Mugsy is back (Beth is somewhere near.) He doesn't seem to mind the litter in the shop. I guess that is because he was born in a litter! (...terrible.) |
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Beth starts this week by laying out the various cuts on a piece of acetate which has handy grid marks. She sprays some contact cement on it so that it can be positioned and not moved. The acetate is the basis of developing a template from 3/4" MDF. The template will be used for routing using bits with guide bearings. |
She marks where the depression will be routed to hold the 4 x 4 tile. You can see some marks that are just covered with a slash mark. Those are curves she made and then didn't like. It is difficult to remove marks once drawn, but since this acetate will be discarded as soon as the template is made, she worries only about whether she can see them or not. |
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Neither Beth nor I can really draw so we make use of such aids as the "French curve" that she is using. These usually come in sets of 3 or 4 and provide many different curves. [Rockler link at bottom of this page.] |
She is showing where she wants to cut the template — on only one half of the square for the tile. If she cuts the whole square, there will be a very thin edge on this side next to the cut out for the cracker depression. This template will be used as a "work-in-turn" — a printers term for cutting one side and flipping the template over and doing the second side . |
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Beth installs a 1" Forstner bit from the CMT set. She wants to make a smooth starting hole with minimum splitting or tear out. |
The new Festool TDK cordless drill gives Beth the power she needs to make the one inch hole. |
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Beth uses the starter hole to get the blade of the Festool Trion jig saw started. The arrow points to the zero clearance plate that the saw blade has cut. It keeps tearout and chipping to a minimum — very important when sawing the MDF. |
This jig saw has a dust removal system that is very effective, but it requires the use of a plastic housing that surrounds the blade area. To do intricate work, the housing can be difficult to use — too many reflections. But here is method Beth and I use when doing exact cutting. Just use this disposable brush to sweep away the dust that collects on the front of the plate. The brush can sweep right at the blade and not get caught. |
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Beth takes her time and tries to cut right to the line. This jig saw is so smooth that it makes it easy to maneuver. |
