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Adjustable angle plate.


Bill Hudson

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In line with Elga's tutorial on using the mill Here is an angle plate I bought from Sherline for my  Sherline mill.  It may be too large for the Proxxon but something similar could be made from two pieces of thin plywood and a hinge.  

 

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To accurately adjust the angle and hold it I recommend a set of angle plates.  These are Chinese and fairly cheap on E-Bay. 

 

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I have seen the angle plate on Sherline's website, so far for the things I did need to do at an angle...I thought it looks like it may be a bit bulky and that the front would get in my way for seeing what I am doing?

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Bill - I would suggest using an appropriate size butt hinge without the plywood.  And although I love my precision angle set and find them useful for many things, in this case I would use them to precisely set my miter guage and then cut a wood wedge that could be screwed on the inside of the butt hinge to set and hold the correct angle.  Otherwise I just know I would lose or damage one of the angles from the set.

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Oh... this morning I was thinking about the use of this setup... and I was thinking that I could use this setup to make raised panels... would other members be more inclined to use their mill for raised panels or their table saw to make them?  I think my alternative it to make the panels on my table saw and tilt the blade appropriately with a much taller piece of wood attached to the fence.  I like this method better... I perceive safer for my fingers.

 

I need to make raised panels for my room where my Guild Study Program fireplace & over mantle will reside.

 

If this question is not appropriate for this topic, please let me know and I'll move it...?

 

Thanks -

 

Tamra

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Tamra, the two times that I have made panels I used my mill.

In the photo on the right side are furniture door panels for a secretary that I still need to finish, for this panel we used a router bit that one of my friends in our club made, something I still want to learn how to do. On the left are door panels for my Cape Dutch house, I used both a big ball shaped cutter and a straight cutter to make these. I think a lot depends on the profile that you want for your wall panels. For my panels with the shaped tops I used pin routing but without a jig this time, just sliding the panel against the pin, in this case the you position the cutter for how wide and deep you want to cut into your panels, you would be able to use your dremel in a stand for this and I think it would be safer than using a table saw plus give you a lot more options for the shape of your profile.

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Elga, your panels look lovely; husband indicates he would call both of your panels cathedral raised panels... the panels are both lovely.  I think raised panels are categorized in traditional (rectangle), arched and cathedral styles. 

 

E-8 English Bedroom of the Georgian Period requires traditional raised panels.  I think I may try and use my unimat though and set it up as a mill, as it will give me another puzzle to work through...

 

Oh, so much to do, and so little time...

 

Tamra

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Well, the obvious just popped into my head - in real life you would make raised panels on a shaper... so in miniature I wonder what kind of router bit is in the stash that I could make these with a router.  I think that proxxon also has a micro shaper... so I will have to see if I have a router bit that I can use for raised panels...

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  • 2 months later...

For creating the angles...I generate the angle in a CAD program (or you can do it in a graphics program such as Corel or Illustrator).Then print it out, spray glue the paper to a board, tack wood strips against each line of the angle as stops right at the printed lines of the angle leaving a little open gap at the apex. Then use a bevel gauge in that jig, spread it open against the stops and lock it. With this method and careful work in creating the jigs you are not stuck using gauges that are made only in 5 degree increments.

 

I create sets of these angle board jigs for things such as the miter angle and saw blade tilt for multi sided roofs or tapered boxes. Those multi-sided taper angles frequently do not result in full degree increments but the CAD program does not care as it will give you the precision of angle you input into it given of course the number of places of precision you calibrate the program for. Not that in reality you could actually achieve that high of precision with basic shop equipment but you can of course get acceptably tight joints.

 

Small sized bevel gauges can be purchased or made.

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Karin, I have Corel Draw X6.  I know we have standard size bevel gauges.  I understand and am following you through the 2nd sentence, "Then print it out...".    I could really use a picture or a link to the set up of using the bevel gauge to create the jig.

 

I think there is a lesson here for me to learn, about "multi-sided taper angles"... which CAD program are you using?  Are you using CAD/CAM to manufacture multiple parts?

 

To make raised panels, another option is to tilt my micro mark saw blade and cut the wood on its end, but I think I like the mill setup best, because my fingers are safer.  In terms of X-Y Travel; it is nice that the machine is doing the moving.  If I use a router setup my fingers are near the cutter, below the overhead router if using it like a pin router setup  or above the cutter if I have the router mounted on the underside of the table.

 

But in standard size we would use a shaper and the cutter creates the angle for the raised panel. 

 

I would also like to see examples of multi sided roofs and tapered boxes.

 

Tamra

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Tamra, I don't have any photos of tapered boxes but I do discuss some of this in a posting I did on my blog a few years ago where I was talking about making an 8 sided roof. There is a photo showing a bevel gauge sitting inside of the jig I made for setting it to an angle of 37.7 degrees that was generated and printed out from my CAD program. I was not actually using the bevel gauge on the project I was making but I wanted to include a photo of it to show how it can be done with that method.  http://www.karincorbin.blogspot.com/2009/07/8-sided-roof-tutorial.html

 

Once upon a time I was using a pair of  trig formulas and scientific calculator to figure out the angles for cutting multi sided tapered objects such as roofs and boxes but around 10 years ago I found a terrific online calculator that does the task in seconds.

http://www.csgnetwork.com/sawmitercalc.html

 

So yet another example of a situation where I am using technology not to directly make the miniatures but instead using it to create the shop aids for assisting in the making of them.

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Here is the link from my blog on making a raised door panel insert the quick and easy way on a table saw without risking my fingers.

Be aware that the project I am making here was not a high end furniture cabinet panel. It was for a well weathered, seaside cottage, front door where I was going to beat up and even put a split into the panel for authenticity.  So at times like this when I want to keep my fingers safe when putting a small part through the tilt arbor table saw but not invest a lot of time in making fixtures there is good old double sided tape, it met my production needs for that day's task :) I have used that particular tape for a lot of years so I know its grip strength and there was no real risk going on with my using it for work holding on this task.

http://www.karincorbin.blogspot.com/2009/10/beveling-inset-door-panel.html

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Karin, these are very good suggestions!  I normally just laser cut a custom "angle plate" triangle but I really like your ideas - clever and flexible.  Thanks!

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Karin, thank you for posting a link so I could understand the mitered roof pieces.  Now I understand.  I just use our compound miter saw for the primary cuts, but I have not ever undercut the panels for that perfect fit for a miniature structure.  I'm currently limited to 12" due to the size of the blade,  therefore with our equipment and this setup, my roof could not exceed 24"  because we have not upgraded to a sliding compound miter saw.  My fingers are safe using this piece of equipment. 

 

Once we did a dome top on a life size needlework case, so I do understand what you have accomplished with your beautiful garden structures for our feathered friends.

 

I use our miter saw whenever possible.

 

It is good to see so many options for the tools we already own.

 

The calculator is great.

 

I'm curious... has anyone considered a 3 way square?  I first saw this tool when we got estimates for replacing our windows and the contractor used it to measure the pitch of our window sills, if you want to measure the angle of the table in a milling application.  I immediately thought this would be really useful for determining the pitch of a miniature roof.  I am really not trying to hijack the thread, so please forgive me, but I think the 3 way square is applicable for making sure my table is square or at the specified angle when milling.

 

Are there disadvantages to using a 3 way square for milling?

 

Tamra

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  • 2 weeks later...

Karin, thank you for posting a link so I could understand the mitered roof pieces.  Now I understand.  I just use our compound miter saw for the primary cuts, but I have not ever undercut the panels for that perfect fit for a miniature structure.  I'm currently limited to 12" due to the size of the blade,  therefore with our equipment and this setup, my roof could not exceed 24"  because we have not upgraded to a sliding compound miter saw.  My fingers are safe using this piece of equipment. 

 

Once we did a dome top on a life size needlework case, so I do understand what you have accomplished with your beautiful garden structures for our feathered friends.

 

I use our miter saw whenever possible.

 

It is good to see so many options for the tools we already own.

 

The calculator is great.

 

I'm curious... has anyone considered a 3 way square?  I first saw this tool when we got estimates for replacing our windows and the contractor used it to measure the pitch of our window sills, if you want to measure the angle of the table in a milling application.  I immediately thought this would be really useful for determining the pitch of a miniature roof.  I am really not trying to hijack the thread, so please forgive me, but I think the 3 way square is applicable for making sure my table is square or at the specified angle when milling.

 

Are there disadvantages to using a 3 way square for milling?

 

Tamra

Tamra, you are not a carpenter, you are a machinist :)

 

You don't use carpentry tools to determine if your work is square to the spindle. There are specific tools and procedures you use to check that. The procedure is called "tramming". You can see video lessons on it on the internet including doing it on mini mill.  If you have never trammed your mill to make sure the table is level that is the place to start with. You would also want to tram your vise or other holding fixtures if you have one mounted to the milling table.

 

So let's say you have the table trammed so it is nice and level but now you want to put a fixture or vise on it and be sure it is square to the table. This video while showing the procedure on a large milling machine will show you the basics of how it's done to a high degree of precision without a lot of tears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r50TYp98Vgk

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Oh, I wish I were a machinist!  I think apprentice's apprentice machinist is more applicable to moi. ;)  June 2015 was my first experience with a metal lathe... my entire life as a miniaturist before June 2015 has been spent in a woodshop.

 

Thank you Karin, the you tube video will be most helpful in learning to tram when I use my uni.  Jim says he has a dro in the shop but I haven't found it yet.  I'll review the video tonite.

 

But actually, I think I do need carpentry skills, because my underlying problem is how to cut the angles of the roof line for my dream structure. It is the roof lines and the stairs that keep me from cutting plywood and beginning this build.  I'm not cutting a piece of plywood until I have the stairs built.... and in theory I don't think I should build the structure unless I can figure out the roof.  This is the one time in my creative life that I am going to impose discipline upon myself, as if I don't do these two things first, I will have another unfinished project.  I only have a façade of the structure; it is a picture of the front of the house at an angle... but as near as I can find in my research, I think it is in the style of a Barber Turn of the Century House.  But I love the Georgian Period... classical Colonial and still undecided--- do I want a mansion in theory, or a lovely period structure that if I were a miniature person, would live in... Even if I were infinitely wealthy I don't think I would be comfortable living in a mansion - so the artistic conversation continues in my brain and I haven't made a decision...  and there is only room in my home for one dream structure, so two isn't a choice.  I'm not going to make a bunch of stuff to get rid of when I have to theoretically downsize... wherever I live, this structure is coming with me. 

 

So I might be the only miniaturist who will build her dream miniature structure from the roof down.  You know you see a picture,,, and you know your creative life isn't fulfilled until you make that "one"... I know everyone has experienced this..

 

Tamra

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Getting into describing how to design and cut a complex dollhouse roof is a whole other topic other than one does create a  fixture to present the parts to the cutting tool in situations where you are making what is an acute angle cut  the edge of the board. That can be done with various methods of panel raising cuts. But for a larger section such as a dollhouse roof I use a full size table saw with a larger fence to ride against. It is critical for this type of cut that you align the fence and the saw blade to dead parallel so that the bevel is true. Sometimes people keep their saw blade fences set at a slight angle to prevent kickback but that would not be suitable for this cut.  Most of the major woodworking forums show articles on making and using this type of jig.

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