Proposed jig question

[Torin3]

I've got a part I make where the process is plane, rip and plane again to get 1 1/4" square sticks.

Then put the sticks on my CNC router and have it pocket out holes that I will eventually press in steel dowels.

Then I use a table router to get the cross section of the photo I'm posting.  In the photo it is 1/2" radius for the top corners, and the bottom corners are cut out to give a 1/2" wide rib that is just short of 1/2" deep that goes into a matching slot.

After that, I'll cut them on the table saw with a cross-cut sled.  I'm using an 80 tooth 10" blade.

I want to be able to smooth the ends, but trying to sand them with an random orbit sander has given me less than flat surfaces with enough of a radiused edge that when I use these parts, the threads tend to get caught between the individual blocks.

I'm thinking a jig out of plastic (I've got a lot of blue nylon I can use to machine a jig) and using a sharp and wide hand chisel to clean up the end might work.

Am I on the right track here, or is there a better option?

Edit: I'm going to be switching to a 9/16" radius router bit for a rounder profile but leaving enough of a flat to make it not such a pain to use the router table.
 

Edited January 26 by Torin3
Forgot an item.

[wtnhighlander]

Do you mean sanding the ends of the wood smooth? I think a jig clamped to a belt or disk sander table would be far more effective than a hand-held random orbit. Something with a groove that the rib drops into, and allows the end to slide squarely into the abrasive.

Member @gee-dub even has a jig to hold a random orbit sander as if it were a disk sander, if that helps.

[Von]

Similar to @wtnhighlander I'm interpreting you are trying to smooth the end grain on your pieces.

Sanding on a table, or a jig holding your ROS in place, with something that holds the piece 90 to the sander would be my first .choice.

A chisel could work. I don't know you need a jig, you just need enough flat surface around the piece to keep your chiseling consistent. Putting it in a vise would seem to do it. Your chisel would need to be sharp. A block plane might be worth considering instead of a chisel. In each case, cut from the edges towards the center and not all the away across to avoid blowing out the grain.

[Mark J]

Have you tried your process without sanding the ends?  I'm thinkin that if your 80 tooth blade is sharp, and your tablesaw is cutting a true 90 degrees the pieces might mate well enough without sanding? 

On the end view picture you posted the cut looks pretty clean.  There is a tiny bit of tear out at the edge of the cut surface, but a few gentle strokes with file should take care of that without creating much of a round over.  

If the end grain needs further smoothing, then like wtnhighlander says, I'd want to get hand holding out of the equation.  

[pkinneb]

With a jig to support the material all the way around you could absolutely use a hand plane to clean that up.

[Tom King]

With a well tuned saw and top quality blade, like a Forrest, it will leave a polished look to a surface that would need nothing else unless the edges came out too sharp for you.

[Torin3]

 

On 1/25/2026 at 10:51 PM, wtnhighlander said:

Do you mean sanding the ends of the wood smooth? I think a jig clamped to a belt or disk sander table would be far more effective than a hand-held random orbit. Something with a groove that the rib drops into, and allows the end to slide squarely into the abrasive.

Member @gee-dub even has a jig to hold a random orbit sander as if it were a disk sander, if that helps.

Yep, sanding the ends smooth.

On 1/26/2026 at 8:30 AM, Von said:

Similar to @wtnhighlander I'm interpreting you are trying to smooth the end grain on your pieces.

Sanding on a table, or a jig holding your ROS in place, with something that holds the piece 90 to the sander would be my first .choice.

A chisel could work. I don't know you need a jig, you just need enough flat surface around the piece to keep your chiseling consistent. Putting it in a vise would seem to do it. Your chisel would need to be sharp. A block plane might be worth considering instead of a chisel. In each case, cut from the edges towards the center and not all the away across to avoid blowing out the grain.

Well, in my workplace what I was thinking of would be called a jig, or maybe a fixture, so sorry if I'm being imprecise.  I was thinking of a 2 part piece that I could clamp together that would hold the part and maybe 2 spacers on the bottom to raise the part above the surface enough to be planed/chiseled.  Unfortunately, the 2 vises I have at the moment are a post vise and a drill press vise.  I haven't had the space to where I can set up a decent bench vise yet.  I'm still making upgrades to my shop as I have the time and energy.  Thanks for the reminder on how to avoid blowing out the grain.

On 1/26/2026 at 8:36 AM, Mark J said:

Have you tried your process without sanding the ends?  I'm thinkin that if your 80 tooth blade is sharp, and your tablesaw is cutting a true 90 degrees the pieces might mate well enough without sanding? 

On the end view picture you posted the cut looks pretty clean.  There is a tiny bit of tear out at the edge of the cut surface, but a few gentle strokes with file should take care of that without creating much of a round over.  

If the end grain needs further smoothing, then like wtnhighlander says, I'd want to get hand holding out of the equation.  

It looks rough compared to the ones I've bought.  I also was thinking about milling out a circular pocket to epoxy in magnets to provide some additional force to keep the strings/threads that sit between the blocks from parting them.  I was fine with trying them that way, but my wife insisted I sand them to remove the slight tool marks.  I'm thinking I could use this method to fix the 90 or so I 've got that aren't really flat anymore.

On 1/26/2026 at 1:49 PM, pkinneb said:

With a jig to support the material all the way around you could absolutely use a hand plane to clean that up.

Any particular type of hand plane?  I'm very inxperienced in using hand planes.

On 1/26/2026 at 1:56 PM, Tom King said:

With a well tuned saw and top quality blade, like a Forrest, it will leave a polished look to a surface that would need nothing else unless the edges came out too sharp for you.

I'm using a Dewalt job site/contractor table saw with a 10" CMT blade.  I'm happy to put in some work to tweak my saw if it will resolve the problem.  The crosscut sled I'm currently using has wood supports for the sides of the rib and a stop on one end so I don't have to measure the location for consistant length parts.   

I'm looking at potentially making a few thousand of these per year if it works out.  There are usually 18 to 22 of these per braiding frame (called a takadai)

Thanks everybody for the suggesions.  Sorry for not replying earlier, I had some online continuing educations classes to take while I had a snow day from work.

[Von]

I have no experience making a few thousand of anything a year. At that scale it would seem you could take a little time up front to experiment with different techniques to figure out what is most effective and efficient.  What you describe, some sort of support for a chisel or plane to achieve consistency makes sense.  I still lean towards some sort of sanding fixture, but I am also not sure I understand all your requirements, constraints, skills, and predilections (I believe a lot of woodworking just comes down to how one likes to do things and hence what one is good at).

I have a similar DeWalt contractor's saw and I can get clean cuts using a high quality 60T or 80T blade, but nothing I would consider finish ready. About what you show in your first image is the best I would expect to be able to achieve.

Don't worry about replying quickly but please do keep us posted on your progress. Looks like you do some really interesting work and I look forward to hearing more about it.

[Mark J]

I watched the video you referenced in your "introduction" post.  I'll try to repost it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF4CJR8IlhE

I have a better understanding now of how the components your trying to produce are used in a braiding jig.  I'm not clear on how the threads get caught in the gaps between the "pin holder thingys", but suffice it to say they do.  

[Torin3]

On 1/27/2026 at 8:41 AM, Von said:

 

I have a similar DeWalt contractor's saw and I can get clean cuts using a high quality 60T or 80T blade, but nothing I would consider finish ready. About what you show in your first image is the best I would expect to be able to achieve.

Don't worry about replying quickly but please do keep us posted on your progress. Looks like you do some really interesting work and I look forward to hearing more about it.

Thanks, I wasn't sure there was a lot of tuning available for this type of saw, but I'm glad to hear I'm currently getting good performance from it.

I'll keep updating.

On 1/27/2026 at 9:12 AM, Mark J said:

I watched the video you referenced in your "introduction" post.  I'll try to repost it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF4CJR8IlhE

I have a better understanding now of how the components your trying to produce are used in a braiding jig.  I'm not clear on how the threads get caught in the gaps between the "pin holder thingys", but suffice it to say they do.  

Thanks for posting the link.  The reason they get caught between the pin blocks (called koma) is because there are 100g weights on the end of each string, so there is a downward force that will pull the string if it lines up with the gap for any reason.

[Von]

On 1/27/2026 at 9:45 AM, Torin3 said:

Thanks, I wasn't sure there was a lot of tuning available for this type of saw, but I'm glad to hear I'm currently getting good performance from it.

I have a DeWalt 744 Type 1, which is now almost 30 years ago. I've learned a lot about how to tune it over the years and I'm happy to share what I know if it's of use. I think all the subsequent generations of the 744 are more or less similar. I don't know if any of my knowledge caries over the 745.

[Torin3]

My saw is the DWE7491RS

[Mark J]

You definitely want to check that your saw remains in good alignment.  It would also be worthwhile to check that the cuts you are getting are flat & square.  Do you have an accurate reliable square?

I understand better now the problem you are trying to solve.  You need the komas to mate together w/o a gap, and stay together while in use.  

If the surface you are getting off the table saw is not good enough I wonder if you could make the cuts on your CNC router?  I'm thinkin' the CNC could be set up with an end mill bit to bore the pin holes and then use the same bit to cut off the koma sections?  I don't know if that cut surface would be smooth enough, but it should be flat and square.  

[pkinneb]

On 1/26/2026 at 7:30 PM, Torin3 said:

Any particular type of hand plane?  I'm very inexperienced in using hand planes.

I would just use a "sharp" block plane. If you are new to planes I would get a 1/16" round over router bit and use it to round over the ends first, this will help insure no tear out.

[Mark J]

Planes and chisels have to be kept sharp to perform well.  So we should also ask what you have sharpening these edges.

[Von]

On 1/27/2026 at 12:00 PM, Torin3 said:

My saw is the DWE7491RS

Different enough from mine I think I have no advantage in offering advice. Unless you think you have a problem with your saw that I've missed, I don't think this is a fruitful path.

Seems like @Mark J has a feel for what you are doing and is offering good advice. I'm going to follow along and look forward to your progress.

[Torin3]

On 1/27/2026 at 1:25 PM, Mark J said:

You definitely want to check that your saw remains in good alignment.  It would also be worthwhile to check that the cuts you are getting are flat & square.  Do you have an accurate reliable square?

I understand better now the problem you are trying to solve.  You need the komas to mate together w/o a gap, and stay together while in use.  

If the surface you are getting off the table saw is not good enough I wonder if you could make the cuts on your CNC router?  I'm thinkin' the CNC could be set up with an end mill bit to bore the pin holes and then use the same bit to cut off the koma sections?  I don't know if that cut surface would be smooth enough, but it should be flat and square.  

I do have several reliable squares, and some 123 blocks as well.

The CNC router I have is what I would consider in the marginally acceptable category.  It isn't as ridgid as it would need to be for me to trust it for real accuracy.  Circles are rarely true and I tend to have to creep up on an acceptable size for pressing in things like drill bushings.  I've had a hard time getting the groove the koma blocks side in well centered.  I've recently come up with a much more rigid system for that where I've got a 1" high block of PVC that I've milled into a "L" shape to use as a nest.  It gets bolted into the t-slot table in 5 spots and I mill the reference edge in the machine so it will be square to the router's coordinate system, and then I use a couple of cam-clamps to hold the part in place.  I've gotten a decent time savings and it looks like it will be easier to get the slot centered, but it still varies some from piece to piece more than the variation of the size of the stick (which is usually very consistant).  I'm thinking of taking lighter cuts to reduce the amount of flex from the gantry/spindle.

I do use the router for boring the holes for the pins in the koma block and while they aren't really round, they are close enough I can get a decent press fit.  

On 1/28/2026 at 8:03 AM, Mark J said:

Planes and chisels have to be kept sharp to perform well.  So we should also ask what you have sharpening these edges.

I am aware of needing to keep chisels and planes very sharp to work properly.  I've felt the difference between sharp and not so charp chisels.  I am aware of the scary sharp system, but I have a hard time holding a precise angle sharpening, so for the chisels and planes, I was planning on getting this (or similar) system Amazon link to Sharp Edge Chisel system (plain link, no trackers) ..

Thanks again for the help.  I'll try and post a couple of pics of my CNC router later when I get a chance.

[Torin3]

Here is a picture of an almost finished takadai without the koma blocks. 

Also, a picture of my CNC router that was being used as a storage table in my messy shop.

 

[wtnhighlander]

So, the ribs of the koma blocks fit into the grooves of the takadai frame, yes? Are they just a friction fit, or is there some clamping mechanism to hold them in place?

[Tom King]

I would buy a better saw so you can finish every one of the cuts needed on the whole assembly with the first cut.  A Forrest blade on a good saw will do that.  You would only need to ease the sharp corners on exposed edges after that.   I have a Radial Arm Saw that would do that all day every day.  It certainly could be done on a table saw, but I would rather do it on a RAS.

[Von]

I just spend a little time watching a few of @Torin3's videos and the takadai is very cool! Here are a few videos showing takadai assembly (#3 shows the koma block installation): (1) (2) (3)

 

 

 

[Torin3]

On 1/28/2026 at 11:42 PM, wtnhighlander said:

So, the ribs of the koma blocks fit into the grooves of the takadai frame, yes? Are they just a friction fit, or is there some clamping mechanism to hold them in place?

They are meant to slide freely.  The way the braid works is you connect one end on the take up reel and it feeds over the torii (called that because it looks like a torii gate leading into a Shinto shrine) and then the point of braiding splits it out to the weights (koma) between the pins of the koma.  The weights also pull the koma blocks towards the fixed point of the torii.  The heavier the weight/the more weights, the more force towards the front of the rails.

I hope that makes sense.  Let me know if it doesn't.

On 1/29/2026 at 8:34 AM, Tom King said:

I would buy a better saw so you can finish every one of the cuts needed on the whole assembly with the first cut.  A Forrest blade on a good saw will do that.  You would only need to ease the sharp corners on exposed edges after that.   I have a Radial Arm Saw that would do that all day every day.  It certainly could be done on a table saw, but I would rather do it on a RAS.

I will definately consider that for the future.  I'm currently operating with very few funds available at the moment.  I need to make and sell several takadais before I can consider more major upgrades.  I do have a Ryobi sliding miter saw.  I get a worse finish on there with a 90tooth 12" blade, though to be fair it was a Diablo blade.  If you have a suggestion for brand/model, I'll definately check it out.

On 1/29/2026 at 8:39 AM, Von said:

I just spend a little time watching a few of @Torin3's videos and the takadai is very cool! Here are a few videos showing takadai assembly (#3 shows the koma block installation): (1) (2) (3)

 

 

 

Thank you Von!  I'm aways happy to answer questions about kumihimo briading or equipment.

I've got to say that this forum has been very friendly and helpful.  Thanks everybody!

[wtnhighlander]

Since the blocks slide freely, I can see why you need a very precise fit between them to avoid the thread catching in the gap. 

For producing in volume, assuming it isn't possible to achieve directly from the saw, I still think a jig the lets you bump the koma block ends into a sander at a precise right angle is the way to go.

Regarding the saw, beware that very high tooth-count blades are generally designed for cutting sheet goods, with more teeth meant for thinner stock. For hardwood pieces like your koma blocks, a saw with 40 to 60 teeth might give a cleaner cut. I would also avoid using 'thin kerf' or hand-held circular saw blades, as they can flex and make a rougher cut. Tooth geometry may play a part as well, but I am no expert in that regard. In ALL cases, keep the blade clean! Resin build-up causes more cut problems than most folks realize.

[Mark J]

If your budget allows, it might be worthwhile to try new blades, from one of the better companies, on one or both of your saws.  Sliding miter saws are not,  in general, known for their precision.  But I have an older Makita with a 12" 80 tooth blade that delivers clean square cuts.  Maybe you Ryobi can do better.

Otherwise, given what you have, I think wtnhighlander's suggestion of a sanding jig is the best approach, particularly if you plan to make thousands. 

[Mark J]

@gee-dub showed some pictures of a jig he built to hold a ROS.  They were in a longer project journal thread.  The challenge would be getting it all square.