How to make Kumiko Grids and Strips || Woodworking

[@EthanCarterDesigns]

Always amazed at how beautiful the patterns and the techniques to make them are! Really great video!

[@JTWoodworks]

Thanks Ethan!! 👊

[@FigmentsMade]

Maybe one day I'll be able to have this level of precision. Great work!

[@JTWoodworks]

Thanks! It's mostly matter of patience and practice

[@rwe2156]

If I could make a suggestion, cover the kerf right behind the closest angled fence. It is easy to inadvertently place a left thumb there. Of course with a SawStop it just costs you 80 bucks😉

[@JTWoodworks]

That's a good tip! Makes sense even if you have a sawstop

[@dansouth1973]

I use a similar method on my tablesaw, matching the thickness of the sawblade, but I hate that I lose half the wood to kerf.

[@JTWoodworks]

You can use a thin kerf blade to minimize waste. A bandsaw is a better option but I've never had great results

[@evanstewart8426]

Very good instructional video.

[@JTWoodworks]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@davesales3177]

G'day Johnny. I appreciate your video a lot. Two questions. Having the aluminium guide adjustable from both ends seems to allow you to put it on an angle - when would you need that? Why did you make your aluminium guide bar so long when it seems you only needed the support near your fences?

[@corgitokkiswoodworkshop1850]

Nice work! i just wanna see more beautiful patterns.

[@JTWoodworks]

Thank you so much! I'll have more videos coming out soon

[@jeffwaite7413]

Thank you for the great info!

[@JTWoodworks]

My pleasure! I'm glad you enjoyed it Jeff

[@peterclahsen1179]

Thank you for a very useful guide on how to get started Johnny! Being outside the USA, I wonder if you can share for us a source for the basswood blocks you purchase to make the strips with - I tried a search based on the information I was able to glean from the packaging photographed in the video, but wasn't able to find much (Basswood is not available here, so I'm looking to order in from USA or other places). Many thanks if you or others can shed some light on a source or two!

[@peterjfarnell]

I've just spotted this (after 2 years!!) Where are you? In UK you can buy basswood from Yandles of Martock, or you can use lime, which has almost the same properties of colour and hardness. That's what I use for my kumiko, but I have also found tulipwood to be very suitable.

[@peterclahsen1179]

@@peterjfarnell Many thanks for the information - that does give me a couple more timbers to look for and source, thank you :) I will see if I can get in touch with the timber yard you mentioned. I'm based in Australia, so it might get interesting!

[@LillianKZ123]

Great Video!!! My son and i are just learning Kumiko I do the small work and he does the power tool work. I really like the basswood block you you got. In what store did you get them? Didn't look like a Woodcraft.

[@JTWoodworks]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video and found it helpful!! I got that block from a Michael's art store. I also sell pre-cut basswood (and other wood species) strips on my website if you're interested - www.jtwood.works

[@LillianKZ123]

@@JTWoodworks So kind of you to reply! I just checked out your website. The snowflake kit caught my eye but it's sold out. Any plans to make more? Maybe in different woods?

[@benherman6462]

Great videos! I'm planning to purchase your plans and angle blocks. I notice that you use the basswood strips straight off of the tablesaw with no additional finishing. In some of the closeups, I can see fine milling marks. Do you ever find the need to sand, scrape, or plane the flat surfaces smooth?

[@JTWoodworks]

Thanks Ben! In some cases I do get some minor mill marks. They are hard to see in finished pieces and often unnoticeable. However, the strips come out very clean with a freshly sharpened blade and those are the strips that I offer for sale and use in nicer pieces.

[@benherman6462]

@@JTWoodworks thanks for the quick reply! I'm thinking of maybe taking a hybrid approach, cutting the strips on the tablesaw just slightly oversize and using a low-angle smoothing plane and jig to bring them down to exactly 1/8". I do have a good quality thin kerf blade (Forrest) so I should be able to get pretty smooth cuts.

[@JTWoodworks]

A lot of people go that route. It's certainly a good option and you'll get great results

[@MoscaWoodworking]

this is a very informative video, Johnny. one of the best instructional for the kumiko, for sure the best for the grid part. Alberto

[@JTWoodworks]

Thanks Alberto. I noticed a lack of this information on KZbin and it can be confusing for new woodworkers trying to learn kumiko. I'm glad you found it helpful

[@cathytsang5787]

may i know how many teeth of your blade has? I am using a mini table saw, using a 4-inch blade, and wondering blade with how many teeth are suitable for making kumiko

[@JTWoodworks]

I'm using a 10" blade with either 30 or 40 teeth. Both give great results. I'm not sure what the equivalent would be for your 4" mini saw.

[@FredMcIntyre]

Awesome work Johnny, thanks for the info! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@JTWoodworks]

Thanks bud! Glad you enjoyed it

[@LiloUkulele]

The problem I run into when cutting a long run of half laps is micro adjustment of the stop block can quickly add up after 5 or 6 lap joint cuts. Cutting 10 or 12 lap joints in a row can throw the desired overall length off...lots of kumikos in the trash can. Math-wise I take the total desired length, subtract the thick of the Kumiko x no. kumikos and divide by no. of desired spaces. I guess dialing in that space...to a thou...is a matter of patience and experience

[@glencrandall7051]

I commented on your video about making the angle jigs. I am pleased that all my concerns have been addressed here. I do realize that this video was make before my previous comments.

[@ericrichter7933]

Any tips for making sure that second cut is centered?

[@jimw544]

Hey Johnny, Great sled! I assume some grids are not 1/8" thick which matches the kerf of the saw blade. So if your sled was made with a 1/8" blade would a 3/32"" blade cause tear out?

[@JTWoodworks]

I can't imagine it would cause too much tear out. If you want to use 3/32" blade and stock with that sled, you would also need a 3/32" adjustable key.

[@SirBenJamin_]

When you were doing the first grid, how did you get the middle notch exactly in the center so that all four internal squares are exactly the same size? Did you just measure?

[@JTWoodworks]

Yup, just measure. I like to use a metal ruler and marking knife

[@mikenash5487]

so for the pieces that go inside the grid do you cut them all with a straight edge and then use a chisel on them or do you use a sled to add the angle onto them?

[@JTWoodworks]

I use kumiko jigs for the infill pieces. Check out the starter kit that's linked in the description if you're interested

[@sababa1022]

Great videos! Quick question. It seems you used a metal strip for you key rather than wood. What did you use?

[@JTWoodworks]

I used 1/8" thick aluminum. If you want to build this sled, here's a link to the plans and all the materials I used. jtwood.works/collections/plans/products/kumiko-table-saw-sled-plans

[@potato-8661]

hi i m from Bangladesh you have any online class please let me know

[@JTWoodworks]

Hi thanks for watching. I don't have online classes

[@shahbazking9628]

Thank you bro You teach really good God bless you

[@JTWoodworks]

I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@MacTech007]

I have a thin kerf 10" Freud Industrial 24 tooth glue line rip blade. Is this a good. Is this a good choice for rip cutting the kumiko strips?

[@JTWoodworks]

That should work fine for cutting the strips. If you're planning to cut 1/8" thick strips, you'll have to make two cuts for the half laps since that blade isn't wide enough to do it in once cut

[@MacTech007]

@@JTWoodworks , so, using my 3/32" glue line rip blade for rip cutting the kumiko strips is ok. Then I need to use a full kerf 1/8" blade for cutting the half laps. Is this correct? Will my other full kerf Freud Industrial flat bottom rip blade be ok for the half laps, or should I get a full kerf crosscut blade? By the way, I just purchased your fine quality kumiko table saw sled plans.

[@JTWoodworks]

@@MacTech007 The 3/32" 24 tooth should be fine for ripping. Your 1/8" flat bottom rip might work for the lap joints. It's removing just a small amount of material that I think it would be okay. You might want to use a sacrificial piece behind the strips to avoid chip out. I hope this helps and thanks for buying the plans

[@autodidacticartisan]

1:41-1:46 that kinda st*t gets really annoying. If I was subbed I would have unsubbed

[@JTWoodworks]

I'm glad you enjoyed the other 7 minutes and 44 seconds of free educational content

[@autodidacticartisan]

@@JTWoodworks yeah actually you have alot of cool techniques and I love the custom sled.

[@JTWoodworks]

@@autodidacticartisan appreciate it! 👊

[@abureehan486]

Very very nice. THANKS

[@abureehan486]

Bandal of THANKS.

[@musashinagatsubo9574]

That sled!!! Just bought the plans, thanks.

[@JTWoodworks]

Thank you!! 😊

[@marekpiecha803]

What about honeycomb shape? Can You do it with Your jig? Could You do a vid about it?

[@JTWoodworks]

Yes you can. That's the one I show at 5:06

[@sdspivey]

@@JTWoodworks That is a triangular grid, not hexagonal. Yes, I can see hexagons in it, but that isn't a honeycomb.

[@dennywinanto4965]

Everything you need , woods, tools, every thing is easy to get, not in my country :(

[@JTWoodworks]

What country are you in?

[@dennywinanto4965]

Indonesia bro, so envy to watch woodworkers get materials and tools in depot, not available here.

[@JTWoodworks]

If you're interested in kumiko, you don't need much tools. I sell jigs and materials on my website. All you need is a chisel and handsaw

[@dennywinanto4965]

@@JTWoodworks err not really, actually but thanks. Tbh, I am interested in the clean wood inside the plastic 😁

[@hassanal-mosawi6049]

Thanks for sharing that

[@grahambell2678]

I'm making hexagonal grids using a sled from your plan. Cutting the strips with 2/3 deep laps, the first cut is perfect with points in the center of the lapjoint. But as I continue the positioning seems to creep at first slightly off center but ending way off. Any ideas?

[@JTWoodworks]

Thanks for getting the plans. It could be that the registration key is just slightly off or unevenly spaced between the two fences. How long are the strips you're working with? The longer the strips, the more room for error

[@grahambell2678]

@@JTWoodworks Thanks for the quick reply. The strips are quite long. About 22". Good point about the registration key spacing. It will play around with that, but the adjustments are so micro. But still concerned about the creeping effect. Does the registration key need to be a very snug fit in the lapjoint to avoid this?

[@JTWoodworks]

It doesn't need to be super snug as long as you're pressing the new lap joint against it when making the next cut. Are the strips, blade, and key the same thickness?

[@grahambell2678]

@@JTWoodworks Yes, same thickness. I was pretty careful about that. Thanks for the tips. I will try again tomorrow and let you know.

[@grahambell2678]

I adjusted the registration key using a spacer to ensure parallel with blade. Also checked the fence angles with a different triangle and re-adjusted. A micro-adjustment of the fences seems to have significant affect on the off-center creep. (2 triangles I have seem to be almost a degree different.) Was able to get about 16" length of strip consistent until the creep got too much. But enough length for the frame size that I want. So I'm happy with it. Thank you for the tips.

[@aeonyoda]

What I would like to know is how to make the grid entirely with hand tools, so far no luck

[@johntaylor1359]

Loads of info on Utube do your searching

[@thesaxman]

Des King from Australia is your man type in kskdesign...he’s studied in Japan!

[@simonlinser8286]

It's just more tedious, a good ruler. I use a vise to hold 2 or 4 strips at once and cut multiple notches that line up. And you must have a very sharp chisel to get the miters on the ends. I put 4 pieces in the vise, cut all four notches then I move them over and cut the next 4 notches and then I cut all 4 to length. Then you cut all 4 center notches. Then make two more strips identical and that will be your first 4 x 4 grid.

[@pernellkatchp66]

In my first work I always used Woodprix plans.