Simple Bevel Jig

[Jeffrey Aley]

I wanted to cut bevels in 3mm MDF (and other sheet materials). After a little thought, I realized that the laser is a bit like a bandsaw or scroll saw. The "blade" (beam) is always vertical. The way you get a bevel on a bandsaw is to tilt the table (bed). Since I'm working with small items (for HO Scale model trains), I made a small jig to elevate the raw materials at 45 degrees. Maybe you could use this when making boxes also.

Side view showing basic construction. I started with a 2x4" scrap of lumber. A. I ran it through the table saw to get a straight edge. B. I cut a 45' miter on my chop saw. C. I cut an opposite miter for the "stop". D. I glued on a scrap strip of MDF to use as a stop.

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Another view showing the whole thing. I actually made a pair of the 2x4's and glued them side-by-side to get sufficient width. Make sure the alignment is perfect, and cut the miters for the whole thing after gluing (so it all lines up). You could use a 4x4, but I didn't have one laying around.

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Here it is in the laser. You want to be sure the stop is low enough that the nozzle won't hit it when the laser decides to go home. You'll need to experiment a little (pulse) to figure out the perfect Y value. Mine ended up at 10.7mm.

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Here's a sample cut. The tiny notches are because the opposite face is etched with a brick pattern.

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Enjoy!

-Jeff

[Gene Uselman]

Nifty- I have actually considered this a few times but did not think it could be lined up well enough for a longer bevel- well suited to your miniature buildings.

[Ian Bell]

Nice and simple idea Jeff, I did similar on my CNC when I didn't have a bevel cutter handy. The advantage of the laser is no clamping or workholding required.

Scale buildings is something I fancied doing at some stage for model railway enthusiasts etc, but with the proliferation of opportunities for things to laser i've never got round to that one. I did recently purchase some "greyboard" to have a little play, but still working tends to get in the way of play time.