I am using double sided tape to hold pieces while I shape them using a 1/2 radius bit on my shaper. I have to do about 100 of them, and the jig I am using to hold them is made of MDF. After about 10 items the tape starts pulling out enough of the wood that the next ones won’t stick.
Is there a way to treat the MDF so it won’t do that or should I use real wood or?
For profiling them I made a nice jig with clamps but doing the profiling I have to attach the blank to the bottom of something as there is no way other than a vacuum clamp, which I don’t have.
Replies
I have to do about 100 of them,
That's a lot of tape, rout, peel, tape......... You might want to take a fresh look at using a clamp or sled system!
As for MDF, I usually coat my patterns with shelac to prevent them from absorbing moisture and leaving me with a goofy edge sometime down the line. I've never had trouble with the tape. I'm thinking any type of sealer or primer should work.
Norse
Had the same problem with carpet tape creep. Switched to face plate tape from Rockler. (3) 4" strips holds an 8/4 QSWO chair leg very well and peals off pretty cleanly. I can sometimes get three or four parts out of the tape. I've had problems with router bearings wearing a grove in U/L MDF templates. Doping the edge with 50/50 diluted glue works well. If you have a compressor you have a vacuum pump. A few fittings, some poly tubing, a cheap automotive in-line fuel filter and stick-on weather stripping from HD and you're in business. Just hook the tubing up to the air intake, open the drain valve and let her rip. I wouldn't recomend this for vacuum bagging, but for template routing no problem. John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne
I do not think that double sided tape is a safe way to machine batches and in my (production) shop we don't allow the use of double sided tape on anything other than one-offs (and even then only rarely) as the grip is too likely to fail unpredictably and the life of the adhesive is just too short. For production quantities like this I'd seriously consider building a jig with a toggle cramp (DeStaCo, etc) or at least one with some sharpened screw heads (chisel-shaped) pointing about 1/64in up through the bed to give grip (or some 60grit abrasive glued on) and wooden cam cramp or two. If there is no way to hold the pieces safely you should consider making them longer/larger than finished size or with added "tabs" to give you the necessary material to hold onto them - these extras are then sawn off or routed away (possibly in another jig) when the shaping and profile operations have been completed. Make sure that the jig has hand-holds - these can be sawn-off lengths of broom handle - so that your hands are kept away from the cutter block. We do this for some of our own components and it makes using the ring fence or pin router a much safer and less nerve racking experience. If you can't hold onto the work properly when shaping then you really need to rethink how you are doing things for your own safety's sake.
BTW, your shop vacuum probably generates enough negative pressure to hold work down in a vacuum clamp, although the sharpened screw points through the jig will also help to stop the workpiece moving
Wadkin used to sell an excellent manual on building jigs for use with their pin routers which gives clear and simple instruction on how to design and build safe and effective work holding jigs, much of which is applicable to spindle moulders. Does anyone know it Onsrud do a similar publication for their inverted pin routers and how relevant it is?
Scrit
Edited 1/30/2004 6:17:56 AM ET by Scrit
Hi,
you could consider a vacuum suction device;
http://www.trendmachinery.co.uk/minimach/
Gert
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