How to/Build along-Footed Riser Templates for the pattern sander--Finished Riser

[Kirkll]

I do it the lazy way....after drawing it in Adobe Illustrator, I send the file to a custom plastic shop that does a laser cut.. Then I double stick the template to a thicker piece of plywood to make my sanding templates. Very reasonable cost and saves me time and frustration

THAT is an excellent suggestion....What type of plastic are you having them use?     Kirk

[beachbowhunter]

The first time I used 1/2 inch plexi which was more expensive. I used some kind of black stuff that was cheaper the last time and worked fine. I would find a shop and talk to them to make a good choice.  I only use the plexi/plastic stuff to make my wood templates that I use for shaping. You could use a router to make your working templates I guess, but I used my Robo-sander.  Not all that confident with a router.

I also had them make a template that looks just like Max's drawing, where they only cut out the the space for the lamination (mine is a total width of 0.150).  Then I can just slap the footing template on a piece of wood, scribe the outside lines, cut between, and have three pieces ready to sand to the lines.  I did a build along a long while ago that shows it. It is up above in the Build-along folder.

I'm feeling pretty good about figuring something out that Kirk hasn't already invented! 

[Kirkll]

Trust me bro.... I'm not inventing much of anything. Just a lot of years of working with tools in various trades. The experience I've accumulated in building things with different materials, and screwing things up, makes a guy get creative at times. That's about it.

The CNC age brought around a lot of precise joinery opportunities that killed the demand for craftsmen doing it by hand. I've seen it in furniture, boat building, and many other things that used to be hand crafted . I started with hand tools myself in the mid 60's as a young boy, and worked as a carpenter for many many years. I watched the development of all these modern tools we take for granted today.

I sincerely appreciate the skill it takes to do precision work by hand, but it would be stupid for me not to take advantage of modern technology to a certain extent. Taking complex pattern shapes like max is creating and doing these by hand is incredibly time consuming.

Unfortunately , the customers buying custom bows out there don't really care whether you fit your joints by hand, or have them done on a cnc router. They just want nice clean joinery. The days of "Artistic Flaws" being acceptable are gone.

Being able to send a drawing to a company, have them transfer it to Cad system run CNC laser cutter for  precision templates for a pattern sander set up is just too good to pass up.  I would be sincerely interested in more info on where I can have this done myself in the future.

I have several riser designs that are too long for my existing  footing jigs, and I really need to build a couple more jigs with a more elongated shape, and don't want to build them by hand. I have other things to do with my time like fishing, and hunting. I have no further interest in testing my skill level building footing jigs. I'll save that for other projects that will be appreciated more.   

Kirk

[Mad Max]

Quote from Kirk
"I sincerely appreciate the skill it takes to do precision work by hand, but it would be stupid for me not to take advantage of modern technology to a certain extent. Taking complex pattern shapes like max is creating and doing these by hand is incredibly time consuming."

I needed to learn CAD drawing back in 1990 for the tool and die work I was doing, yes you can draw it by hand on paper like they did before CAD but the CAD drawing was much better finding problems. Check out some of these pictures.
https://www.google.com/search?q=progressive+dies&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS770US770&sxsrf=ALiCzsbH7TFOgWDDeIlyWK04CMSlQREdVg:1652186985259&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj3mO-S_NT3AhU2DEQIHYoZBy4Q_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=1366&bih=625&dpr=1

The little pull tab on your favorite soft drink takes a very complex progression die to make.
I enjoy drawing and figuring out how to make things.
With Nothing on TV, I go to my drawings for fun.

Cutting the plywood and sanding to the lines and the glue up only took about 1 to 1-1/2 hours for each side, (Then go fishing while its drying.) 
I cant tell you how long I spent on the Drawings but guessing a hour or so.

[Mad Max]

I made these years ago with a circle attachment for your router base.
It took some time to set up


You need a Quality Ruler like this one
https://www.jimbodetools.com/products/24-inch-starrett-no-4-scale-combination-square-75359

[Kirkll]

Back in the early 90's when i first started to cut my teeth on PC use, i got a fully blown Auto Cad III program loaded on my PC for a decent price. At the time i was mainly wanting to do detailed construction drawings. But.... That software was NOT user friendly at all. I worked at it off and on for 6 months trying to get the hang of it before i finally threw in the towel and went back to my drafting board. When i took my drafting classes in 1975 we still used pencils, and THAT i could handle.....

Over the years i have gotten much more computer literate, but i'm still not brave enough to self teach myself auto cad. I learned HTML coding and built my own website with some help from Rob, and have played with some construction software i can get around on ok.... But my hat is off to you on the CAD stuff bro...

Btw... i do have a full set of Starrett rules, combination squares, Center &  protractor heads, including the 24" blade.   You can't beat the quality IMO.

[Kirkll]

The first time I used 1/2 inch plexi which was more expensive. I used some kind of black stuff that was cheaper the last time and worked fine. I would find a shop and talk to them to make a good choice.  I only use the plexi/plastic stuff to make my wood templates that I use for shaping. You could use a router to make your working templates I guess, but I used my Robo-sander.  Not all that confident with a router.

I also had them make a template that looks just like Max's drawing, where they only cut out the the space for the lamination (mine is a total width of 0.150).  Then I can just slap the footing template on a piece of wood, scribe the outside lines, cut between, and have three pieces ready to sand to the lines.  I did a build along a long while ago that shows it. It is up above in the Build-along folder.

I'm feeling pretty good about figuring something out that Kirk hasn't already invented! 

Got side tracked there.... I would highly recommend using polycarbonate plastic for jigs instead of plexi glass, or something harder if you like. I wish i could remember what Brandon used on his jigs. Some type laminated plastic and hardboard lay up that is incredibly durable, and sands like a glass finish.....   I think Crooked Stick had a few of these made too. Maybe he knows what the stuff is.  Here are some photos of the stuff.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/G9aFZ5zwDif8hgqr6     

Kirk

[beachbowhunter]

I agree...if you are using them as your shaping template.  I only use the laser cut ones to make my shaping template out of plywood.

[Mad Max]

Yes Auto Cad is way more than you would ever need and $$$$$$$$$$

In 1989 I bought DRAFTX CAD ULTRA for DOS, It was a very good CAD program, Auto Cad bought DRAFTX in the early 90's, I used it up to a few years ago, My Monitor went out and I could not find any Monitors that would work.
I bought 2 and a circle looked like a ellipse on the screen, Not good.
Now I am using Cadstd Pro v3.7.7 for free.
I have never copied a file to take to a CNC machine to see how accurate it is.

Kirk--I remember Machining something like that composite board in your photos and was told not to breath it in back in the 80's.

Cut the plexi  and screw it to the bottom of the templates.


Turned it upside down and pattern sanded it



and a few coats of Shellac

[onetone]

Nice how-to Max.

Kirk that material in your sample photos looks like Novotext to me, also know as Turbax,Cereron, Resitex or Texolit. Used to buy it by the scrap pound at the Los Alamos salvage yard. Generally amber or orange colored, sorta like ole timey G10.

[Mad Max]

 

[Kirkll]

I agree...if you are using them as your shaping template.  I only use the laser cut ones to make my shaping template out of plywood.

I suppose that would work ok for awhile, but I prefer plexiglass or polycarbonate material is better to run on the bearing of my pattern sander, and it slides on my pattern table nicely.  I got introduced to polycarbonate plastic building salmon fishing flashers.

Kirk

[beachbowhunter]

Yeah I get that. I would too if I had a different set up.  I need the extra height to get the piece above the rub wheel and onto the sand paper of the robo-sander. It works well for the few I have, or will make.

[Mad Max]

Your riser block needs to be about 1/16" thicker than the finished thickness.
I have some Spalted Osage from a 100 year old dead tree behind the bow shop I want to use.
It has a knot on one side and some cracks on the other.



I mixed up some Devcon 2 ton epoxy with a little Aceton (3 times) to thin it some and poured it in the cracks last week.



I've had these Mosaic stripes for 8 years or so, So I'm going to use them.
Wenge, HR Maple and white  and black Phenolic.
Padauk lams. All 3 are about .041 or so thick--.125



One last check if the pattern sander is square to the table.



I used my paper template so I would know where the stripe needs to be, I want to include the Knot hole
The dry run looks good


All glued up, and wipe the glue off both sides.

[Kirkll]

Nice job Max... came out looking cool!

[Mad Max]

Thank you Kirk
Second strip tomorrow

[Crooked Stic]

Osage is just really hard to beat in a riser.

[Mad Max]

Osage is just really hard to beat in a riser.

[Kirkll]

Osage is just really hard to beat in a riser.

It makes great firewood too....   Kirk

[Crooked Stic]

Noooo
Unless it just scrubby