On 4 Jul 2005 21:47:27 -0700, wrote:

I am looking for a source from which to purchase bulk wood hexagons cut
from 3/4-inch MDF that are 3.5 inches across (which I think means that
each side must be one (1) inch. I need these parts to be extremely
precise so I cannot just take my jigsaw and cut them by hand. I think
I remember reading somewhere that there is a tool/accessory that some
woodworkers have that allows them to cut exact duplicate shapes from
4X8 sheets??

I don't want to spoil any potential business for Morris, but if you
can't afford a couple of sheets of plywood instead of MDF, as you
state a little later in the thread, what are the odds of your being
able to pay for at least a couple of hours worth of time on a CNC
router?

If you've got a table saw, you can cut as many as you want, as
accurately as you can set a saw up (which is pretty accurate if you're
patient), with a decent fence and a couple of simple jigs. The trick
to making the pieces consistantly is to do all the reps of each op
before changing the setup, and verifying the setup every so often by
measuring a sample piece. I'd set up the fence, rip the entire sheet
into strips, then cut those strips into rhombuses with a miter guage
set to 30 degrees that has a hunk of flat scrap bolted to it as a
sacrificial extension, with a stop block screwed into that extension
on the far side of the blade to make sure each part is the same
length. Flip the rhobuses (or is it rhombii?) over and set the accute
corner against the stop block and viola, you have hexagons.

If you don't have a table saw, but do have a miter saw, you can buy
the MDF from a real lumber yard that has a shop on location, and have
them rip the sheet into strips. You'll have to pay them for the
service, but I used to do that before I had a table saw, and it wasn't
too terribly expensive. (IIRC, I had a local place rip 8 or 9 8"
planks of spruce into 1.5" wide strips for me, and it cost about seven
bucks) Then you can use a c-clamp to setup a stop block on the miter
saw fence, and cut away.

Both of these methods have the potential to be accurate to a 64th or
better, and they're a lot less expensive. Not to mention the fact
that you'll have some good experience doing it when all is said and
done, and you can say that you made them yourself. If you play your
cards right, you may even get a new tool or two out of the bargin.
MDF is cheap- even if you have to buy a saw, and mess up three or four
sheets before you get it right, you're still liable to save money
doing the job yourself.