# Kehoe jig to the rescue.



## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

I have a contractor who is doing an historic home restoration that is dropping off wood trim parts for me to replicate. The interior stuff is wide walnut, no problem. The exterior is painted fir now but he wants the replacement made of red cedar (and he his going to paint it).

Most of it is curved door/window trim from the exterior that simply has to be fabricated to match the old, nowhere to find it. I have wide/thick cedar (the board in the picture is 8/4 X 12" wide X 10' long) so I can make it one piece. He dropped off a couple samples this morning and is bringing some curved window trim this evening. Obviously the window trim is a tighter radius. I am laying as many piece out on the board as I can at once to minimize waste, but he requested knot free too.

Cutting it out is no biggy. But it has this detail on it in the pictures I was scratching my head how to make. On the straight pieces it was not that tough to figure out...but the curved pieces had me stumped (for 5 minutes )

Then it dawned on me, I have the perfect tool. The Kehoe Corner Inlaying Jig. http://www.dovetailspline.com/catalog.html 
Slap that puppy in the router, throw the right bit in and go to town :yes:. I can keep perfect alignment all the way around the inside of the piece. No setting up anything fancy, just bolt it on and go. I am just going to use it on the straight trim too because it is too easy not to.

How would guys go about doing that detail in your shop ?


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## mdlbldrmatt135 (Dec 6, 2006)

I'd have done the same thing, I have to admit I still need to use the Jig. But I have the perfect Project waiting for it now............


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

There is a saw mill a few miles north of me called The Circle B Saw Mill. Like Darel, you can bring them anything and they can make it for you. He makes his own blades that go into a molding plainer. It is amazing to me how a new jig, tool can duplicate what it took a craftsman hours to hand make. I can see our great granddads looking down on us saying "Look at them young punks with their new fangaled machines, and they called themselves craftsman".


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

Cool Daren. Another use i had not yet heard of. We get this all the time. New uses, new twists, new nuances. Thanks for posting it. 

Handyman, this notion that our forefathers eschewed the latest and greatest technology of their day is simply wrong. They wanted to use every advantage they could, and they did. The tools we have today didn't suddenly appear. They are the a result of the evolution of our fathers, their fathers, and their fathers tinkering and innovating and perfecting tools they were handed down. Thanks to Nikola Tesla and others who harnessed the miracle of electricity, our grandfathers had enough sense to say "Hey, let's make some of the hand tools REALLY efficient!" 

To say that the craftsmen of our day are not putting out furniture every bit as awesome as what our forefathers did is also not accurate IMO. I know that alot of hand carving and other highly artistic things like that are not as prevelant but that's because the market is not clamoring for it. If it was, you'd see artisans learning and developing those aspects. 

You know what 9 out of 10 (if not more) of our grand dads would call us if we *didn't* use every tool and technology in our craft? Idiots.


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

TexasTimbers said:


> Cool Daren. Another use i had not yet heard of. We get this all the time. New uses, new twists, new nuances. Thanks for posting it.
> 
> Handyman, this notion that our forefathers eschewed the latest and greatest technology of their day is simply wrong. They wanted to use every advantage they could, and they did. The tools we have today didn't suddenly appear. They are the a result of the evolution of our fathers, their fathers, and their fathers tinkering and innovating and perfecting tools they were handed down. Thanks to Nikola Tesla and others who harnessed the miracle of electricity, our grandfathers had enough sense to say "Hey, let's make some of the hand tools REALLY efficient!"
> 
> ...


Point well made. Thinking back at some of the tools my Pop (grandfather) had in his box were hand made. Supporting what you said about using every advantage they could. I am an old school kind of guy. I carry wood planes, chisels and even Yankee Screwdrivers in my tool box. I like old tools and use them as much as I can. Don't get me wrong, I carry the state of the art Panasonic Impact driver and and other new power tools and use them to. It wasn't my intent to step on any toes. I just thinking of my old Pop, which is were my "old school" came from.


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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

We are on the same page no doubt. I will choose a hand plane or chisel before a power tool. I think sometimes though we get to thinking the artisans of the past did not like technological advancement, when they are the ones who gave it to us. :laughing:


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## goingenoan (May 24, 2008)

Darren, I am intrigued by this gadget of yours. I have never heard of it before. I took a look at the website you posted, unfortunately its decription of this jig is rather lacking. Can you tell us a little more about it. I'm guessing by your photos that you mount a router on the jig. It says that it is corner inlaying jig. How does it do inlays at a 45*? I'm feeling stupid at this point but my curiosity has won so I am asking! Thanks


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

goingenoan said:


> I'm guessing by your photos that you mount a router on the jig. It says that it is corner inlaying jig. How does it do inlays at a 45*?


Yes that is how the inlayer works. It mounts to your router base and lines the bit up 45* on a 90* corner so it runs smoothly down it. It is designed for decorative inlay on a corner, but I found another use for it as a molding guide in this case.


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