Byrnes Sliding Table Add-On (grating cutter)

A common task in ship modeling is to cut lots of parallel slots in a piece of wood.  This function is needed to make gratings or, shown in the picture, a scale chicken coop.

 

To make the jig, I cut 2 6” x 6” squares of ¼” phenolic sheet.  I drilled and countersunk 4 #33 holes (body drill for a 4-40 screw) in the corners of one of the squares.  I milled and countersunk 1/8” slots in the other square.

I drilled corresponding holes in the bed of the Byrnes sliding table.

When the phenolic squares are bolted to the table, the left one can be slid from side to side to set the space between slots.

I drilled and tapped the lower right side of the left square for two 2-56 screws to hold a cutting guide.

The cutting guide is a piece of hard brass the same thickness as the saw blade (and thus the width of the slot).  The cutting guide is shaped to leave a tab sticking up that a previously cut slot can be slid into to position the wood for cutting the next slot.

This apparatus makes cutting parallel slots quite easy. One piece of advice – apply quite a bit of downforce on the piece of wood being cut to ensure that the slots are the same depth.  I use a separate block of wood to do this.