Raise the Stakes

After making the jig in my last post that converts 1-1/4" square stock into a 1-1/8" round dowel for Scout staves, I was thinking of how much the jig resembles a pencil sharpener.  Then it occurred to me that you could use it to put a point on the end of a stake or a bevel on the end of a stake or a stave.



The first step is make a "tailpiece" to cover the output side of the jig.  You don't want your work piece coming out the back of the jig.  Cut a scrap of plywood to fit.  Since I used 1/2" plywood on the top of my jig, my tailpiece is 3" x 3.5".   Then lower the blade all the way down and line up the rear of the jig with the center line of the table saw, which was marked on fence in the previous project.  Make sure the fence is set so the blade is centered on the slot in the jig.  Clamp the jig to the fence.  Then put a mark on the tail piece that corresponds to the center of the 1-1/8" output hole on the back of the jig.  Clamp the tail piece to the jig with a second clamp.


Now turn on the saw and slowly raise the blade until it just barely hits the line.


Now you can put a 1-1/8" dowel into the jig, with the table saw running.  Rotate it by hand.  You don't need the drill for this, but you could use it if you want.

The result is shown below.  It was a bit pointy of my taste so, I cut off 1/4" from the end.  I could experiment with different positions of the jig on the fence and different blade heights to get a blunter tip, but it was easier just to cut off 1/4".  Although not necessary, I cleaned it up with a benchtop belt sander.



Next, I cut the stake to 18" long and put a bevel on top.  To create the bevel, I put an index line on the fence, 2" in front of the center line made for the previous project.


Line up the back of the jig with the 2" line.  Clamp it to the fence and clamp on the tailpiece.  Then experiment with different blade heights on a scrap piece until you get the bevel just how you like it.


The finished bevel is shown below.  You could also use this setup to bevel the ends of Scout staves.


The next step is to notch the stake.  Set the fence to 1.5" and set the blade height to 1/4".  Use a miter gauge and make a single pass through the blade.


Then make a mark 3.5" from the top of the stake.  Cut from the mark to the previous cut to make the notch.  There are numerous ways you could do this.  You could use a bandsaw, handsaw, chisel, or even a pocket knife.  I cut it freehand on the bandsaw and cleaned it up with a chisel.  Sorry for the blurry pic, but you get the idea.



Here is the finished stake:


You can make these to anchor Scout stave camp gadget projects or any other occasion that calls for a stake.

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