Jig Material Suggestions?

[Bill Jermyn]

I have quite a few pieces of 1/8" stainless to mark, so I need to build a fixture to hold them in place. I was thinking of using 1/8" acrylic for this, but it's a little pricey (I need to make 5 pieces 30" x 17"). Does anyone have a suggestion that might be a little (or a lot) cheaper?

[Joe Pelonio]

Go to a borg and get some 2'x4' sheets of 1/4" mdf, though in many cases even cardboard as in boxes will work.

[Jack Harper]

Paneling or press board from your local BORG. I buy mine from HD for about $8 per 4'x8' sheet.

[Craig Hogarth]

For one off jobs, I use paper or posterboard. Tape it down, cut it and throw it away when you're done.

[James Stokes]

If the plates you need to engave are 30x17 I would just do them 1 at a time.

[Mike Null]

Bill

Am I understanding correctly 1/8" x 17" x 30"?

If so why do you need a jig?

[Bill Jermyn]

Sorry, the jig size is that, the pieces are around 2" x 8", 32 up.

[Mark Winlund]

Ordinary cardboard from a carton works fine for a short run.

Mark

[Bill Jermyn]

I may have 5000 pieces to do, I think cardbord would disintegrate, but I'll pop into the Borg and see what I can find. Thanks for the ideas.

[Mike Null]

In that case I'm partial to mdf.

[Doug Bergstrom]

Coroplast works great and holds up better then cardboard

[Bill Cunningham]

My next door neighbor is a signmaker, and always has lots of 3/32 and 1/8 white acrylic in various sizes that are no good to him. So, before he makes a trip to the dump every month, I go pick through his scrap.. All of my jigs and patterns are made from acrylic..free acrylic.. the best kind!:D

[Jack Huddle]

I use Sentra or any good PVC substitute.......IE "Grimco"

[Frank Corker]

I'm with Mark. Cardboard box. Unless you intend going over the shape of your workpiece it will last as long as you don't fold it over when tidying up of a night time, it won't lose it's shape and give you hundreds of hours. If you intend exceeding the size of your piece even acrylic won't last. At the end of the day, these jigs are generally there to stop your piece moving out of alignment, which is why a straight flat carboard box cut neatly will be perfect.