Precision Fritz and Franz Jig

[Jeff Roltgen]

Well, my point was, I had a job to do, and the superfluous nature of what I came up with has indeed proven worthy of the time invested. In fact, even that fluff about a clamp turned out to be a good bit of intuition:

clamp.jpg

Since I have an SCM, there is about .875" reach from edge of slider to blade = these blanks were not as stable as needed when riding through the cut. Based on the angle, the F&F death grip was also greatly compromised. This meant, either put a hand on that workpiece, putting fingers within an inch of the blade or, slide that V-G style clamp in place and enjoy safety and cleaner, more accurate cuts. Clamp dialed down to only a hand-hold level of pressure.

So you are correct, though some of us may get a little over the top, our needs and methodology are a matter of personal taste and workflow. And that's why this craft is such a blast!

It's worth noting, I could have just drawn lines on all 16 legs and walked over to the bandsaw.

jeff

[Kevin Jenness]

7/8" from the carriage edge to the blade is like the Grand Canyon. I wonder why your saw is designed with such a large gap. The sliders I have worked with (SCMI SI12, Griggio , Martin, Paoloni) all have gaps around 5-6mm. The larger the gap the harder to work with small pieces.

Are your F&F jigs keyed into the slot with a t bolt or runner? I use independently anchored screw clamps with a long reach. In any case clamps are very helpful to keep narrow parts anchored flat on the carriage. When the workpiece is narrower than the clamp pad I will add a block the same thickness to the left and bridge across it.

[Jeff Roltgen]

7/8" from the carriage edge to the blade is like the Grand Canyon

Yes, I wish it weren't true. I just received in January - SCM si315es. Not sure why it's such a large space there. Throat plate / insert has a stretcher across to fill the gap = must remove screws and plate for blade changes. Single crappiest thing about the saw. Considered a Felder at the time of ordering, but wait time was close to or beyond a year at that point.

And yes, as mentioned with initial pics, I made T-bolts for locking the jigs in place, keyed into slot with delrin strips, so they can run as traditional or torque down if desired.