6 Sided Celtic Knot Jig

[KenB259]

Well I probably over complicated this one, but the end results were worth it. I built actually two jigs to make the blank, one for my drill press and one for my bandsaw. First I take a square blank, counter sink each end, to accommodate a dead and live center, also on each end I drill a hole for some screws. From there I mount it between center and just turn it round. Then I screw two hexagonal wheels on each end and that assembly drops into a carriage that perfectly fits the hexagons. That is then mounted on my drill press with the round blank being perfectly centered with the drill bit. Then just drill, rotate the blank and drill all the way around. You can drill 6 holes halfway or 3 all the way through. I had my best luck going halfway through. I tried first with a jobber bit, but it wanted to wander to much. I bought a stubby brad point and it works well. After all the holes are drilled it goes into the saw jig where there is a brass pin that is centered in the "V", where the blank sits . Mount the blank onto the pin, cut most of the way through Remove it and glue in your infill. Put it back on the lathe and turn down the infill. Using the next hole remount on saw jig and repeat. The angle of the blank is not adjustable. I cut all my knots at 55° so for me, different angles aren't needed.

 

[jttheclockman]

Some interesting stuff happening here. I like it. Gets the juices flowing. I am sure there are other ways of doing this but each method leads to same results. very impressive. Thanks for posting as built photos Ken. As they say a photo is worth a 1000 words. To do it in round form is what more impressive.

 

[egnald]

Wow - Cool - Knot for the faint of heart. - Dave

 

[KenB259]

Some interesting stuff happening here. I like it. Gets the juices flowing. I am sure there are other ways of doing this but each method leads to same results. very impressive. Thanks for posting as built photos Ken. As they say a photo is worth a 1000 words. To do it in round form is what more impressive.

When I decide to make a jig for whatever purpose, I never look to see what others have made. It stifles my own creativity. I'm sure there are many methods for making these. This is just what I came up with.

 

[KenB259]

I need to amend one thing, the brass pin is at the bottom of the V, on the saw jig. It is not inline with the blade. FYI, I was able to edit the original post.

 

[GFHWoodWerks]

I currently don't have access to my tablesaw, it's in the shed but no electricity. I'm currently setting up my shop in a guest bedroom. I have a small bandsaw, jigsaw, drill press, and my lathe. This type of bandsaw jig is what I'll be making to do all my segmentation work as well. Somewhat based of what Gabe Castro did to make it easier on his back. I had written off the ability to do knots, but you've proven even that is possible.

 

[GaryMGg]

Great design. I wouldn't have guessed this was done with a bandsaw.

 

[KenB259]

Great design. I wouldn't have guessed this was done with a bandsaw.

My personal opinion, once you get past a traditional 4 sided knot, a table saw, has too wide a kerf. You can though put a smaller blade on a table saw with a narrower kerf, I don't know how much height you can get though.

 

[jttheclockman]

You can use a 7-1/4" blade that has a 1/16" kerf. I have used it before and works well. If you have a Byrnes saw you may get away with that size kerf. Never really tried on that saw. Bandsaw of course works well too. To get a little wider kerf you can probably use a carbide resaw blade. That is a little wider than a standard blade.

Question Ken and I think I know the answer but wanted to see what you see when doing these. Are you just cutting in numerical order and not skipping around like a standard knot? Do you think it would matter and show up differently.

 

[jttheclockman]

When I decide to make a jig for whatever purpose, I never look to see what others have made. It stifles my own creativity. I'm sure there are many methods for making these. This is just what I came up with.

See I am different. I like to look at as many designs possible and make my own adjustments. Many times taking an idea from various designs helps me wrap my head around future problems. Good job all around.

 

[KenB259]

You can use a 7-1/4" blade that has a 1/16" kerf. I have used it before and works well. If you have a Byrnes saw you may get away with that size kerf. Never really tried on that saw. Bandsaw of course works well too. To get a little wider kerf you can probably use a carbide resaw blade. That is a little wider than a standard blade.

Question Ken and I think I know the answer but wanted to see what you see when doing these. Are you just cutting in numerical order and not skipping around like a standard knot? Do you think it would matter and show up differently.

John on these knots beyond 4 sides, I have just cut around in numerical order. In my minds eye, I think they look better than cutting opposite sides, but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[KenB259]

You can use a 7-1/4" blade that has a 1/16" kerf. I have used it before and works well. If you have a Byrnes saw you may get away with that size kerf. Never really tried on that saw. Bandsaw of course works well too. To get a little wider kerf you can probably use a carbide resaw blade. That is a little wider than a standard blade.

Question Ken and I think I know the answer but wanted to see what you see when doing these. Are you just cutting in numerical order and not skipping around like a standard knot? Do you think it would matter and show up differently.

The problem with the Byrnes saw is the cutting depth. I have an idea though to try a six sided on it that may work. Stay tuned.

 

[Brian G]

While you're at it, Ken...wonder what 3 different infills would look like in a 1&4, 2&5, 3&6 pairing (i.e., infills on opposite side kerfs).