Staying Centered
Two posts ago, I showed you how to make a jig to make Scout staves on the tablesaw. Part of this process involves drilling a 1/4" hole in the end of a 1-1/4" square work piece. Then screwing a 5/16" hanger bolt into the end so you can spin the work piece with a drill. If that hole is not centered and straight it will wobble. The makes it more difficult to make the stave and can result in some unevenness of the final product.
In this post, I'm going to show you how to make a a center square so you can mark the center of your workpiece accurately. I'm also going to show you how to make a drill guide to help you drill a straight hole.
To make the center square, first get a scrap of 3/4" plywood and cut it to 3 x 3". Then set your tablesaw fence to 1" and set the blade height to 2". Use the miter to run it through the saw vertically, twice, so it looks like the image below.
Next, take a scrap of 1/4" plywood and rip a piece to 1" wide. Then cut it to 4" in length.
Use the fence as a straight edge to line up the two pieces. Glue and nail or staple the pieces together. I used a 23 gauge pin nailer. You could also use 1/2" long wood screws. Clamp it and let it dry overnight.
The finished center square can be used to mark the center of square or round stock.
To make the drill guide, take a piece of 2x4, about 7" long, and rip it to 3-1/4" wide to square one side. Then rip it again to 3". Then use the miter gauge to make two 3x3" blocks.
Mark the center of one of the blocks. Use can use the center square you just made to do this. Use a 1-3/4" hole saw to cut a hole in the block. Don't discard the round scrap piece.
Now line up the two blocks, make some pilot holes, and screw them together at the corners with 2.5" screws. Don't use glue.
Use the 1-3/4" hole saw to start a 1/4" hole in the solid piece.
Then use a 1/4" bit to drill the hole the rest of the way through the block. You can do this on a drill press, or you can use the round scrap left over from cutting the 1-3/4" hole as a drill guide. If your drill bit is not long enough to go all the way through, you can free hand it the rest of the way. As long as you the hole is at least an inch or so into the block, it should go straight. If you end up having to take the blocks apart to get the 1/4" hole finished, mark them first so they go back together exactly the same.
Now that you've made both of your little helpers, here is how the process work to center a hole in your 1-1/4" square stock to make a 1-1/8" dowel. First use the center square to mark the center of your work piece. Then use a 1/4" brad point bit to start the hole about 1/4" deep. Then place the end of the work piece into the big hole in the drill guide. Use a 1/4" bit to drill through the guide into the work piece to a depth of about 1". If you skip the first few steps and just use the drill guide to center the hole and drill it straight, this might work. But only if the work piece fits tightly into the drill guide.
Here is everything I have made in the last 3 posts. This is basically everything you need to make staves and stakes. The center square to mark the center of your stock pieces. A 1/4" brad point bit. The drill guide to drill a straight hole. A 5/16" x 3" hanger bolt so you can spin the stock with your drill. The dowel making jig to make 1-1/8" dowels on the tablesaw. And the tail piece that lets you use the jig to bevel or point the end of a dowel.
In this post, I'm going to show you how to make a a center square so you can mark the center of your workpiece accurately. I'm also going to show you how to make a drill guide to help you drill a straight hole.
To make the center square, first get a scrap of 3/4" plywood and cut it to 3 x 3". Then set your tablesaw fence to 1" and set the blade height to 2". Use the miter to run it through the saw vertically, twice, so it looks like the image below.
Next, take a scrap of 1/4" plywood and rip a piece to 1" wide. Then cut it to 4" in length.
Use the fence as a straight edge to line up the two pieces. Glue and nail or staple the pieces together. I used a 23 gauge pin nailer. You could also use 1/2" long wood screws. Clamp it and let it dry overnight.
The finished center square can be used to mark the center of square or round stock.
Mark the center of one of the blocks. Use can use the center square you just made to do this. Use a 1-3/4" hole saw to cut a hole in the block. Don't discard the round scrap piece.
Now line up the two blocks, make some pilot holes, and screw them together at the corners with 2.5" screws. Don't use glue.
Use the 1-3/4" hole saw to start a 1/4" hole in the solid piece.
Then use a 1/4" bit to drill the hole the rest of the way through the block. You can do this on a drill press, or you can use the round scrap left over from cutting the 1-3/4" hole as a drill guide. If your drill bit is not long enough to go all the way through, you can free hand it the rest of the way. As long as you the hole is at least an inch or so into the block, it should go straight. If you end up having to take the blocks apart to get the 1/4" hole finished, mark them first so they go back together exactly the same.
Here is everything I have made in the last 3 posts. This is basically everything you need to make staves and stakes. The center square to mark the center of your stock pieces. A 1/4" brad point bit. The drill guide to drill a straight hole. A 5/16" x 3" hanger bolt so you can spin the stock with your drill. The dowel making jig to make 1-1/8" dowels on the tablesaw. And the tail piece that lets you use the jig to bevel or point the end of a dowel.
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