Official Luthiers Forum!

Guys and gals,
Im in need of some type of idiot proof jig to cut the lap joint in my xbraces. Currently I do them one at a time on the table saw, which works great. But each time I do this im left thinking there has to be a better, quicker and easier way to do it AND get the joint perfect.
I welcome all comments and ideas.
Thanks!

Lance

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

How about THIS

I never tried it myself, but looks fool proof. Try it and let me know if it works Lance!
Tracy

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Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

How long does it take everyone else?

A backsaw and a chisel get me a perfect joint; takes about 2 minutes, including "set up" time (which is the amount of time it takes to pull out the saw and chisel and flip up the stop on my bench.

I do mine hand and it doesnt take long at all. IMO its a job where making a jig might not be worth the amount of time and effort you put into it.

Yes, but at this particular moment, Lance is cutting 10 sets of bracing at a time, right Lance?   

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Lance,

Have you ever thought of using a router bit matched to the width of your X Brace? It should be possible set up a jig to hold both x brace pieces and then either run them over a router cutter using a sliding fence or keep the two pieces staiotnary and guide the router over them. Setting the depth would be crucial, but the router bit should provide the correct width.

regards

Tim

I'm with Kelby and kiwigeo on this. pencil, saw and chisel at the time of
bracing has never taken more than a minute or two at the most. If you did
want to cut the joint in bulk, I would think the table saw or radial arm to be
the perfect way to go.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

A sharp pencil, a good eye and a sharp chisel n' saw is all I needed. Get the angle right as per plans, then saw within the pencil marks, giving yourself leeway...filing the excess away little by little and trying the joint each time before you get a comfy fit.

I guess I am too impatient for jigs....(shush, Martin... )Sam Price38977.4610763889

I do like the idea of a jig with a router.

Tracy, that jig is pretty cool!
I guess a pencil and a sharp saw is all I need a this time!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

[QUOTE=Sam Price]
I guess I am too impatient for jigs....(shush, Martin... )[/QUOTE]

Oh I looooove jigs. If Lance is batch building 10 guitars at a time then my comments may not be valid. For someone like myself who only has a maximum of 3 guitars on the go at one time the time spent building the jig versus time saved using same makes it a pointless exercise.

Re marking with a pencil before cutting...I mark up using a chisel. Ditto for marking cuts for braces on my back reinforcing strips.

Cheers

At Pantheon we used a table saw with a dado blade set up. With a sliding jig with the proper angles cut you can cut lots of them and fast.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Lance - Frank Finocchio has an utterly foolproof lap joint jig in the form of a dedicated table saw sled. I used this in his course this spring. Let me dig for a picture, but I can also try to describe it to you or draw a picture if all else fails. Give me a couple of days.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Lance, I agree with a table saw sled. You could also e-mail Rob Bustos, one of the times I was in his shop I noticed that he had a lot X's radiused shaped and jioned, redy to be placed on tops. He would have been using whatever Larrivee uses I suspect.

Shane

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Canada

Another of your fine jigs that made it into my jigs file Terry!

Thanks Man! You rock!

[QUOTE=jtkirby] Lance - Frank Finocchio has an utterly foolproof lap joint jig in the form of a dedicated table saw sled. I used this in his course this spring. Let me dig for a picture, but I can also try to describe it to you or draw a picture if all else fails. Give me a couple of days.

[/QUOTE]

Yeah, please do. Last time I was out to see Frank he didn't even have a table saw. I would be curious.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

When I was at Frank's we cut them by hand, just like he does in his video series. I'd like to see the jig too.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars