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| This is a picture of the jig used to cut out the chip holder areas with a router. Using this jig allows the corners of the chip areas to be rounded, which is a nice touch. The jig was built around one of the boards used to make the octagon pieces. The boards marked 1 are 7" appart, which is the width of each of the boards. Then, a rectagle measuring 10-1/2" x 15" (on the inside) is built and attached on top of the 2 boards. This rectangle can be made any size, it just depends on how large you want your chip area to be. The distance from the edge of my router plate to the bit that will be used to cut out the chip areas is 2-1/2" (see second picture), therefore, the hole that is cut out will be 5" smaller than the dimensions of the rectangle (2-1/2" from each guide, see pieces marked 2 and 3). Therefore, a rectagle measuring 10-1/2" x 15" will cut out a hole 5-1/2" x 10". If this is confusing, keep reading on, and as you see the process it may make more sense. The screw (marked with a 4) is used to secure the board to the jig. This screw also marks the center of the hole that will be cut out for the drop in cup holder. Also, a mark at the top left of the jig (marked with a 5) is drawn on the jig 1-1/2" in from the edge of the guide. This mark will be lined up with a mark on each of the 8 boards to assure that the chip holder area is cut out in exactly the same spot for each of the 8 boards. |
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| First, you'll want to cut out 8 equal boards from your 6' x 8" pine boards. I cut each of my boards 24 inches long (so you can get 3 pieces from each 6' board). As expected, factory cut boards are not exactly the same width (the boards I purchased varried approx 1/8" in width), so using my table saw, I cut each board so that they were all exactly 7" in width. You will need 8 boards to built the octagon ring. Examine each board and determine which side you will want facing up and which way you will want the front to be, and then mark it somehow (I used painter's table and marked a "F" for the front). This will assure that you won't get mixed up later on when making your cuts. | )
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| Make a mark 3 1/4" in on the top left hand corder of each board. This mark will be lined up with a mark on the top left corner of the jig (see step #1 above), and will assure that each chip holder area is cut out in an equal spot on each board. | )
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| Place the board in the jig as shown. As you can see, the bottom 2 rails on the jig hold the piece in place. The rectangle on top of the jig is used to guide the router in a rectagle to cut out the chip holder area. If you look at the top left corner of the jig, you'll see the pencil mark that is used to line up the jig and the board. On the right side of the jig, you'll see a screw (next to the blue tape) that is screwed through the jig and into the board. This screw will keep the board from sliding during the cutting process. This screw will also be used to mark the center of the hole that will be cut out for the drink holder later on. This allows you to screw the jig to the board without having a screw hole show up in the final project. | ) |
| The first cut for the chip area hole will be made with a jig saw. Therefore, you will need to trace out exactly where the chip holder area will be. Remember in step #1, the distance from the guide plate on my router to the bit was exactly 2 1/2", therefore, using a ruler, I made a mark 2 1/2" from each edge of the guide on to the board, and then drew out the rectangle. This will designate exactly where the router will cut out the chip holder area. | )
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| Now we will rought cut the rectangle out of each of the boards with a jig saw. This removes most of the material, and allows for the router to make a clean cut without the chance of wood splitting or jerking, which could cause gouges and wood burns. When making the cut with the jig saw, cut the hole approx 1/4" smaller than the rectangle that you drew out on the board. This leaves a minimal amount of material for the router to remove. |
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| After cutting the hole out, mount the board back into the jig, making sure to line up the mark on the top corner of the jig to the 3 1/4" mark on the board, and attach the board to the jig with the screw on the right. | )
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| When using the router to cut out the square, you want to be able to keep the router level or the sides of the chip holder areas will not be perpendicular. Therefore, I used a piece of MDF along with one of the scraps left over from cutting out the hole with the jig saw. I screwed down the scrap, which will provide support for the router when making the cut. In addition, since the router bit will remove a slight amount of material below the thickness of the board that is being routed, I cut a 1/8" trench around the support piece for the router bit to ride in. | ) | ) |
| The jig fastens to the table with 4 screws on the outside of the jig. | )
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| I made 2 passes around the hole with the router, the first pass taking off all but about 1/16", then the second pass removes the remainder of the material. Perform this step for all 8 of your boards. Then, using 150 & 400 grit sandpaper, sand the inside of each cut out hole to a smooth finish. It will be much easier to sand them now, then waiting later when the table is put together. | )
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