How I made the fluted knob

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dasgud
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How I made the fluted knob

Post by dasgud »

Algale asked how I did the knob for this table saw gauge:
[ATTACH]12577[/ATTACH]

You can see that it started as a laminated block of wood, alternating oak and walnut. All I did was drill through the block in a circle pattern to get the flutes, then I cut the circle with a hole saw. By plan I should have bisected all the holes, but that was only in theory... :( In actuality I didn't drill the holes in a perfect circle.
After I cut the circle with the hole saw, I cut along one of the laminated lines with the bandsaw and then countersunk and drilled for a carriage bolt. Cutting right at the transition from oak to walnut helped hide the cross cut line. The bolt screws through a threaded insert in the gauge block. After all those operations I glued the top back to the bottom.
To help me align for gluing I clamped 3/8" dowels into the flutes and that kept it from moving while the glue dried.
After the glue dried I mounted the bolt into the jacobs chuck and turned the knob to it's final shape.
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algale
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Post by algale »

Thanks. Pretty clever. I incorrectly assumed you used a router with some fancy jig to cut the flutes.
dasgud
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Post by dasgud »

I considered that hehehe. It would have been a lot more complicated but I wanted to try. I decided to just keep it simple.
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algale
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Post by algale »

Simple is usually best.
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nuhobby
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Post by nuhobby »

Wow, simple IS good! Great job!

Here's my jig I used one time to "flute" a screwdriver handle. Better ones have been posted by others!
http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/attachm ... 1225671909
Chris
charlese
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Post by charlese »

dasgud - Once again someone shows that sometimes, flutes are nothing more than half holes. Excellent thinking!!!:D Excellent technique!!:D
Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
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