Band Saw Helper

Michael Webb

Michael Webb

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I have been using this for a couple of years, Just trying to help a few guys out that are strugging with cutting corners off your squares. You can take a square and get it pretty round in minutes versus the lathe, or you can off set one side and use it to cut the excess off your points, I'm not selling it, the picture is self explanitory so you can make your own. Make the base long enough to do a 18 inch piece of wood, the other holes are so you can move the center to whatever your doing, Ex. (forearm) Watch your fingers and Please use common sence, you have to hold one end while running it thru. I hope it helps some. It's nothing fancy and it doesn't need to be, we work with wood. If I made another one, I would probably thread the center on one side for tension versus just pushing the center in and tightening the set screw.

Bandsawcenter.jpg
 
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This is one of the best jigs I've seen. Simple to build, but very useful. Mike showed it to me a couple of months ago and I went out the next day and bought everything I needed to build a few of them. Being the slow ass that I am, I'm still looking at a pile of parts. I've built around 10 forearms in the last week or two and keep telling myself my job would be easier if I took some time out to get this thing finished up.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Looks real useful after offsetting the centers on 1" shaft dowels.
Thanks Mike.
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Hi Joey
The concept is good especially cause of the centers use, but I don't know if I would trust it on shafts 30 inches long, On the hardwood squares being turned round or tapered, and the after of the points installed, it's the nuts, saves a lot of lathe time. I use the caliper if I want straight cut and use a dummy blank that's already tapered to offset one side. I never move the front center, figure that's a good place to start a -0-
 
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Jig

Tony Zinzola said:
This is one of the best jigs I've seen. Simple to build, but very useful. Mike showed it to me a couple of months ago and I went out the next day and bought everything I needed to build a few of them. Being the slow ass that I am, I'm still looking at a pile of parts. I've built around 10 forearms in the last week or two and keep telling myself my job would be easier if I took some time out to get this thing finished up.
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Tony,
You built a few of them? How much would you sell one for?
thanks,
JerseyBill
 
corners off

Mike has a great jig, it's easy to use.
Many years back, I built a jig to do the same thing, in a simular fashion.
I took a 2X4X 18" and cut a 90 degree on the flat long side, mounted it on a plywood base, with a fence guide under it, so it would track straight while cutting the corners off. Just slide it back, rotate, and slide again. Fingers are clear, and corners are gone..
It worked great for me.
Cuemakers come up with differant jigs, that works for them, yes sir, you guys are pretty smart bunch and have much talent.
Keeo it up.
blud
 
As requested, I will post some pictures of this when I get time to replace the tire on my lower pully for the saw, 40 years old, it finally went. Please don't ask for video's, I don't do them.
 
Mr. Webb,

I thank you for sharing this fixture. I've cut around 1,500 shaft blanks over the past 5 years starting with raw boards. After ripping them into 5/4 squares X 32" in length, I used my table saw to make octagons out of them. After doing about 800 I finally had one send a triangular wedge like an arrow back at me hitting me just left of my groin. Yes it stuck me, OUCH!!!! Thank God I had a heavy pair of jeans on. It left a scar and a LASTING memory why we don't stand in front of the blade when working. Your jig looks MUCH safer than what I've been doing.

THANKS!!!

John
 
Nice jig

Mike, you have a nice jig there ....May I say that it is very generouse of you to post it .....At this time I am useing a flat board with a notch ...at a 45 % angle works fine for now but I took a copy of your jig for the future.....Sometimes I love this place....Thanks again....Ray Weeks .....
 
Doweling Machine!!!

jkmarshall_cues said:
Mr. Webb,

I thank you for sharing this fixture. I've cut around 1,500 shaft blanks over the past 5 years starting with raw boards. After ripping them into 5/4 squares X 32" in length, I used my table saw to make octagons out of them. After doing about 800 I finally had one send a triangular wedge like an arrow back at me hitting me just left of my groin. Yes it stuck me, OUCH!!!! Thank God I had a heavy pair of jeans on. It left a scar and a LASTING memory why we don't stand in front of the blade when working. Your jig looks MUCH safer than what I've been doing.

THANKS!!!

John
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John,

I am glad you did not have a serious injury and got lucky. After cutting my share of octagons on the band saw I purchased a doweling machine with 5 different size tooling cutting knives. I have a few friends that are Cue Makers and I let them bring squares over to my shop when they please.

The doweling machine takes a 30" square and rounds it in 6 seconds.

Any cue makers in the Chicagoland area can bring over their squares and I would be happy to let them use my machine. The amount of time it saves is sick.

Rick Geschrey
 
jkmarshall_cues said:
Mr. Webb,

I thank you for sharing this fixture. I've cut around 1,500 shaft blanks over the past 5 years starting with raw boards. After ripping them into 5/4 squares X 32" in length, I used my table saw to make octagons out of them. After doing about 800 I finally had one send a triangular wedge like an arrow back at me hitting me just left of my groin. Yes it stuck me, OUCH!!!! Thank God I had a heavy pair of jeans on. It left a scar and a LASTING memory why we don't stand in front of the blade when working. Your jig looks MUCH safer than what I've been doing.

THANKS!!!

John
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Hi John
I thought of doing something similar for the table saw and the more I thought about it, the more I was worried about safety, Table saws are very unforgiven when it comes to blades and the fingers, not counting kick back. I use a 3/4" wide, 4 hook blade on my 14 inch Delta, the blade is stable enough not to push away from the work piece. My band saw is mostly for hogging, splitting point stock and trimming off the excess points. I do my squares in minutes, then later do one true up pass on the lathe, so I save time and Electric. It takes a little getting use to but always remember safety and let the saw do the work, not your muscles and you'll be good to go. The only thing I wish to point out in case you all didn't notice is: All the holes in the wood for moving the 3/4" solid rod, are lined with phenolic so you don't have to worry about the wood swelling and making it difficult adjusting to the different lengths of wood you might be working with.
 
Thanks Mike, it seems like a real saver-- in time, limbs, fingers etc.
Dave
 
Dave38 said:
Thanks Mike, it seems like a real saver-- in time, limbs, fingers etc.
Dave
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Hi Dave
Thank you, it's a pretty simple tool especially for those who don't have a milling machine or anything fancy, If you have a drill press, it's easy to make.
 
Just an added thought, If I were just going to use the corners for future use, say as points, I would take the 1 1/2 piece of stock, make it flat on the jointer, sander or whatever floats your boat, Then take a square piece of wood, add a Vee groove to it, sit the square in that, sideways, ride it along the fence of my band saw, On the other side of the square, I would do a tapered Vee groove, Now you have a very versatile piece of wood. I'm a pretty simple guy and have done lots using almost nothing, just a little imagination.
 
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Interesting fixture but I'm slightly confused. Are you pushing this along your band saw fence and holding the stock wood with one hand, then advancing it to take another pass, maybe even as much as say 16 times to round it out?
 
DanO said:
Interesting fixture but I'm slightly confused. Are you pushing this along your band saw fence and holding the stock wood with one hand, then advancing it to take another pass, maybe even as much as say 16 times to round it out?
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Yes Sir, But less turns.
 
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