Post by: bdsmith1 on March 24, 2025, 05:43:01 PM
Post by: Kirkll on March 24, 2025, 09:12:44 PM
another trick is making sure you use a thick base that rides on the bearing or guide so you don't have to run the paper too close to the bearing or guide. If that sand paper drops down over your bearing or guide it will screw up your pattern very quickly.
Post by: bdsmith1 on March 24, 2025, 09:53:54 PM
Post by: Crooked Stic on March 24, 2025, 10:09:40 PM
Post by: bdsmith1 on March 24, 2025, 11:30:40 PM
Post by: bdsmith1 on March 24, 2025, 11:32:48 PM
Post by: Crooked Stic on March 25, 2025, 08:08:36 AM
Post by: Kirkll on March 25, 2025, 11:48:58 AM
I use 60 grit belts and my guide wheel .090 smaller than the drum wit a belt on it. I use plexiglass base on my jigs running against the guide wheel . I have a professional made jig that has brown phenolic base. Courses may be better but mine is built for 60 grit.
Those jigs that Brandon built for us used 1/4” Micarta for the base like this stuff.
https://www.eplastics.com/-250-x-36-x-48-X-Sheet?inv=1&customer_id=813-364-8639&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqIm_BhDnARIsAKBYcmv800dniZgfcMrvbOcTVTER20dvW21qFoLhmpkWIyX5EOXQHwvX7ywaAlz3EALw_wcB
I too have built a number of my own jigs using 1/4” plexiglass and it works ok… but the micarta is much harder and holds up better.
When building jigs without a CNC system, I’ve found the best stuff to work with is 1/4” MDF board for fitting, then sanding out a permanent base from plexiglass or micarta. the soft linen phenolic won’t work well.
Another product that could make a good guide base for your patterns would be polycarbonate plastic. That might even be better than plexiglass. Any type of canvas / epoxy base phenolic would work well too.
Your sand paper thickness will change depending on the grit you use. The heavy 36 grit cuts easier with the least resistance and pressure against the bearing or guide, but it will cut deeper than 60 grit too…. I don’t really think it matters too much as long as you use the same grit each time.
What does make a difference on complex footing shapes is the thickness of the accent line material you use. So if you have a CAD system and are designing a shape, you need to factor in the thickness of your accent line material. I believe Brandon used .060 so you can use 2 .030 accent lines and have a perfect fit.
Another thing that needs to be factored in when building footing jigs is building a matching set of rough cut out jigs for the riser block with location pins or dowels that allows you enough space to cut between the lines with your band saw. These S shaped footing jigs are not easy to build by hand.
The perfect fit is very important on footed risers. If you are having to use clamps to tighten up your joints on a footing, it’s building stress into the riser that could come back to haunt you…. Food for thought……
Post by: bdsmith1 on March 25, 2025, 05:14:12 PM
I stuck a 36 grit ceramic belt on and the groove was much deeper with that thicker belt, so i went back to the machine shop today and dropped off my drum and belt so that they can get a better sized rub collar for that combination. I'm also going to have it made out of 1/4 inch instead of 1/8 this time.
I'm having a hard time coming up with a unique design for a longbow riser handle. I love the flared look, but there isn't a lot of room in the handle for that. My blanks are only 1.75 in deep. I may post some drawings on here to ask for your guys opinion. 060 for the accent strips is probably better than the 1/8 I was getting ready to use.
Post by: Kirkll on March 25, 2025, 08:08:19 PM
i'll be interested to see what you come up with.