Howdie all,
Here’s some pics of 2 swoop jigs I made. They are used to speed up the process of putting a return on a stair tread. The jigs are made out of 1/2″ plywood, scrap oak laying around the shop, and 4 De-Sta-Co toggle clamps.
The tread blanks are temporarily held in the one big jig, so you can trace the profile of the jig onto the blanks. Then use a jig saw or band saw to cut out that material, close to the line but not too close, and too far away either. Then at the router table with a pattern following straight bit and the tread blank clamped tight to the jig the profile is milled.
Return stock is an inch and quarter wide, I think, and 12 and 5/8 inches long. The excess material can be taken off at the chop saw or with a jig saw or band saw. The return stock is then clamped tightly to the jig and the using the same router bit and router table it is milled.
The return is then glued and nailed at 3 places with either a 16 ga or 15 ga finish nail gun. A little wood putty is smeared along the joint and it is allowed to dry, then sanded off. The nails have to go where there won’t be in drilling for the bottom of the stair spindles. Then the whole sha-bang gets bullnosed.
Have at it!
Replies
Hey That looks like Stan Fosters patend!!!!
I don't know about that. I admire his work. You know what they say about great minds thinking alike.
I worked in a stair shop where the guy would cut the straight part with the RAS and the curved part with a jig saw. The return stock was traced from that blank. Then he cut it with whatever, and used a belt sander clamped on it's side to complet the curve.
It just seemed like a wasteful amount of time. All that going from machine to machine and the dust that the belt sander spewed into the air to get so so results that required lots of putty. With these two jigs, if you've got some scrap laying around (i.e. from tread scraps), you can go ahead and turn it into a whole bunch of returns. Then they're always at the ready. Interchangeable parts, isn't that what they called it back in the 1800's?
Now, if Stan has jigs to put curved returns on tread blanks for circular stairs.... Or jigs to make curved scotia molding for the same circular stairs. Yep, I'd like to steal, er..mm..I mean, see those. What about that gizmo he uses to plow the dados in curved housed stringers? (Sorry, Stan!)
Yep first time I saw that was in Stans post Looks almost Identical . I plan on useing that patend also . I think it is OK because we are all from Illinois.
Clicked on your profile don, but no info. Whereabouts in IL?
East of Streator or about 16 miles south of interstate 80 at Ottawa
Hey Don,
That sounds up north near Chicago. Haven't pulled a map out yet.
I'm way south about 20 miles east of St. Louis. (Please don't ever call us down state. I think it is at the least condescending, if not derogatory.) But anyway...
hey Chills I worked over there last year, Highland Ill. I was in Belleville a month ago.
You are in StLouis right?
15 clicks south
I remember now around Arnold.
I'm around the Fairview Hts/O'Fallon area.
Chills I'll have to have a coffee with you sometime, I work over there a couple times a year.
sounds like a plan!
I am in illinois as well. Hailing from centralia. We are 60 miles east of St. louis, MO and 15 miles north of Mt. Vernon. Thought I was the only one here from IL. Good to know I am not alone.An inch to short. That's the story of my life !
bstcrpntr --- I hope to grow into this name.
Hell that ain't as bad as the governor thinks that any person or town south of I80 does not even exist. Oh except when he needs money. Can't bring himself to stay in Springfield over night.
What town you in/near?