Spline Cutting Jig
I have seen a few spline cutting jigs here on LumberJocks. I was trying to think how I would use such a jig.
I ran across some Freud blades for a skill type saw that are 7 1/4 wide and 1/16" thick. They were made for the battery skill saws where you don't have a lot of power.
So I decided to put that blade on my table saw.
I measured the max cutting height with that blade and it's 1 5/8" so I knew that if I used 3/4" ply for the base and depending how I made the side, I wouldn't have any blade left for make a cut.
So I used 1/2" ply for the base and I cut a 45 deg cut on the sides and then used 45 deg blocks to glue it all together.
It does not have an end on either end of the jig so I'm not limited at to the box height. I used the slots in the table so that I didn't have to use the fence and this way it is always in the same place. The blade always cuts in the same slot.
I then made the jig reversible so I can cut a straight spline and I can cut an angled spline, I just turn the jig around in the slots. I also did some testing and I felt that I liked 25 deg angle on the spline to be the best angle to cut.
I glued extra blocks between the two cuts so the the base would not fall out and also to be a protector for fingers holding the jig where the saw might cut.
I use a board in the inside that is held with clamps to align the box and register it in the same place for all cuts.
Here is a sample cut on an angle where I move the box 5/16 over and register off the opposite side of the blade.
These boxes will be given as Christmas presents next week at the family Christmas Party. So they will be posted in a different posting.
I double checked again and the cuts are actually being cut at 23 degrees. From when I did the first check and from when I set up the jig My set-up block changed.