Help with jig

[tony mazzone]

I need to make a jig to hold multiple BBQ tools in my laser lined up one above the other. Can anyone give me an idea on a jig that can hold them in the exact place and quickly switch them with new ones.
Thanks,
Tony

[Zsolt Paul]

lined up one above the other.

Above? Do you mean next to each other? What am I missing?

[Mike Null]

Tony

If you have a table saw I would use mdf to make the jig along with hot glue or some other quick drying glue.

The base of the unit must register exactly with your 0 0 rulers so it should be square. Blocks of mdf glued on the surface will act as the jig and should be designed to keep the tools level so focusing is easy.

If you posted a picture of the tools and where you want to engrave them it would be helpful.

[tony mazzone]

Attached is the pic of the tools. I have to do 300 of each. Would you make a separate jig for each tool or just make 1 jig that fits all 3. The engraving is going on the flat part of the handle. Would you spray on or brush on the cermark. I have a 12 x 24 bed and have to engrave them the way that they are shown in the pic for them to fit.
Thanks,
Tony

[Dan Hintz]

Personally, unless I could pack them significantly tighter by putting the same utensils together, I would keep them as a tri-pack. that way, if you only need to do an extra two or three packs down the road, you're not doing 2-3 of each utensil three times, you're doing entire sets in one shot. If this is a one-time deal, none of that may matter, so do whatever seems easier.

Definitely spray the Cermark... some here appear to have success with brushing, but it leaves too many variables for my taste. Fill a jig, spray, and leave to dry for a gfew minutes while a second jig is in the laser.

Another suggestion... try to keep the handles close together, with little white space between them in the X-direction, and as much as needed in the Y-direction. Clumping them will speed up your lasering time. Point the utensils out of the jig so the handles are close to each other in the middle of the jig (assuming it's the handles you're marking).

[Mike Null]

I would make 3 jigs with the handles end for end so that you can place more tools in the jig at one time. That means you'll have to tweak your art work carefully first.

I would use an airbrush to spray them but before placing them in the jig. It'll be easy to waste Cermark so take care to spray only the general area to be engraved. Clean all tools with dna before applying Cermark.

I still like mdf for the jig.

[Bruce Volden]

Tony,

Take a board or piece of plexi or whatever with a known width. Lets say 3" wide X 12" long. This would be aligned with the "home" position of your machine. Put your knife along the bottom edge and measure where the center of the engraving is to be. Place fork next to knife and find that area, then do the same for the spat (perhaps turn the spat end for end) and get that distance. I would try this out and engrave on painters tape FIRST to allow for any adjustments you will have to make. I have done tens of thousands of BBQ utensils and this will work just fine, no need to reinvent the wheel with a jig to hold things, just start playing with the calipers and hope the utensils are all real close to the same dimensions. Here's a sample of what I mean.

Bruce

[Ross Moshinsky]

This is a fairly easy jig to make if you're doing 1 at a time. 3 at a time becomes more difficult because all 3 items have to be at the same height unless you plan on re-focusing each time which is a complete waste of time.

I'd use some 1/8" material. Cut out a profile for the handle and engrave a rectangular shape in the material to keep the engraved spot level and the same height at the other ones. Personally, I'd do 3 jigs that you could slide together to make 1 set. This way if you screw up a jig for one item, you don't have to redo 2 others. I'd venture to guess the jig will take you 4-6 hours to get right. Be patient.

[James Stokes]

I engrave a lot of acrylic handles. What I did was take a piece of 1/4 acrylic, Cut 2- 1/4 slots in it to put 1/4 inch acrylic upright. I then take 2 more pieces of acrylic and cut notches shaped the same as the handles. I then put them in the slots of the first piece and glue. Now when I do them I just drop them in to the jig. They are exactly the same place each time.