Fence? For slicing across it isn't needed. When I did those rings on the challenge rod, I just used a magnet on the table to slide the grip up to, then pushed miter into blade to get the cut. Slide miter back, push to magnet, cut again. Over and over. Miter and a positioning stop to reproduce cuts is all you need.

Getting angles cuts is about as simple as just cranking down the miter to the degree setting you want, or alternatively angling the table. You just don't want the piece to turn as you cut. Easiest way to do that perfectly is to tack a flat piece on to the end of the grip that rests on the table or miter.

Don't know that I'd ever to the V cut rings I think you are describing. If I had to tho. would set angled fence to cut one side, then flip the piece to do the complimentary cut.

Rememer Billy, you can never have too many toys :-)

BTW,,, I have a rather funky design in mind that is all angled cuts. Was going to do that next, but am not thinking simple camo grip instead.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2007 08:03PM by Dave Hauser.

If you make it to High Point for the show, look me up and let me show you how fast and accurate you can cut EVA on a lathe with thread. You may change your mind. I have a bandsaw - 2 of them in fact, but wouldn't think of using either for cutting EVA trim rings. Certainly you can do it, with ease even, but the thread trick is just too sweet.

.........................

Well Tom, I actually use both approaches. And if you just want to cut straight rings, they both work. But when I was looking at cutting about 60 rings from 3 different grip blanks, the bandsaw in the corner beckoned to me. It's one of those things that if you have it then use it, but if you just want to make straight rings it would be difficult to rationalize the cost for cutting something as easy as EVA., Heck, between saw, fence system, and rolling base I might well have $1000 into mine. You'd have to do a LOT of simple rings to make that a reasonable thought.

If you have the bandsaw tho, there are a bunch of other things you can do that you just can't do with string-on-lathe. Different materials and angled/curved cuts are obvious. You can also work up laminations from block with no hole down the center, saving that drilling operation for the end. You are no longer tethered to having to work only the centerline and it's perpendicular. Ever see the dazzle camo patterns used for some ships in WWI? Like cubist art. Those sort of things are fair game when you get away from turning to do your cutting.

Billy made the point of he couldn't remember the last time he saw an angled cut grip lamination. By my thinking at least, that just says there are too many folks thinking within the same design box constraints. EVA is so easy to work that it is even a bit amazing that you don't see much more variation in builds.

angled cut grip lamination = [www.rodbuilding.org]
Petals at each end along with all the excess waste [www.rodbuilding.org]
Finished grip = [www.rodbuilding.org]

Great stuff. I especially like the first one. Simple and bold.
Looks like you just posted them all? Holding out? Well I certainly don't mind at all if my prodding shakes loose some new food for thought..
But Billy,,,,, ya gotta tell me how you did that all with string cuts on a lathe :-)

I've got tons of stuff I never bothered to post, gotta keep secrets a secret and build anticipation up for the NERBs booth in High Point. The question here was in regards to cutting trim rings, not angles. If he wanted to know how to do Chevron types of grips, then bandsaws would be one of the answeres to do it. FWIW, my bandsaw was $300, I spent no money on anything extra, and I cut everything on that grip by eyeball with the table on an angle. SAme goes for teh other grips I've recently done and won't be posting, lol - all eyeballed. EVA is a heck of a lot more forgiving than wood.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2007 01:09PM by Billy Vivona.

Good stuff Billy! If you are saving up for a show, be sure to post some afterwards.
My bandsaw I've had for some years now. I used to do a fair amount of woodworking. Bought it when I needed to cut about 2000 wood tiles for a project. It is definitely overkill for EVA :-) Weighs somewhere around 300-400 lbs I think, so a rolling base was a very nice add. Grizzly fence systems are pretty nice too, for the price. Replaced the old fence with the Grizzly recently. Yeah,,,,I have way too many toys.
I'm sorta on the lookout for a clearer adhesive. The contact cement is pretty dark that I've played with, even thinned. Any hints, or is that top secret too? :-)

Weldwood is the way to go, nice fresh can no thinning neccesary. Certain colors show the glue line more than others, I don't worry about it. Use too much CC and the glue line will show, and a lot of times the inlay will seperate over time.

Weldwood and its thinner is what I used. But it isn't too friendly to white and light gray. Was hoping something good and clear was in your bag of tricks.