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Construction of the Glass Cutter
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First you will need the following items - I
purchased these (except for the particle board) from an ACE hardware
store.
- 3/4 inch particle board cut to 36wide x 22 inches high
- 4ft of 1/4 inch aluminum trim channel
- 4ft of 1/2 inch aluminum trim channel
- 2ea 6x32x3/8 slotted machine screw with lock washers and nuts
- 2ea 36" metal rulers
- 2ea pieces of 1/8 inch thick aluminum stock 1 1/2 inches by 1 1/2
inches square
- 2ea nylon bushing with lip. Lip 1/2" dia. Shaft 1/2" long
5/16" dia. Bore 1/4"
- 2ea springs 3/8" OD 5/16" ID 1" min length could use
1 1/8"
- tubing
- 1ea 1/4" jack nut
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Making the rail |
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Step 01: Cut the 4ft length of 1/4" aluminum channel
in half so that you have two 24" pieces. De-bur the cut edges.
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| Step 02: Clamp the two pieces of aluminum channel back to
back and drill a 9/64 hole (for a #6 screw) 1" from each end - such
that a screw placed through the hole will hold the pieces back to back. |
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Step 03: Secure the pieces together using 6x32 slotted
machine screws cut approx. 3/8" to 1/2" in length and nuts
1/4" wide or less. |
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Attaching the "T" ruler to the rail |
| Step 04: Cut one of the metal rulers to 16
1/4" and round over the edges. This piece is going to be used as the
upright part of the "T" square. I used the blank (backside) of
the ruler as the part that shows. The other side has graduations on it,
but since we need the first inch of the ruler to mount it unto the rail, I
thought the remaining numbers might be confusing. You could use either
side you prefer though. |
NOTE: As an option to using screws to construct the
"T" square. You could try some adhesive such as Loctite #63531
(green in color - it is high viscosity and slow curing.) I have not tried
this myself, but it would probably work. |
| Step 05: In one end of the "T" leg; center
punch, drill, and counter sink two holes for #6 screw. The main objective
here is to get one hole in each section of the rail (that will be place
underneath) AND to allow room to get the nuts on inside the rail. |
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Step 6: It's now time to mount the leg unto the rail.
The most important thing in this procedure is to get the leg ABSOLUTELY
SQUARE to the rail. This can sometimes be a little tricky when you
have countersunk holes to deal with. First, start by positioning the
leg and rail as shown, with the leg centered on the rail. Next mark the
rail where you need to drill holes at in the rail. |
| Step 6a: Drill the two 9/64 holes in the rail and
mount the leg using #6x32x1/4" slotted flat head countersink screws, lock washers,
and 1/4" nuts. |
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Your "T" square should now look like this.
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| Step 7: Using the second ruler - cut 12 1/4 inches
off at each end. The goal here is to mount the ruler that has 1 inch to 12
1/4 inch on the right hand side of the rail and the other on the left hand
side. Use a square and a couple of small clamps to secure the ruler to the
rail while you drill and secure it. See NOTE. |
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NOTE ! |
| Be sure to CENTER the ruler over the rail when you are
mounting it. This small lip on either side will keep the rail from falling
down all the way into the track on the base board
Drill your holes so as to allow room for the nuts inside the rail and
be sure to MISS the hardware that holds the two rail pieces
together.
Be certain that the rulers are absolutely square to the leg. Don't
except anything less than perfect here!!! You want to be able
to rely upon your square for making perfect corners. If you have to
elongate some of the holes to make an adjustment then do so. If this
happens, take extra care in tightening the nuts so that there is no
further movement. You might want to consider some kind of adhesive. |
| I found that using needle nose vise grip pliers came in
handy to aid in holding the small nuts while turning the screws. |
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Your completed "T" square should look like
this.
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Next Page
(Construction of the Cutting Bar) |
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This page or any code or content contained within, may not be linked or published elsewhere without express permission of
the author. Author: Phillip D. Speed
Copyright © 2001 [Pane In The Glass]. All rights reserved.
Revised: June 24, 2006
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