DIY Jig to Make Wood Shims
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- In this short UA-cam video, we'll show you how to create a practical wood shim jig for all your shimming needs. Say goodbye to buying shimming stock - with this easy DIY jig, you can make your own shims for window and door installation or leveling furniture and appliances. Join us for this 30-minute project and elevate your DIY game!
don't use the fence with this jig. make one with a runner. the miter slot makes these cuts a lot safer. Also give it a tall handle.
Thanks for your comment XxStratAttachxX. Cheers!
Thank you !
Thanks for your comment @doc145. Have a nice day!
Well, that worked. For me it would cost me about 12 minutes of shop time to set up the jig. Negligible materials. Electricity -- likely about $4 worth of wattage. So per minute that's a buck per minute ($12), plus the electricity ($4), for a total of $16 for a pack of shims. In a pinch makes sense to make one or two, bit otherwise, plan ahead and grab a pack at your local big box for about $1.50
Hello joshualafond6760. If you're a professional carpenter, your time might be better spent on other tasks. I won't argue that point.There are a few reasons why you might want to make your own shims: because you're stuck and need them fast, to learn, to be self-sufficient, for the love of carpentry, to save money.
I don't know how you come up with $16 to produce the equivalent of a pack of shims. I won't argue your methods of calculation. For my part, electricity costs me an average of $250 a month for my house and workshop (I live in Eastern Canada). That works out at about $0.35 an hour for electricity... so pennies to produce shims for 15 minutes…
This morning I consulted the websites of 3 hardware stores in my area. They all sell packs of 42 shims (1 inch wide by 12 inches long) for $8.96. The cheapest I found on Amazon was $12.95 for 12 shims (which is terrifying to me, LOL).
I'm not saying it's impossible to find a pack of shims for $1.50 in some places, but I wouldn't know where to send you to buy some at that price. But to be fair, you'll also have to calculate the cost of gas to get to the hardware store. According to the Canadian Automobile Association, the price of gasoline in October 2023 is $6.96 a gallon (this too is terrifying).
So, if you're a hobbyist or experienced woodworker and live near me, producing your own shims when you need them is well worth the effort and the money. I sincerely thank you for taking the time to comment and open a discussion. I'm not questioning your reasoning, it all depends on your job, where you live and your priorities. With that, I wish you a nice day. Cheers!
Of course, my intent is/was not to be snarky. It was only to perhaps highlight your tip for shims was a great tip, not intended for bulk or a large job. For sure (as I admitted) when you need a few and it's not worth a trip ONLY for some shims! So yes, great tip! By the way, it also works to take a 9 or 10 inch cut off of 2x8 or 10 set in the chopsaw parallel to the blade, set the blade to 1°, and cut, flip, cut, repeat...
I hate to be the one to tell you, but you are overpaying for electricity.
You lost me with that marker!
Hello@MrGoose95n, my objective was to illustrate that you can adjust the angle so you can choose the thickness of the shims you need. Have a nice day my friend.
They are wedges not shims. Shims are flat.
I understand what your saying Thomashop225. But for most carpenters a shim is a wedge that will theoretically be .001 inch to what ever you chose the other end to be 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 of an inch or more. I agree that if you want a flat piece, you will make it to the specific thickness you need. But for most applications like doors and windows installations or for leveling you want them to be ajustable. Thanks for your comment and have a nice day.
@@SawdustSociety Thank you for the reply. I am a carpenter cabinet maker 3rd generation, I always use wedge as the terminology or it could be wedge shim. If its flat I would just say a shim or even packer if in door lining. So not to get mixed up if I asked somebody to cut me one. Thanks anyway we're on the same page lol. Have a good one.
Most definitely called a shim… if it was much larger then a wedge.
@@watchmedo4276 I do understand what you are saying I also think that the terminology shim is much more widely used for it in the US. For the wedge shape shim we tend to use wedge more than shim in the UK. Although a flat shim is always a shim. Thanks for the comment.