Brace radius jig

[Roger Häggström]

Made a jig to give brace blanks a small radius, 30" for the top braces and 20" for the bottom ones, using a toggle clamp, a long plane and a shooting board.

The jig clamped to the workbench. It has two templates with the radius for the bottom and top bracing, a hold down clamp and two wedges on the shooting board. One brace blank is formed to a standard size.

Notice the piece of 3M 80 grit sandpaper cut into the surface where the toggle clamp clamps on to the brace. It prevents the brace to slip with less force from the clamp

The brace blank clamped down in the middle, the wedges gives the brace blank the right curve

The curve matches the template.

The bottom of the brace blank is planed straight. When the clamp is off, the brace blank will spring back and give the bottom almost exactly the same shape as the template.

The numbers for each 4 cm from the center makes it easier to put the blank ruffly in the middle measuring only with the eye. The whole jig is also hanged flat together with other sheets for other jigs on the wall using the two holes in the plywood.

[George Roberts]

Roger, I really like your jig.  An elegant solution that at first glance (to me) seemed backwards, but that makes it all the more interesting.

[Roger Häggström]

Yes, i'ts a bit out of the box and a mirror image of what you normally do! But it does work. The bottom of the brace is always perfectly 90 degrees and with a really sharp plane the surface will be like a mirror. Will give the HHG the best possible surface if the top/bottom is also scraped shiny and flat.

[sylvan]

Now take your idea and build a jig that will use it with the table saw. Much quicker and even more accurate. It is how I cut my braces over the last fifteen years.

[Redacted]

1.  Using a plane results in a superior gluing surface.

2.  I can't see how a table saw could be anymore accurate that a properly constructed and spec'd jig.

3.  See number one.