Panel Jig: Attaching the Runners?

[David Carter]

Although I've already got five builds behind me, I am just now getting serious about constructing a panel jig for the next set of builds. A while back I tried it and had no success when the oak runners I cut weren't straight and would bind in the slots on my saw. At that point, I just gave up and built my cabs without one. I have since purchased some strips of some sort of polymer material (can't remember what it's called) that look like the same stuff white plastic cutting boards are made of. Anyway, I intend to use those for my runners, but I'm trying to figure out the best way to attach them.

I know I need to attach them with countersunk screws, but I'm trying to come up with a reasonable way for them to stay in place while I do that. Am I correct in assuming that glue is not going to adhere very well so that's not a good option? What about brads to hold them in place while I screw them in? I've also decided it's probably good to drill the countersunk pilot holes into the runners before even setting them in the slots to line them up. That way I will not have to exert any force that may push them out of alignment once I've got them lined up and ready to screw down.

Any other helpful thoughts/recommendations?

[WB]

I would use many small flat head wood screws (probably #6's) and pre-drill, and counter sink all the holes in the plastic first. Then put both plastic pieces in the slots of the table top with the first hole of each hanging out. Attach with screw and then slide out to the other end and do the same. Then do all the rest by sliding the jig out one hole at a time. This assures the runners stay straight and parallel. Contact cement might help, not sure if you would need it though.

I'm assuming you're screwing into 1/2" baltic birch. What you could do to get maximum grip from each individual screw is to use a screw that is about 1/2" longer than necessary and then sand the tips off with a flapper style sanding disc on a grinder after the screw is threaded in the wood. There's very little holding power at the pointy tip of the screw.

[SoundInMotionDJ]

I use wood glue and clamps. I leave the runners & top on the saw until the glue is dry.

--Stan Graves

[Scott Brochu]

What about PL that stuff sticks to anything. Than after a day or two you can secure it with screws. Just an idea.

[SoundInMotionDJ]

I have since purchased some strips of some sort of polymer material (can't remember what it's called) that look like the same stuff white plastic cutting boards are made of.

Missed that part. For hardwood runners, wood glue is the best option.

For HDPE, almost nothing will stick to it...so screws are your best bet for attachment. Countersunk machines screws coming up from the bottom into countersunk H-nuts would be the most secure. Two per runner would be more than enough.

[Tom Smit]

My idea for you Dave is to put the slides in the slots, place the plywood on top and then clamp the slides to the plywood. Lift the whole business, flip, drill and fasten. BUT, I like WB's idea better!

TomS

[Harley]

Use 3/16" pop rivets.

Line the plastic guide rails up in your table saw grooves first, put the ply over the top and mark a centre line for each of the rails onto the play. Clamp the ply down so it does not move.

Mark 4" centres along the centre line, and drill 1/16" holes through the ply and plastic guides

Use a straight router bit that has the diameter just a gnat's whisker over the size of the OD of the pop rivet head.

Take the ply off and carefully plunge the router down over those marked centres so that they go down just over the height of the rivet head.

Next dll a 3/16" hole through the ply and the plastic rails.

Choose a rivet length that's the dimension of the bottom of the routed relief hole to the bottom of the rail.

Rivet and you're done.

NOTE - us only a drill that's exactly the size of the rivet - anything slightly larger that the rivet body diameter - and it's history!

[Scott Brochu]

Use 3/16" pop rivets.

Line the plastic guide rails up in your table saw grooves first, put the ply over the top and mark a centre line for each of the rails onto the play. Clamp the ply down so it does not move.

Mark 4" centres along the centre line, and drill 1/16" holes through the ply and plastic guides

Use a straight router bit that has the diameter just a gnat's whisker over the size of the OD of the pop rivet head.

Take the ply off and carefully plunge the router down over those marked centres so that they go down just over the height of the rivet head.

Next dll a 3/16" hole through the ply and the plastic rails.

Choose a rivet length that's the dimension of the bottom of the routed relief hole to the bottom of the rail.

Rivet and you're done.

NOTE - us only a drill that's exactly the size of the rivet - anything slightly larger that the rivet body diameter - and it's history!

and also to add.
Secure to the fence with a pipe clamp while the fence is up against the blade. Just so it doesn't move on you.

[David Carter]

Thanks for all the replies. I thought about the rivet method, but when I went to the store to look at rivet tools, the longest rivets I could find were 1/2" long. Not enough to go through a 3/4" board plus the runner. I pre-drilled and countersunk the holes in the runners as suggested by WB, and put in the screws from underneath. Something must have shifted slightly while I was doing it, however, because the runners want to bind a little bit about half way through. It's not bad enough to render the jig unusable, but it does require a couple of extra pushes at various points. I may fool with it some more later, but for now, it works. Cut a test panel out of a small piece of OSB I had laying around, and it came out perfectly square.

Thanks to all for your help!

[AntonZ]

If your runners are white, the spots where they bind will probably show up. You may try to sand those spots (with care, using a sanding block and not too coarse sandpaper).