Footing

ChakaZulu

New member
I've got these bits of wood sitting in my house waiting for me to turn them into footings. The problem is how.

I tried to cut a slot into one to accept the footing, but hand cutting a straight line kinda escaped me and I don't have a bandsaw (I have an electric jigsaw but then I also have all my fingers and want to keep them).

The shafts I don't mind trying to taper myself - sandpaper and patience should do it. But this cut is a pig. Anyone found/made a jig of some sort that might help?
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Do you have a mitre box or jig? And ideally a pillar drill (drill press)?
Drill a 5/16 hole through a block of wood, then put in in the mitre block which should guid the saw to make a nice vertical cut down across the hole.
Usually it's a case of if you had the tools to make the jig, you wouldn't need the jig.
I don't spose this helps :(
Whoops...you didn't say your bits of wood were round or 5/16.... but other than that the idea is fine ....
Del
 

ChakaZulu

New member
The footing starts life as a 1/2" square block. Vertical cut into which you put the tapered shaft and glue, then you shave to roundness.
 
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Deleted member 7654

Guest
Hmmm, can't think of any good ideas other than practice.
When the Half Crown ceased to be legal tender I sawed on in half with a hacksaw.
..
...
edgeways! :)
Made one half into a necklace for the GF (didn't work tho' :eek: ;) )
Del
 

cloutman360

New member
I've got these bits of wood sitting in my house waiting for me to turn them into footings. The problem is how.

I tried to cut a slot into one to accept the footing, but hand cutting a straight line kinda escaped me and I don't have a bandsaw (I have an electric jigsaw but then I also have all my fingers and want to keep them).

The shafts I don't mind trying to taper myself - sandpaper and patience should do it. But this cut is a pig. Anyone found/made a jig of some sort that might help?
You could try two separate pieces (3/8" x 3/16").
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I'm not too clear what you are trying to do but I think it is like splitting the wood down the middle but not all the way to the end, is that about it? So, instead of splitting, you are trying to saw down the centre of a thin piece of wood and stopping part way down, yes?
It might help, if that's the case, to saw down a much thicker piece of wood first so that you have a steady piece to saw down. Once you have a good straight cut down the thick piece of wood, place the footing piece over that saw cut so the cut is running down the centre of the footing piece.You might want to screw some thin blocks either side so the footing can't move off to one side of the saw cut. Put the whole lot in the vice and saw down the cut you have already made( and down the footing) The saw will tend to follow the sawcut already made in the thicker piece, so the footing should end up with a nice cut down the centre.It works better if the footing piece of wood is in front of the thick piece so you push the footing against the thick piece as you saw. I know that hides most of the original saw cut but if a little is visible above the top of the footing, once started, the saw will know where to go.
 
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Deleted member 7654

Guest
It could just be the saw...a good quality tennon saw should do it.
I bought a cheap 30" bow saw from screwfix for my logging exploits..it sort of works but always cuts on a curve and was hard work...I reversed the blade and the curve reversed, so I knew it was just the blade.
I bought a good quality swedish blade...blimey, huge difference, cuts straight as a die and really quick too.
There's a moral there somewhere...
Del
 

ChakaZulu

New member
Del said it: if you've got the tools to make the jig then you don't need the jig - you can just make the cuts. I think I may have it though. Adapted from taping magazines together for a rifle.

Two pieces of wood, smooth edged and 8-12" long. Lay them alongside each other and insert between them a thin piece of something (old credit card?) of about the same thickness as the saw blade. Glue together, leaving a 5" long gap at one end and voila - a jig that will guide the saw blade!

What could possibly go wrong?
 

dusty

New member
You say you have a jigsaw
This is what i do to cut the slot for footing arrows
Get yours self a flat piece of board MDF is good drill a hole in it at one end just larger then the jigsaw blade.
mount the jigsaw on the board either drill holes in the base plate or I used blocks of wood to hold it in place
Turn the hole thing over put it a workmate or clamp it to a bench
Then get your self a straight edge work out the center of the block and measure this from the center of the blade.I screwed my block to the MDF making sure the block is parallel to the blade
This is a quick easy and cheap way to make a band saw type saw
to cut small things and keep you fingers still on you hands
 
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Deleted member 7654

Guest
Those 'hoby' size band saws are pretty cheap too.
I got one for free...I saw a guy at the local tip about to heave it into the skip!!! He even had a spare blade!!!!
He was only too pleased to give it a good home... I've just been roughing out my sihyas with it. I might see if I can find a good quality new blade for it sometime as it doesn't cut very quick.
Del
 
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