Porter-Cable OMNIJIG 55160 Instruction Manual page 56

ITEMS NEEDED
Sliding tapered dovetails are often used to
create shelves. This joint is created with a
slightly tapered dado (A) Fig. H1 and a tenon
(B) that is similarly tapered. The taper keeps the
joint from tightening until the last few inches,
making assembly easier.
You will need:
dovetail fixed finger template (Fig. H2)
depth of cut. A chart later in this chapter will guide your selection.)
BOARD SPECIFICATIONS
To ensure proper strength for common applications, here are specifications for
your boards:
IMPORTANT
The stops are set to accommodate 3/4" thick tenon boards. If a different thick-
ness is to be used, the template stops will need to be adjusted. For stock greater
than 3/4" thick the right stops will need to be moved forward to have the effect
of bringing the template forward. If the board is less than 3/4" thick, the same
stops are moved backwards.
PROJECT LAYOUT
The sliding tapered dovetail dado is often used for creating shelves. The steps
needed to prepare a shelf project using the OMNIJIG
provided below.
Refer to Figure H3 throughout this example. H3 demonstrates how finished work
pieces would be assembled while giving a general idea of how the shelf would
look.
A typical shelf project will have two vertical side panels with several individual
shelves, as shown in Fig. H3. Label the left vertical panel "A1," the right vertical
panel "A2," and the individual shelves starting with "B1" as the bottom shelf,
"B2" as the next higher shelf, etc. On each vertical panel, mark the rear edge,
top edge, and outside surface. On each individual shelf, mark the rear edge, top
surface, and bottom surface.
The marks you make will be used in orienting the boards when clamped to the
Omnijig. The marks will also guide you in assembling your completed shelves.
For the vertical panels (A1 and A2), the dados are cut on the inside surfaces.
These panels are mounted horizontally on the jig with the outside surface facing
down and the rear edge aligned to the right side of the jig base.
B
A
Fig. H1
TOP
EDGE
OUTSIDE
SURFACE
® JOINERY SYSTEM are
Fig. H2
TOP
SURFACE
REAR EDGE
B2
INSIDE
SURFACE
BOTTOM
A1
SURFACE
Fig. H3
B3
B1
A2