single gears would require removing the upper gears until the gear required was reached so this option was rejected.
Using jig and combs successfully cut.
To lay the gears on edge would give instant access but now the difference in diameters cropped up; to hold the 96T gear would need a box with a minimum internal depth of over 4” but the smallest gear at 26T would be right in the bottom of the box so after a lot more thought I decided to pack the gears out making them all level just under the closed lid.
The wood had been reduced to 7/16” thick and notes were taken as I accurately measured the stacks of gears allowing a little extra for dividing pieces and not forgetting to add at least the double thickness of the wood to accommodate the joints; this single point alone can easily cause such a box to end up undersized; always consider the joint thickness before cutting not after cutting. The wood was ripped on the Startrite table saw and cross cut on the Wadkin chop saw. I was in heaven using my machines and listening to them sing.
The new comb jig was mounted in the engineering vice and quickly adjusted both for cutting depth allowing 1/16” extra depth and also for comb spacing and I was amazed just how well the jig worked as it quickly added the combs to each board end. Having cut such joints before I was well aware to get the sequence right; the front and back pieces were run through first ensuring each top corner had a full finger but running both side pieces through I ensured each top corner had a recess. It is extremely easy to get caught out ending up with stepped pieces once assembled. The jig was then put away and the box joints assembled. The joints could not be pushed home by hand but after applying glue they were knocked home using a hammer and protection; the joints were tight and were checked with a set square before putting to one side to allow the glue to set.
Box well under way with sanded joints.
Now with the main box frame assembled I could consider the top and bottom pieces. I didn’t want a plain looking box and with a bit of extra care at this stage I could add a bit of decoration so decided to cut these two pieces oversize just enough to allow a routed moulding around each edge. The mouldings were quickly cut using the router and a rough assembly proved them to look acceptable.
Once the glue had set the joints were brought down flush using my home made belt sander fitted with an aggressive 60 grit belt. The bottom piece was secured with wood screws forming the basic box. I wanted to add feet to allow finger access under the box for lifting purposes as the box would be heavy once the gears were installed. Considering various styles of feet I settled on turning four using the woodturning lathe. Even this little job was difficult because I don’t have a short tool rest for the lathe and looking at the picture you will see the tool had a very long overhang from the rest to the reach the wood; experience allowed me to get away with turning like this but it is definitely not to be recommended; for best tool control and cutting results the rest needs to be very near the revolving wood. I added a burnt ring decoration to each foot then finished each with French polish. The feet were then drilled axially and countersunk to accept a wood screw then they were attached to the box.
Turning feet; please note distance of tool rest from work.
I spent a full day taking accurate measurements using my digital vernier caliper and cutting stepped packing pieces of wood. With the wood marked the steps were cut out using the large Startrite bandsaw; the bandsaw is fitted with a metal cutting blade and objected loudly at having thick hardwood pushed through it end grain on but eventually I succeeded and cut all the packing. At around £38 a time I don’t have the luxury of a selection of bandsaw blades. Plywood dividers were cut to separate the rows of gears and these dividers were notched to hold a spanner; I thought I might as well do the job to the best of my abilities and this would save having to keep finding a suitable spanner for gear changing on the winder. Once the packing was installed it all looked so easy but what a headache it had been; the gears fitted well as did the spanner.
Internal packing installed.
The lid had a moulding run around its edge using the router and a pair of brass butt hinges fitted. The hinges were then removed to facilitate french polishing and after sanding the entire box was stained using Jacobean Dark Oak spirit stain then finally French polished over a number of days.
In all I spent a very happy two weeks on this project including making the comb jointing jig. Apart from electricity the box cost me nothing to make; the wood was free; the hinges and finishing materials I already had from other projects. It is way over the top just for a box to house a set of gears but considering the amount of time I spent cutting the gears they deserved a good home. It would be nice to add a brass nameplate declaring the contents of the box and this is something I’ll look into because I know of two other AVO wave winders both having been separated from their gears rendering them useless other than as expensive ornaments.
Gears finally homed and a nice looking box.
This box is a one off and I made everything up as I went along; if detailed drawings had been available up front the box would have been completed much quicker but then I wouldn’t have as much satisfaction as I have now looking at it completed. Thank you so much for the comb jointing jig details David I can confirm the jig works beautifully.
Kind regards, Col.
