Most Accurate Subrail Angle

you must be asking Glen because I was at your shop, I heard that you can even setup a table in the snow, is that correct?
 
Here is the latest tooling in my full-service shop. I will post more pictures if you like, but this will get you the idea. The fixture is 6" high and 61" long made out of reinforced channel. I machined it to slide in the T-slot of the 10x54 Milling machine since it only has 32" of travel with the dro's installed. The fixture accepts all styles of rails including T rails for antiques, all rails bolt to the fixture in the same manner as the installation on the slate. The same stresses are on the rail so a warped rail can be cut perfectly. There is some alignment on GC style rails with the floating nut plate design, but you have 2 accurate faces to measure off for parallel. Let me know what you think!
Rob

PS; this is far more accurate than how the factory does it.. though it takes about 1.5 hours to do a set
View attachment 113339

I'll let you THINK you have the most accurate way of recutting the sub-rail bevels for now, until I show you my way....then I'll stand back and watch the tears fall from your eyes....when you see I can correct the bevel of a rail....correctly...in under 10 seconds;)
 
Did I hear popcorn?

whats funny is that Glen you mentioned sometime ago that you didn't have to come up with new ways to do things, I guess I rubbed off on you

Now if I could stop my laser from burning the liner I would throw my hat in the ring
 
Last edited:
John, I've never been against doing something new....if it makes sense and is usable in the field by others;) If something that should be easy to do can only be done in a shop, then it's not realistic to look toward doing something that way....because I don't have a shop...unless I'm at the Diamond factory. So then I have to come up with ways of doing what I want done in the field.

Glen
 
I commend you for being innovative but also think your not going to restore a table in your truck. Some jobs can be done on the fly but don't have to.
 
Table in the snow? Who Me?>

0211001347a.jpg
I am going to shoot a video with luck tomorrow, maybe I can run a rack or two on it? Eat that YouTube!
 
John, I've never been against doing something new....if it makes sense and is usable in the field by others;) If something that should be easy to do can only be done in a shop, then it's not realistic to look toward doing something that way....because I don't have a shop...unless I'm at the Diamond factory. So then I have to come up with ways of doing what I want done in the field.

Glen

So, how do you get the "tool" to cut straight when the featherstrip recess is not straight?

Chuckle

Still a great tool, just not for all rails....send me the ones you can't get straight and I'll take my time and make them right. Maybe I let ya beta test my tool when its done...
Rob
 
So, how do you get the "tool" to cut straight when the featherstrip recess is not straight?

Chuckle

Still a great tool, just not for all rails....send me the ones you can't get straight and I'll take my time and make them right. Maybe I let ya beta test my tool when its done...
Rob

The feather strip dado has no choice but to be straight as it's cut in place by the moulder the rails are passed through;) but yes, the rail can have a bow in it that gives you the appearence of the rail not being straight, BUT my tooling will also follow that natural curve of the feather-strip dado as well therefore giving you a perfectly straight sub-rail based on the feather-strip dado;) there's no way your tooling or any tooling can take out the bow of a rail, the only way you're ever going to do that is to bolt down two of three rail bolts, and then alter the bowed rail by force, then bolting it in place to remain there until such time that the rail has been unbolted again;)

Glen
 
Still a great tool, just not for all rails....send me the ones you can't get straight and I'll take my time and make them right. Maybe I let ya beta test my tool when its done...
Rob

I don't agree with a straight sub-rail face, but a bowed feather-strip dado, because what you end up with is narrow and wide spots in the sub-rail when measured against the overall width of the nose of the cushion to the finish of the rails. Meaning that if the center of the rail is bowed out, away from the playing surface, and you make the sub-rail dead straight, the distance from the nose of the cushion to the finish of the rail at the center diamond is going to be greater than the width of the sub-rail from the nose of the cushion to the finish of the rail on the ends of the rails. I can correct the bow of the rails doing it my way, but you can't doing it your way;) Your way also misses the indexing of the thickness of the sub-rails which is one of the most key important index points of a rail in order to determine the bevel needed to set the nose height to the correct height.
The correct formula is A x B= C being sub-rail bevel;)

Glen
 
I don't agree with a straight sub-rail face, but a bowed feather-strip dado, because what you end up with is narrow and wide spots in the sub-rail when measured against the overall width of the nose of the cushion to the finish of the rails. Meaning that if the center of the rail is bowed out, away from the playing surface, and you make the sub-rail dead straight, the distance from the nose of the cushion to the finish of the rail at the center diamond is going to be greater than the width of the sub-rail from the nose of the cushion to the finish of the rail on the ends of the rails. I can correct the bow of the rails doing it my way, but you can't doing it your way;) Your way also misses the indexing of the thickness of the sub-rails which is one of the most key important index points of a rail in order to determine the bevel needed to set the nose height to the correct height.
The correct formula is A x B= C being sub-rail bevel;)

Glen

I completely agree with what you are saying about the relationship of the constants determining bevel angle. It is the tooling repeatability that I think I can beat. I can also mount the tool you are using on the jig that I am using, that is the easy part.

Sounds like we need to each do a demo, I will find the worst set of GC rails and we can each do 3. Let the measurements fall where they may... Anyone wanna volunteer to referee?
Rob


Remember, zero doesn't exist but in theory. You can always divide a real number in 2.....
 
I completely agree with what you are saying about the relationship of the constants determining bevel angle. It is the tooling repeatability that I think I can beat. I can also mount the tool you are using on the jig that I am using, that is the easy part.

Sounds like we need to each do a demo, I will find the worst set of GC rails and we can each do 3. Let the measurements fall where they may... Anyone wanna volunteer to referee?
Rob


Remember, zero doesn't exist but in theory. You can always divide a real number in 2.....

You're young still, so I'll have to overlook your bet as being to easy, kind of like stealing candy from a baby:D but when I get back east I'll show you why it's so easy;)

Glen
 
Fixture vs Fixture

It will be real curious to see if a plywood fixture with wood screws can beat a precision milled aluminum fixture to do the same task. However it is like they say "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" and "Pride comes before the fall". We will just have to see which one wins in person. I have learned a lot from you, and I am on a better path because of it to continue onwards.

One question though...

What tool are you using to measure rail nose height? (no plastic or plywood tools please..)

Rob
 
It will be real curious to see if a plywood fixture with wood screws can beat a precision milled aluminum fixture to do the same task. However it is like they say "Heavy is the head that wears the crown" and "Pride comes before the fall". We will just have to see which one wins in person. I have learned a lot from you, and I am on a better path because of it to continue onwards.

One question though...

What tool are you using to measure rail nose height? (no plastic or plywood tools please..)

Rob

I'll keep the answer to your last question a secret for now, but it cost about $500;)
 
Now you got me curious, I have 5 different measurement tools to get a nose height or subrail height. Below is the one I prefer...
0212002009.jpg
 
You're young still, so I'll have to overlook your bet as being to easy, kind of like stealing candy from a baby:D but when I get back east I'll show you why it's so easy;)

Glen

You better get back east soon! I want to you use my Diamond as a guinea pig. :)
 
Last edited:
That set of rails are the ones I talked to you about yesterday, with Centenial cushions and a 1.380 nose height from factory. The rail height was pretty uniform 1.445-1.460 through the set. After adding a .030 poplar shim on the staple recess, I then added a full poplar shim under the entire rail planed down to 0.230 prior. With the Diamond Black cushions I held the 2" from the nose to veneer, and 1.440 nose height with the 1.680 subrail height. I then used my new Bosch door planer to recut the staple clearances... Should play exceptionally well, installs in Washington DC tomorrow afternoon. I was going to use the table saw at first, but one rail was crowned about 1/4" so I used my fixture. I will make a thread on this job shortly. The below pic is before glue/clamping to check hole clearances...
0213001758a.jpg
 
Back
Top