Tutorial Another take on making gratings if a small table saw is available by AllanKP69

[AllanKP69]

Another take on making gratings if a small table saw is available. Note the guide rail to guarantee the spacing between cuts is always the same. Pictures and a 1000 words.....



In the photo below the squaring can be done with the first slots up or down. Obviously the blank here would be flipped over when making the cross cuts which will be deeper than the initial cuts.



As there is still wood on the underside this can be planed, rasped, or sanded off so the holes are all the way through. As it is nigh impossible to see through the holes it is easier to just leave the wood and the gratings will still look good. I always make the gratings at least two or three rows larger than the largest grating to account for any breakage as can be seen in the photo below.



Note that there were never open holes against the coaming or head ledges. In order to accomplish this, it is best to make the grating as close to the drawings as possible them build the head ledges and coamings around the grating. The battens should always run fore and aft rather than athwartships.

 

[Steef66]

Another take on making gratings if a small table saw is available. Note the guide rail to guarantee the spacing between cuts is always the same.

A very good method to make gratings especially when working on a bigger scale. Like 1/50

 

[AllanKP69]

A very good method to make gratings especially when working on a bigger scale. Like 1/50

Thanks Stephan. I have used it as small as 1:64 but not smaller. I know there are blades with kerfs that would work for 1:96 but I have not had a need to give it a try (so far )

 

[Hakai43]

I appreciated AllanKP69's tutorial and am happy to say I used it successfully. I made a couple of adjustments that might be of interest.

I managed to do the cuts on my cheap 10 inch table saw with a standard carbide blade, which made slots an appropriate size for my 1:30 project. I'm using cherry.

I got very little breakage once I learned to do the shallow cuts ACROSS the grain. This is also important because the deeper cuts that form the cross pieces perpendicular to the battens will have the grain running with them. The battens go in the shallow cuts across the grain, so the result is a much stronger grating.

As shown, I used a one inch thick block of wood, since it seems easier to handle and safer than a thin piece for doing the table saw cuts.

Last, I cut out a section of the finished block for the size grating I needed, then re-sawed that on the bandsaw to the depth of the deep cuts.

 

[AllanKP69]

Glad it worked out. GREAT LOOKING GRATINGS.