Review: Thin Strip Saw Jig

[mike]

REVIEW OF NRG THIN STRIP SAW JIG

 

 

 

 

 

I recently received from the Nautical Research Guild one of their new Thin Strip Saw Jigs. This item is available on the NRG website in the store. The jig was designed by Kurt Van Dahm. Kurt has written many articles and given many talks on the use and safety of tabletop table saws and this jig is a byproduct of that knowledge. The jig is designed to be used on the Byrnes or Preac tabletop table saws or any saw with a miter gauge groove of 1/2 inch by at least 1/8 inch deep. The purpose of the jig is to allow the user to make wood strips of identical dimension.

 

The write up in the store claims that the jig can be used to “Easily cut thin wood strips with identical widths without any additional measuring after the first strip.”, I found it to do more than that. Depending on whether your base stock thickness represents the width or thickness of your finished strip, you can cut repetitive strips to a finished width or thickness. As an example if my base stock is 1/4 inch thick, I can cut strips that are 1/4 x 1/16 or 1/4 x 3/8.

 

I tested the jig on my Byrnes saw with several saw blades. I made cuts using the standard carbide tipped 4 inch 24 tooth .054 kerf blade and slitting blades of 4 inch 296 tooth .040 kerf and 3 inch 291 tooth .020 kerf. I also used several types of scrap wood I had around the shop to make test cuts. Castello boxwood, holly and bass wood all cut as they would normally with all of the blades. To achieve the best results match your blade to the thickness of your base stock and type of wood. I found setting up the jig to be very simple. Place the aluminum base in the miter gauge slot and with the hand knob loose, set the tip of the plexiglass guide to the distance from the edge of the blade to get the desired thickness of cut. On slitting saw blades this is easy since there is no tooth offset. When using a carbide tipped blade or any blade with offset teeth, you must measure to the tooth that is offset toward the jig. Snug up the knob. Slide the jig so the plexiglass

tip is on the material feed side of the blade and tighten the knob further which will expand the aluminum base locking the jig in place. Place your material against the tip of the jig and slide the fence against the material. Make your cut. For the next strip simply move the fence to hold the wood against the tip of the jig and make your cut. As with any precision cut a test sample should be made to proof your set up. Also please observe all safety rules especially the use of a push stick. Another must is that your material right and left edges must be parallel.

 

I found that the jig was capable of making cuts from 1 3/16 inch down to next to nothing. I made cuts of .007 inch using all 3 blades and the 3 materials with thicknesses of .150 to 1/4 inch. At .007 inch the resulting strip tended to curl, probably caused by heat as it was being cut. With the two thinner blades the bass wood tended to be a little fuzzy on the edges but cleaned up nicely with a little sanding. All strips were extremely consistent in dimension.

 

All in all this is a very useful tool at an affordable price that anyone who likes to cut there own wood to size should have.

 

 

Mike Lonnecker

San Diego, CA

[BobG]

Thanks for your review, Mike. I'm looking forward to using mine.

[Roger Pellett]

I have one of these and although I haven’t had a chance to use it, it is a nicely made tool at a more than reasonable price.  Buying it also supports the NRG.  It is an accessory that everyone who owns a miniature table saw should own.  I am about to try it out ripping square brass tube into angles.

 

For those using a full sized table saw, thin rip saw jigs for these saws are available from quality woodworking suppliers.  Price is considerably higher than $15.

 

Roger

 

 

[javajohn]

I bought one recently and used it to cut some battens and trim the width of a few planks. It worked like a charm, and certainly makes the saw safer to use.

 

The only issue I had was the jig was catching on the soft fibers of the basswood, so I polished the point with some very fine grit sandpaper and then rubbed some wax on it. Now it is very smooth and the wood glides along it without catching.