Eclipse jig angle distances

[Tony Wilkins]

Going to finally make a jig to set the angles for my eclipse style jig. You know the board with stops at set distances for certain angles like the Lie-Nielsen YouTube videos show. I thought I had a David Charlesworth article with those distances but danged if I can find it. There are distances for 25* & 30* for plane blades and chisels on the guide.

Can someone help me out with some other angle measurements?

[David Eisenhauer]

From the paperwork that came with my Eclipse guide many years ago: Note that it is a different measurement for the same angle on plane irons and chisels. This is due to clamping the irons from a different place on the guide from where you clamp chisels.

25 deg.
Plane Irons - 2" (50 mm)
Bevel Edge Chisels - 1-5/8" (40 mm)
Firmer Chisels under 1-1/2" wide - 1-3/8" (35 mm), over 1-1/2" wide, use plane iron measurements

30 deg.
Plane irons - 1-1/2" (38 mm)
Bevel Edge Chisels - 1-3/16" (30 mm)
Firmer Chisels under 1-1/2" wide - 1" (25 mm), over 1-1/2" wide, use plane iron measurements

[Tony Wilkins]

From the paperwork that came with my Eclipse guide many years ago: Note that it is a different measurement for the same angle on plane irons and chisels. This is due to clamping the irons from a different place on the guide from where you clamp chisels.

25 deg.
Plane Irons - 2" (50 mm)
Bevel Edge Chisels - 1-5/8" (40 mm)
Firmer Chisels under 1-1/2" wide - 1-3/8" (35 mm), over 1-1/2" wide, use plane iron measurements

30 deg.
Plane irons - 1-1/2" (38 mm)
Bevel Edge Chisels - 1-3/16" (30 mm)
Firmer Chisels under 1-1/2" wide - 1" (25 mm), over 1-1/2" wide, use plane iron measurements

thanks for the response, edited my op as my sentence about 25 & 30* wasn't clear. Those measurements are stamped into the guide. I'd like to know other distances people use and the thickness of the shim if you use one for micro bevels.

[Tony Wilkins]

Finally found what I was looking for here: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/library/lie-nielsen/AngleSettingJig.pdf

and I read elsewhere that you just subtract 5* for the lower chisel rail.

[Nicholas Lawrence]

Tony, that is pretty helpful. Thanks for posting.

[glenn bradley]

Agreed. Glad you persevered . . . and shared.

[John Crawford]

While we are on the topic: I find that my jigs like this wear out more quickly than I would like. The semi-sharp blade bumps into the stop, gradually cutting a groove in the stop (and thus changing the projection).

Have any of you found a way around this? I just knock off the stop and add a new one, but that gets boring....

[Hilton Ralphs]

While we are on the topic: I find that my jigs like this wear out more quickly than I would like. The semi-sharp blade bumps into the stop, gradually cutting a groove in the stop (and thus changing the projection).

Have any of you found a way around this? I just knock off the stop and add a new one, but that gets boring....

Either be very careful when setting the projection of the blade or line the faces with brass shim stock. You are probably being too forceful when setting the projection for you to keep cutting into the wood especially considering the blade needs sharpening.

[Tony Wilkins]

I think I'm ok with occasionally changing the blocking rather than pressing my blades up into a hard surface. A slight change in distances of the projection might change the result by a tenth of a degree - and I think it would be rather less. My tolerances surely aren't that tight.