I want to make a couple of dozen OAK shim/wedges just like those cheap pine
packs you pick up for door shimming. These need to stay hard, and bear with
a little pounding. They will be disposable.

I have seen a device that worked with, or replaced a fence on a table saw,
and it had adjustable angles. For cutting larger triangular pieces.

Where can I look to find such an item or instructions? I want to keep it
cheap, safe to use, and be able to make repeatable finished shims.

Finished shim would be 1.5" w, and 8" long, or about the same as common
softwood shims.

Steve

"Steve B" wrote:

I want to make a couple of dozen OAK shim/wedges just like those
cheap pine packs you pick up for door shimming. These need to stay
hard, and bear with a little pounding. They will be disposable.

I have seen a device that worked with, or replaced a fence on a
table saw, and it had adjustable angles. For cutting larger
triangular pieces.
------------------------------------------------------
This is not a job for a table saw IMHO.

Rather you want either a hand power planer or a router with
a 1" straight bit.

Mount a piece of 1/2" x 6" x 24" ply to the router base with a
couple of 3/4" x 3/4" 6" cleats to limit lateral movement.

Build a "U" shaped shoe that has sloped sides to match desired
taper, say 8:1 or 12:1.

Opps, hit send to quick.
-----------------------------------------------------
"Steve B" wrote:

I want to make a couple of dozen OAK shim/wedges just like those
cheap pine packs you pick up for door shimming. These need to stay
hard, and bear with a little pounding. They will be disposable.

I have seen a device that worked with, or replaced a fence on a
table saw, and it had adjustable angles. For cutting larger
triangular pieces.
------------------------------------------------------
This is not a job for a table saw IMHO.

Rather you want either a hand power planer or a router with
a 1" straight bit.

Mount a piece of 1/2" x 6" x 24" ply to the router base with a
couple of 3/4" x 3/4" 6" cleats to limit lateral movement.

Build a "U" shaped shoe that has sloped sides to match desired
taper, say 8:1 or 12:1, and a flat bottom.

==============================================
Rest of info.

Clamp shoe in vice and part into shoe.

Cut taper then cross cut to length with a chop saw.

I used a power planer to make about 100 ,16:1 scarf's
in 5/8" x 1-1/2" x 24 ft splines which when glued together
made 72' long splines for a boat mold I built.

Have fun.

Lew

Steve - this is a true 2 minute drill. Lay a 2X4 flat across your
table/sawhorses and saw away with your circular saw.

Every time I hand doors, shim cabinets, adjust siding/trims and the
multitude of other tasks that need or can benefit from a wedge shaped
shim, I cut them with my circular saw.

I cut the first shim at an angle from about 1/4" to nothing, about 8"
long. The next cut is straight, giving you another wedge. Alternate
your angles back and forth with a straight cut. When you finish
across the width of the board, it should have several shims that are
ready to trim off the board as the thicker side will remain. Cut
those and you are finished.

No kidding.. give it a try. It is honestly about 2 minutes to get 25
wedges. Also, when I need different sizes, I just vary the width of
cut as I go and have a handful of 1/4", 3/8", and a couple of 1/2".
You can cut as many as you want, the size and length you want in
seconds out of 2X4 scrap..

Robert

Steve B wrote:
I want to make a couple of dozen OAK shim/wedges just like those
cheap pine packs you pick up for door shimming. These need to stay
hard, and bear with a little pounding. They will be disposable.

I have seen a device that worked with, or replaced a fence on a table
saw, and it had adjustable angles. For cutting larger triangular
pieces.
Where can I look to find such an item or instructions? I want to
keep it cheap, safe to use, and be able to make repeatable finished
shims.
Finished shim would be 1.5" w, and 8" long, or about the same as
common softwood shims.

1. make some pieces 8" long and as wide as possible

2. set miter gauge so that you'll get pieces 1 1/2" wide

3. rip off both sides

4. set miter gauge to give you a normal cross cut

5. rip off both sides

6. goto #2



--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

"Steve B" wrote in :

I want to make a couple of dozen OAK shim/wedges just like those cheap pine
packs you pick up for door shimming. These need to stay hard, and bear with
a little pounding. They will be disposable.

I have seen a device that worked with, or replaced a fence on a table saw,
and it had adjustable angles. For cutting larger triangular pieces.

Not really very safe for cutting skinny triangular pieces, though....

Where can I look to find such an item or instructions? I want to keep it
cheap, safe to use, and be able to make repeatable finished shims.

Got a bandsaw? That's how I make mine, with this simple jig:

http://milmac.com/ShopPhotos/TaperedShimJig.jpg

Approximate dimensions:
Front to back 8-1/4"
Left to right at the end with the stop: 4-3/4"
Left to right at the other end: 5-1/16"

There's nothing magic about the specific dimensions, I just happened to have a piece of
scrap 5-1/16 x 8-1/4" when I made this. The only really important dimensions are the length
(needs to be approximately the same length as the length of shims you want to make) and the
difference in width between the front and rear ends (needs to be about 1/4" to 5/16" to get the
proper taper on an 8" shim).

Finished shim would be 1.5" w, and 8" long, or about the same as common
softwood shims.

Yep.

On 2/25/2013 8:19 AM, Doug Miller wrote:
"Steve wrote in :

I want to make a couple of dozen OAK shim/wedges just like those cheap pine
packs you pick up for door shimming. These need to stay hard, and bear with
a little pounding. They will be disposable.

I have seen a device that worked with, or replaced a fence on a table saw,
and it had adjustable angles. For cutting larger triangular pieces.

Not really very safe for cutting skinny triangular pieces, though....

Where can I look to find such an item or instructions? I want to keep it
cheap, safe to use, and be able to make repeatable finished shims.

Got a bandsaw? That's how I make mine, with this simple jig:

http://milmac.com/ShopPhotos/TaperedShimJig.jpg

Approximate dimensions:
Front to back 8-1/4"
Left to right at the end with the stop: 4-3/4"
Left to right at the other end: 5-1/16"

There's nothing magic about the specific dimensions, I just happened to have a piece of
scrap 5-1/16 x 8-1/4" when I made this. The only really important dimensions are the length
(needs to be approximately the same length as the length of shims you want to make) and the
difference in width between the front and rear ends (needs to be about 1/4" to 5/16" to get the
proper taper on an 8" shim).

Finished shim would be 1.5" w, and 8" long, or about the same as common
softwood shims.

Yep.

That's a keeper. I ripped off the picture. Thanks!

--
 GW Ross 

 The world owes you nothing. It was 
 here first. -- Twain 

"Doug Miller" wrote

Got a bandsaw? That's how I make mine, with this simple jig:

http://milmac.com/ShopPhotos/TaperedShimJig.jpg

Approximate dimensions:
Front to back 8-1/4"
Left to right at the end with the stop: 4-3/4"
Left to right at the other end: 5-1/16"

There's nothing magic about the specific dimensions, I just happened to
have a piece of
scrap 5-1/16 x 8-1/4" when I made this. The only really important
dimensions are the length
(needs to be approximately the same length as the length of shims you want
to make) and the
difference in width between the front and rear ends (needs to be about
1/4" to 5/16" to get the
proper taper on an 8" shim).

I like it. I particularly like the complete instructions written on the jig
itself. Nothing to remember or get confused about. It is all there, in
plain view. I have written things on jigs before, but not in that complete
detail. Good job there Doug.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/works...ng-wedges.aspx

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item...r-the-tablesaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=988NttsgvYc


--
Better to be stuck up in a tree than tied to one.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland - lwasserm(a)sdf. lonestar.org

wrote in message
...
Steve - this is a true 2 minute drill. Lay a 2X4 flat across your
table/sawhorses and saw away with your circular saw.

Every time I hand doors, shim cabinets, adjust siding/trims and the
multitude of other tasks that need or can benefit from a wedge shaped
shim, I cut them with my circular saw.

I cut the first shim at an angle from about 1/4" to nothing, about 8"
long. The next cut is straight, giving you another wedge. Alternate
your angles back and forth with a straight cut. When you finish
across the width of the board, it should have several shims that are
ready to trim off the board as the thicker side will remain. Cut
those and you are finished.

No kidding.. give it a try. It is honestly about 2 minutes to get 25
wedges. Also, when I need different sizes, I just vary the width of
cut as I go and have a handful of 1/4", 3/8", and a couple of 1/2".
You can cut as many as you want, the size and length you want in
seconds out of 2X4 scrap..

Robert

I NEED it to be built of a hardwood, as it will be the shim under a pecan
that is about to be cracked. The cracker works by the principle of
compressing the nut from both ends at the same moment with the same force.
I need the shim to slide under the bottom plate so that the top of the nut
sticks out just so far. Each nut will be different, so I will have to move
it a lot, and with multiple strikes, a pine 2 x 4 would be too soft of a
wood to withstand the beating.

This is total experimentation, so just trying ideas until I get it right,
then I can look towards mechanized higher output.

Steve

On 2/26/2013 5:56 PM, Steve B wrote:

I NEED it to be built of a hardwood, as it will be the shim under a pecan
that is about to be cracked.

Too bad you're not here ... I have three perfect, red oak wedges left
over from tapering four chair legs this afternoon.

Hate to toss them ... you never know when a shim will come in handy.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

"Swingman" wrote in message
...
On 2/26/2013 5:56 PM, Steve B wrote:

I NEED it to be built of a hardwood, as it will be the shim under a pecan
that is about to be cracked.

Too bad you're not here ... I have three perfect, red oak wedges left over
from tapering four chair legs this afternoon.

Hate to toss them ... you never know when a shim will come in handy.


I have so many small pieces of "stuff", plus other various "stuff". If I
toss it, I generally need it within 72 hours, no matter if I have had it
laying around here for ten years.

I have even considered having these made of steel.

Steve

On Feb 26, 6:00*pm, Swingman wrote:

Too bad you're not here ... I have three perfect, red oak wedges left
over from tapering four chair legs this afternoon.

Hate to toss them ... you never know when a shim will come in handy.

Red oak is perfect for smoking meats. As is my custom, the nice clean
hardwood scraps from my projects go into my smoking woods bag for
later use.

Talk about tight fisted..... ;^)

Robert

On Feb 26, 9:55*pm, "
wrote:
On Feb 26, 6:00*pm, Swingman wrote:

Too bad you're not here ... I have three perfect, red oak wedges left
over from tapering four chair legs this afternoon.

Hate to toss them ... you never know when a shim will come in handy.

Red oak is perfect for smoking meats. *As is my custom, the nice clean
hardwood scraps from my projects go into my smoking woods bag for
later use.

Talk about tight fisted..... *;^)

Robert

I took up walking almost two years ago. I recommend it, but it gets
boring sometimes. My walking time is during my morning and evening
workday commute, so I retrace the same collection of routes pretty
often. Sometimes I really change it up and walk in an entirely
different direction.

On one such evening I passed a business named Norwegian Wood. They
apparently install hardwood flooring. There were some workers outside
who looked a shade or two darker than most Norwegians, so perhaps the
boss is simply a Beatles fan. They were barbecuing on one of those big
"half of an oil drum" grills and I could smell the steak and chicken a
block away. I got a better look as I walked past. The fuel? Cutoff
ends of solid tongue and groove oak.

On 2/26/2013 8:55 PM, wrote:
On Feb 26, 6:00 pm, Swingman wrote:

Too bad you're not here ... I have three perfect, red oak wedges left
over from tapering four chair legs this afternoon.

Hate to toss them ... you never know when a shim will come in handy.

Red oak is perfect for smoking meats. As is my custom, the nice clean
hardwood scraps from my projects go into my smoking woods bag for
later use.

Talk about tight fisted..... ;^)

Robert


That is what a majority of my hard wood scraps is for, at least they
make starting the fire easier.

On Feb 27, 7:44*am, Leon lcb11211@swbelldotnet wrote:

That is what a majority of my hard wood scraps is for, at least they
make starting the fire easier.


I got in that habit more and more when I was learning to turn wood.
Projects and objects d' art seem to quickly turn to scrap and even fly
apart at 3000 rpm.

Plus, after working all afternoon on piece only to have it crack, warp
or break in the final stages ****ed me off. I get a weird
satisfaction out of burning up a broken bowl or cracked Christmas
ornament. I feel like I am getting even.

Robert

On Feb 26, 10:06*pm, Greg Guarino wrote:

On one such evening I passed a business named Norwegian Wood. They
apparently install hardwood flooring. There were some workers outside
who looked a shade or two darker than most Norwegians, so perhaps the
boss is simply a Beatles fan.

OK... that made me laugh out loud! Maybe they were from the coastal
areas...

They were barbecuing on one of those big
"half of an oil drum" grills and I could smell the steak and chicken a
block away. I got a better look as I walked past. The fuel? Cutoff
ends of solid tongue and groove oak.

Not much better wood to do that with, either. That clean stuff lights
easy and goes to coals very nicely a lot faster than an oak branch
with bark attached. Also, in the pit you don't get an off flavors
from wet bark, fungus under the bark, and you know for sure the wood
isn't green.

When I was a house framer about 100 years ago, we found ourselves well
out of the way of any fast food restaurants to eat at when lunch came
around. We started packing out food and meat to the job and preparing
it there, taking a little longer for lunch than the accepted 30
minutes.

We built a site grill with three layers of concrete mesh lined up to
make the holes small, and this was later changed out to an old metal
refrigerator rack. We built a three cornered square pit with the rack
in it by stacking leftover bricks. We cooked sausage mostly as it was
easy, but toasted bread, heated up beans and some guys even heated up
their lunch (tacos around this part of South Texas) on a daily basis.

Nothing like a fresh hot meal at lunch when you are in the middle of
nowhere. Construction workers are natural born scroungers, and I
think there are some guys that can make just about anything out of
about just about nothing. Our little pit went with us from house to
house for a while, and was easily rebuilt as needed.

Robert

On 2/27/2013 3:02 PM, wrote:

Nothing like a fresh hot meal at lunch when you are in the middle of
nowhere. Construction workers are natural born scroungers, and I
think there are some guys that can make just about anything out of
about just about nothing. Our little pit went with us from house to
house for a while, and was easily rebuilt as needed.

My painters, and tile guys/gals, all bring microwaves onsite.

Sitting on paint buckets in the shade, and heating up homemade tacos and
burritos at noon, then onto a piece of cardboard from the dumpster for a
siesta, is daily SOP.

Smells so good sometimes I have to go find a Mexican joint, instead of
my usual fruit lunch ...

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://plus.google.com/114902129577517371552/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

On Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:22:57 -0600, Swingman wrote:

On 2/27/2013 3:02 PM, wrote:

Nothing like a fresh hot meal at lunch when you are in the middle of
nowhere. Construction workers are natural born scroungers, and I
think there are some guys that can make just about anything out of
about just about nothing. Our little pit went with us from house to
house for a while, and was easily rebuilt as needed.

My painters, and tile guys/gals, all bring microwaves onsite.

Sitting on paint buckets in the shade, and heating up homemade tacos and
burritos at noon, then onto a piece of cardboard from the dumpster for a
siesta, is daily SOP.

Smells so good sometimes I have to go find a Mexican joint, instead of
my usual fruit lunch ...

My last job was running a boom truck for an electrical contractor so
never knew where I would end up at lunch time, and if there was
something hanging from the boom I wasn't moving. The truck had a
welder generator on it so I had a small microwave in one of the tool
boxes. Never did care for fast food so it worked well in the wet NW
winters.

Mike M