US 5,203,389 AGranted

Precision wood-joint making fixture apparatus and method of use with a router

OwnerEdward J. Goodwininventor

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Abstract

A multi-purpose woodworking fixture having structure for facilitating precision-controlled positioning of a woodworking tool, such as a router, about a wood workpiece for cutting wood-joint cuts, wood molding, or geometric designs. The fixture facilitates making a variety of the common wood-joints including dovetail joints, box joints, dado joints, dovetail-dado joints, rabbet joints, combination rabbet and dado joints, mortise and tenon joints, mortise and mortise joints, biscuit joints, lap joints, cross lap joints, end lap joints, dowel joints, spline joints, tongue and groove joints and stile and rail joints. The fixture features a router carriage, a detachable calibrated router positioning mechanical attachment for positioning the router in the X-direction and Y-directions and which complements the router's adjustment in the Z-direction. The fixture enhance the router's capabilities for controllably working on the workpiece, either in a freehand manner or by using the calibrated router positioning mechanical attachment, either manually or with an optional motorized means.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of making a wood-joint, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a fixture apparatus for use with a router, said apparatus comprising:
a table structure having a plurality of clamp means for clamping a plurality of workpieces to said table structure, said plurality of clamp means facilitating clamping said plurality of workpieces in appropriate directions with respect to each other for making a selected one of a plurality of wood-joints,
a first frame member having first opposing ends mounted to said table structure and also having second opposing ends suspended above said table structure,
said first opposing ends having a plurality of jack means for elevation said second opposing ends an equidistance from a work surface of said table structure and also having a plurality of corner adjustment means for maintaining said first and second opposing ends in orthogonal relationship with each other, and
a second frame member transversely and movably mounted to said second opposing ends for being maneuvered over said work surface, said second frame member comprising a carriage means for supporting and carrying said router, said second opposing ends and said carriage means having respective stop members for being selectively attached thereto said second opposing ends and to said carriage means for selectively limiting travel of said
(b) squaring said first frame member with respect to said work surface using said plurality of jack means and said plurality of corner adjustment means and facilitating unimpeded back and fourth movement of said second frame member on said second opposing ends;
(c) installing said router to a carriage plate member of said carriage means and further installing said carriage plate member onto opposing carriage supports members of said carriage means and facilitating unimpeded back and fourth movement of said plate member on said opposing carriage support members;
(d) selecting a type of wood-joint to be made, said wood-joint type being selected from a group of commonly used wood-joints comprising:
dovetail joints, box joints, dado joints, dovetail-dado joints, rabbet joints, combination rabbet and dado joints, mortise and tenon joints, mortise and mortise joints, biscuit joints, lap joints, cross lap joints, end lap joints, dowel joints, spline joints, tongue and groove joints, and stile and rail joints;
(e) selecting and installing a router bit onto said router, said router bit being selected from a group of provided router bits and being suitable for making said selected type of wood-joint;
(f) clamping a plurality of wood workpiece to said table structure for making said selected type of wood-joint;
(g) positioning said installed router over said clamped workpieces and maneuvering said router for performing a cutting operation on said workpieces that will make said selected wood-joint;
and
(h) removing said cut workpieces and repeating said steps (d) through (g) to make other types of wood-joints.

11 more elements

A method of making cuts on wood, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a fixture apparatus for use with a router, said apparatus comprising:
a table structure having a plurality of clamp means for clamping at least one workpiece to said table structure, said plurality of clamp means facilitating clamping said at least one workpiece in an appropriate direction with respect to another workpiece for making a selected type of wood cut,
a first frame member having first opposing ends mounted to said table structure and also having second opposing ends suspended above said table structure,
said first opposing ends having a plurality of jack means for elevating said second opposing ends an equidistance from a work surface of said table structure and also having a plurality of corner adjustment means for maintaining said first and second opposing ends in orthogonal relationship with each other, and
a second frame member transversely and movably mounted to said second opposing ends for being maneuvered over said work surface, said second frame member comprising a carriage means for supporting and carrying said router, said second opposing ends and said carriage means having respective stop members for being selectively attached thereto said second opposing ends and to said carriage means for selectively limiting travel of said second frame member and said router;
(b) squaring said first frame member with respect to said work surface using said plurality of jack means and said plurality of corner adjustment means and facilitating unimpeded back and forth movement of said second frame member on said second opposing ends;
(c) installing said router to a carriage plate member of said carriage means and further installing said carriage plate member onto opposing carriage supports members of said carriage means to facilitate unimpeded back and forth movement of said plate member with said installed router on said carriage support members;
(d) selecting a type of wood cut to be made, said type of wood cut being selected from a group of wood cuts comprising wood-joint cuts, molding cuts and geometric design cuts;
(e) selecting and installed a router bit onto said router, said router bit being selected from a group of provided router bits and being suitable for making said selected type of wood cut;
(f) clamping at least one wood workpieces to said table structure for making said selected type of wood cut;
(g) positioning said installed router over said clamped workpiece and maneuvering said router for performing a cutting operation on said at least one workpiece that will make said selected wood cut;
and
(h) removing said at least one cut workpiece and repeating said steps (d) through (g) to make other types of wood cuts.

10 more elements

A fixture apparatus for use with a machine tool, said apparatus comprising:

a table structure having a plurality of clamp means for clamping a plurality of workpieces to said table structure, said plurality of clamp means facilitating clamping said plurality of workpieces in appropriate directions with respect to each other for making, by example, mating wood-joint cuts;
a first frame member having first opposing ends mounted to said table structure and also having second opposing ends suspended above said table structure,
said first opposing ends having a plurality of jack means for elevating said second opposing ends an equidistance from a work surface of said table structure and also having a plurality of corner adjustment means for maintaining said first and second opposing ends in orthogonal relationship with each other;
and
a second frame member transversely and movably mounted to said second opposing ends for being maneuvered over said work surface, said second frame member comprising a carriage means for supporting and carrying said machine tool, said second opposing ends and said carriage means having respective stop members for being selectively attached thereto said second opposing ends and said carriage means for selectively limiting travel of said second frame member and said machine tool.

2 more elements

A fixture apparatus for use with a router, said apparatus comprising:

a table structure having a plurality of clamp means for clamping a plurality of workpieces to said table structure, said plurality of clamp means facilitating clamping said plurality of workpieces in appropriate directions with respect to each other for making, by wexample, mating wood-joint cuts;
a first frame member having first opposing ends mounted to said table structure and also having second opposing ends suspended above said table structure;
a second frame member transversely and movably mounted to said second opposing ends for being maneuvered over said work surface, said second frame member comprising a carriage means for supporting and carrying said router;
and
a mechanical means mounted to said first and second frame members, said mechanical means comprising a first calibrated positioning means for controllably positioning and manipulating said second frame member along said second opposing ends, and a second calibrated positioning means for controllably positioning and manipulating said carriage means along opposing carriage support members provided on said second frame member,
said first and second calibrated positioning means co-acting to facilitate precise positioning, operation, and utilization of said router on a particular one of said plurality of workpieces.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.