Replies

1. 
   JPGrout | Jul 31, 2002 03:05am | #1

   Paul I wish I could have seen his Jig. I have done them but my jig isn't any fun at all. Hope that someone will reply to this thread Joe

1. 
   DonStephan | Aug 01, 2002 08:17am | #2

   Hope I can explain this. Early issue of FWW showed method used by woodworker at US Congress.

   Long thingee (jig/fixture) consisting of 2 very straight 2x4's on edge, separated by twice the width of the door styles, nailed to a piece of plywood so the thingee has long U shape. Drill a row of vertical 1/4" holes along one 2x4 edge equal to distance between louver centers.

   Make 2 sleds of 1/2" ply that will slide along on the pair of 2x4's. Using pieces of 1/2" x 1/2" scrap wood, build a rectangular frame on top of each sled so that a small router can only move in a straight line equal in length to the width of the louvers. Put 1/4" straight bit in router and cut slot in each sled.

   Lay one sled on the thingee so that it is "north northwest" (if the thingee is north and south) about 30 degrees, and the other sled north northeast 30 degrees. Make sure both sleds are equally centered laterally on the thingee, so that one will guide the router to cut a centered angled slot in the left door style and the other will guide the router to cut an opposing angled slot in the right door style. Then attach cleats to the bottom of each sled so that the sleds can slide along the thingee but maintain their opposing orientations.

   Forgot to mention that the sleds have to be symmetric opposites, so that the distances from the bottom of the router slot to the lower edge of the sleds are identical. Put a 1/4" dowel in one of the holes and the door styles in the thingee. Position one sled against the dowel and rout a slot towards the dowel. Move the dowel down one hole, ... Change sleds and rout the other style. Louvers will need edges with 1/4"diameter roundover, and louvers 1/4" thick.

   One of my first real woodworking projects many years ago (redwood shutter replacements) and turned out well. My 2x4's were fir, still straight and hungry for more. The sleds were very crudely made from scraps and cheap plywood, but amazingly worked like a charm. Hope this made some sense. It was a very fun project and quite satisfying.

1. 
   JPGrout | Aug 02, 2002 05:57am | #3

   Thanks for the info Don.I have the article and built my jig the same way . I guess that I was looking for more adjustability out of one jig instead of one for each application. I know that CNC works well but haven't thousands laying around to buy one. Oh well. Joe

2. 
   wbwood | Aug 02, 2002 04:40pm | #4

   Paul,

   I've used outside cnc's with good results in the past. Just draw up what you need . Determine the angle, center to center dimension,length and width etc. Cut a piece of 1/2" mdf or baltic birch large enough to cover two stiles at a time plus 2-3" on either side of the grooves. Figure a set-up of router bush guide and cutter to determine size of the groove you want in the template to be made by the cnc.

   At any rate, you can have a very accurate template made for a surprisingly small investment. This template can be used repeatedly with great success.wb

1. 
   PaulGeer1 | Aug 02, 2002 05:32pm | #6

   WB,

   You mentioned "CNC", what does that mean?

   Is that a commercial brand jig? and is there a web site where I can see it?

   Thanks, Paul

1. 
   wbwood | Aug 02, 2002 05:45pm | #7

   Paul,

   CNC is short for 'computer numerically controlled'. In this case, I was referring to a cnc router. You can probably find one in your area by calling around to some of the larger cabinet shops and asking questions. Usually,shops that have these machines welcome outside work. I've done this several times with good results. They are dead on accurate, and it's not that expensive. Good luck.wb

3. 
   Jamie_Buxton | Aug 02, 2002 05:01pm | #5

   I've read of a neat approach if you have a hollow-chisel mortiser.  Set up the chisel at an angle to the fence, and cut mortises in the door stiles to capture the louver ends.   Machine the louver ends to have mating tenons.  The nice thing about this approach is that you don't have to cut zillions of slots with a rounter or tablesaw to capture the louver ends, and you don't have to apply molding to cover the fronts and backs of the slots. 

1. 
   PaulGeer1 | Aug 02, 2002 09:00pm | #8

   Jamie,

   Thanks for the idea with the hollow-chisel mortiser, I have one and I can see how that could be done.

   Thanks agian, Paul