Floyd Mah
05-01-2018, 2:35 PM
This is a new wrinkle on an old tool: the kerf maker.
385103
I can't seem to manage the images loading, so you'll have to pardon the disorder. My dog usually doesn't stand on his head.
385104
This is a $1.99 kerf maker that takes a couple of minutes to build. I've always looked at the various fancy kerf makers, from the $140 models to the takes-a-whole-afternoon-to-make DIY ones and thought, "Do I really need this and do I want to spend all that time". They all operate on the same principle of subtracting the width of the saw blade's kerf from the width of the wood being inserted in the dado.
My device requires the cheap clamp to be reconfigured as a spreader. There is a 8-32 screw threaded into the stationary jaw that adjusts for the saw kerf. It references against the movable jaw. You can adjust that for the individual saw blade. The width of the wood to be used in the dado is used to set the distance between the shoulders of the jaws. You can see that in the following picture.
385105
The tool looks like this when set properly and like this on the saw.
385108 385106
Make the first cut with the setting for the wood, and then followed by the setting against the set screw. Adjust the set screw if the dado is not sized properly. Test cuts are advised.
If you have another $1.99 to spend, an alternative to releasing the clamp for making the two cuts is to set up a second clamp for the other setting. Keep the one with the set screw for the narrower setting. You can use a spring clamp for paper to lock in the setting for the second clamp (the one used for the wood thickness) by clamping the clamp's shaft.
385103
I can't seem to manage the images loading, so you'll have to pardon the disorder. My dog usually doesn't stand on his head.
385104
This is a $1.99 kerf maker that takes a couple of minutes to build. I've always looked at the various fancy kerf makers, from the $140 models to the takes-a-whole-afternoon-to-make DIY ones and thought, "Do I really need this and do I want to spend all that time". They all operate on the same principle of subtracting the width of the saw blade's kerf from the width of the wood being inserted in the dado.
My device requires the cheap clamp to be reconfigured as a spreader. There is a 8-32 screw threaded into the stationary jaw that adjusts for the saw kerf. It references against the movable jaw. You can adjust that for the individual saw blade. The width of the wood to be used in the dado is used to set the distance between the shoulders of the jaws. You can see that in the following picture.
385105
The tool looks like this when set properly and like this on the saw.
385108 385106
Make the first cut with the setting for the wood, and then followed by the setting against the set screw. Adjust the set screw if the dado is not sized properly. Test cuts are advised.
If you have another $1.99 to spend, an alternative to releasing the clamp for making the two cuts is to set up a second clamp for the other setting. Keep the one with the set screw for the narrower setting. You can use a spring clamp for paper to lock in the setting for the second clamp (the one used for the wood thickness) by clamping the clamp's shaft.