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Home Blog The Leigh FMT: When absolute precision is a must

August 20, 2009 By Al Navas

The Leigh FMT: When absolute precision is a must

I am in the process of building a stand-up desk. The design includes a full dust cover, which doubles as the support structure for four drawers. For the construction of the dust cover I selected 6-inch wide boards, to minimize flex of the structure under the load of the drawers and of the ribs required to keep the top from cupping (I will include all the desk design details in a future entry).

The photo sequence that follows illustrates the precision and accuracy delivered by the Leigh FMT. I decided to use double tenons along the width of the short boards in the frame, to minimize the risk of wood movement across the grain, causing cracking in the boards with the mortises. To obtain perfect alignment, the FMT allows very precise positioning of the center of each tenon and mortise. Thus, the FMT was my choice.

In this first photo I am cutting the first of two tenons:

cutting-first-set-tenons

By sliding the table on the FMT to allow centering on the second tenon, I can confidently cut that tenon:

cutting-second-set-tenons

Following some test cuts on scrap pieces, I confidently cut the mortises on the long mortise boards:

double-mortises-2

A different perspective, showing the double mortises more clearly:

double-mortises

The following photo shows the components of the dust cover frame; the slots in the tenon pieces and on the mortise boards will accept the ¼-inch boards that will complete the cover:

tenons-and-mortises

The photo below shows the first dry fit of the dust cover:

dust-cover-dry-fit

And, finally, the completed dust cover:

dust-cover-after-drawboring

Alignment of the stiles (the tenon boards) was perfect on each of the rails (the mortise boards). Pretty cool!

A key to successful, repeatable results, is the clamp-on Ott table light that Sandy gave me a few weeks ago. It helps my aging eyes to perfectly align the target on the FMT to the center mark locations for the tenons and the mortises. This is what this lamp looks like – but my copy of the lamp has an arm that doubles the reach of the arm, making it very handy for use on the workbench:

I simply clamped the light to a board, and used two additional clamps to install the light on one end of the 3-1/2 inch thick workbench top. My eyes thank me for doing this. Thank-you, Sandy! True love in the shop.

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Filed Under: Blog, Education, FMT Pro, Joinery, Leigh jig, Mortise, Sponsor, Tenon, Tutorial Tagged With: accuracy, Education, FMT Pro, Leigh jig, Mortise, precision, Tenon, Tutorial

About Al Navas

I love working with wood, and sharing here on the blog. I also love designing items that my clients will love having in their homes and offices. Please let me know if you need a special piece to share with your loved ones. Freelance, Legal, and Community Interpreter. Love photography.

Comments

  1. Sandy says

    August 20, 2009 at 8:02 pm

    I’m not certain just who or what you love the most — me, the shop, the OTT light, or the Leigh FMT. Please clarify.

    Oh, and when you do, let me know where you have been hiding that list for Santa. Seems every time I zero in on something, I find that you’ve already ordered it, when the money disappears from our checking accounts.

    • Al Navas (Sandal Woods) says

      August 21, 2009 at 6:48 am

      Dear,

      But I still love YOU, and only YOU!!!

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