Replies

1. 
   ring | Sep 28, 2005 09:35pm | #1

   Can't help you with the planer, but regarding the Blum jig - 

   I made a pair of these (a left and right) myself about a year ago, a simplified version that works very well in our shop.  Basically, it's a T-square made from heavy aluminum stock.  I used the track of one of those sliding fence stop accessories.  The head's position can be adjusted and locked so as to change from overlay to half-overlay to inset applications.  The aluminum "ruler" part is drilled to mark 4 mounting holes in the slides we commonly use.  Instead of marking thru the holes, I permanently set steel nails in them (just a very tight fit) so that if you hold the jig in place and tap it lightly, the nails mark the centers for all the mounting screws.  For the next drawer up in a series, I just cut a spacer block to set on the previous one. 

   If your interested, I could send a photo.  It cost me 3 hours to make and has done literally hundreds of drawers.

   DR

1. 
   waltdeckhouse | Sep 29, 2005 06:02pm | #3

   I would love to see a picture of your set up.

1. 
   ring | Sep 30, 2005 11:16am | #4

   Here's 2 photos of the left-hand jig.  The red dots along the aluminum strip mark the heads of the steel nails.  The little spacer blocks under the strip are to set the distance off the floor of the cabinet for the first slide.   The head piece can be moved to different positions depending on whether it's overlay, rabbet, or inset faces.  If I were to do it again I'd make a few changes:

   The head piece should be a few inches longer, it would make holding square to the carcase easier.

   Instead of those little spacer blocks, I'd find some aluminum track that was wide enough to put the pins at the right distance from both edges.  That way, the same jig could be flipped over for right and left use.

   In the 2nd photo you can see the nails protruding from the aluminum.  Marking the holes this way is so much easier than pencil or even awl through the jig.  Half the time, you can't see what's going on inside the cabinet, but a tap from the inside with a hammer is easy, and will always give the starter hole exactly in position.

   Hope this helps,

   DR

   
1. 
   waltdeckhouse | Sep 30, 2005 06:24pm | #5

   Thanks so much for posting the pictures.  I am curious what the small blocks under the metal piece do.

1. 
   ring | Sep 30, 2005 11:07pm | #6

   As I explained, those little pieces are just to arrive at the correct height for the first slide in the bottom of a cabinet.  The aluminum track I had wasn't wide enough to let me drill the pins at the right height, so I added some "height" at the bottom.

   DR

2. 
   Dunwright | Sep 28, 2005 09:48pm | #2

   Check-out the slide installation fixture that the good folks at Kreg Jig sell. It has powerful magnets that hold the "cabinet's" slide to the fixture. The one piece fixture installs both the RH and LH slides for Euro slides and BB slides in FF and frameless applications.

   As a companion item, Kreg sells a pair of brackets that support the drawer box allowing you to screw the "box" slide to the drawer, after installing the "cabinet" slide in place.

   As I remember the slide fixture was $20. and the pair of box supports was $16.00. I have both items and they work well.

   Arlington, Texas (The dash in Dallas-Fort Worth)
   Practice...'till you can do it right the first time.
3. 
   WillGeorge | Oct 01, 2005 12:49am | #7

   (can't find a link) Gee they got more links than the USA Military!

   WELL! Took me a LONG time to find it fer ya!\

   Try http://www.general.ca/

4. 
   wrudiger | Oct 01, 2005 06:45am | #8

   How many drawers you doing?  Are you doing Tandembox or just the Blum Tandem glides with your own boxes?  I just finished installing 48 drawers - here' how I did it: 

   I installed all the glides on the sides before assembling the cases.  I just built a simple square frame that fit the outside edges of the sides and registered to the bottom edge of the plywood, with cross pieces at the bottom of where each glide went (e.g. held the lowest glide 3/4" above the bottom). 

   Just put the glide along the bottom edge of the guide, hold back 1/8" from the front (I used 1/8" edging so easy to eyeball).  Used a #6 Vix Bit to drill the pilots and then screwed 'em down. 

   All my top and bottom glides are at the same locations; I did all the 4-drawer units then moved the guides and did the 3-drawer units.  Sorry, no pictures since I've disassembled the jig (just scrap lumber anyway).

   Total cost $0.00; time to build (including squaring) ~ 15 minutes. 

   For the drawers ya gotta get the boring jig (a bargin at $41):

   http://www.wwhardware.com/showimage.cfm/type=spec/productid/BT65%2E1000%2E02

   With the jig I could bore the two rear holes plus the locking device holes and have them installed in a minute or so per drawer. (A bit slower if you use the longer glides over 21" - they need the front of the box cut out.)

1. 
   waltdeckhouse | Oct 03, 2005 06:28pm | #9

   This sounds a lot like the Kreg jig.  Does yours look like

   http://www.kregtool.com/products/okp/product.php?PRODUCT_ID=6

   I guess your system registers from the bottom of the carcass so it makes it easier to transfer the location from one side to the other.

   BTW, I am planning on making my drawers and then using Blum undermount glides such as

   http://www.blum.com/usa/en/03/03/04/index.jsp;jsessionid=0000nDaedrU8f8aQRW2qEAyn0eV:-1

1. 
   wrudiger | Oct 04, 2005 03:05am | #10

   Looks like the Kreg is used once you have done the layout on a case (e.g. using story poles) to mount one glide at a time.  Mine sets all the glides at once.  It's simply two verticle sticks and as many horizontal ones as are needed for a given unit (3-drawer, 4-drawer, etc.).  Of course, it's squared and positioned just right to register correctly to both sides.

   With a good consistent layout approach the Kreg would certainly be fast.

   The other link didn't work for me.