Introduction: Improved Jig for Punching/Stamping Letters/Numbers Straight

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A while ago I made a jig/guide block for those small metal punches to keep them in a straight line. I works allright, but I realised it could be improved!

Problem to be solved

Sometimes It's hard to make the letters align correctly. You can use tape to register the letters, but that is also hard. This jig makes it a little easier and works with metal, wood and leather. My old jig works, but I wanted to see where I stamp/punch (and also see if the spaces between letters needed correction). This is what I came up with.

I wanted one side to be transparent so I can place the punches more precise and I also wanted more room for my clamps, so I wanted a longer side.

This little jig is simple to make and easy to use.

It takes under an hour depending on tools, resources and... "skill" :-)

What you need

Materials

  • Wooden strip (preferably hardwood) about 20 cm long and 8 mm thick
  • Acrylic/plastic sheet (I used 4 mm thick)
  • CA/Super-glue
  • Tape
  • Some wooden screws
  • Some material as thick as you punching letters/stamps (I used some 6 mm plywood)

Tools

  • A saw
  • Small drillbit
  • Countersink bit
  • Sanding block/paper
  • Pen for marking (optional)

And a set of metal punches. :-)

Please comment, like, share or follow - It will fuel me to create more and better stuff! :-)

Step 1: Cutting the Parts

I make one side of hardwood. I had some leftofter red oak strips that I cut around 15 cm long.

(they are about 8mm thick and 2 cm in heigth)

I then traced the oak strip onto the plywood piece and cut two plywood pieces. One about 1,5 cm long and the other one about 3 cm).

You are free to use whatever you have around. And you can also make both sides 3 cm (this is for the clamp to have something to grasp on to).

Step 2: Acrylic Strip

Then I trace the oak strip onto the acrylic plastic sheet and make it the same size. I cut it using a band saw, but an ordinary fine tooth saw will work.

Step 3: Assemble the Parts

In my build I use some painters taper/masking tape to make it easier to fit the stamps. Thats really not needed. If I would do this again, I could skip the tape.

I use CA glue to keep the pieces in place.

Step 4: Putting in a Couple of Screws

I pre-drill 3 holes and then use a countersink bit to countersink the holes in the acrylic strip. This is for prevent it from cracking.

I use 3 small wooden screws to keep everyting togheter.

Step 5: Final Sanding

The edges can be very sharp, and I recommend making a small round over just so it will be nicer to grip and work with. I used a small disc sander, but that is really not necessary.

Step 6: Making a Small Key/pin

I used some of the 6 mm plywood to make a small "key". As wide as the metal stamps (6 mm). When punching the letters, I can use this "key" as a distance to I won't hit the other stamps while hammering/punching.

Step 7: Trying It Out : YES!

Then I tested my jig with a small piece of aluminum. Clamped it to my little anvil and tried it out. Works as expected.

I really like that I have better vision of where I'm putting the punched letters.

Done!


Big thanks on reading this instructable! I also made a small YouTube video on my channel for you to watch. You can find it here.https://youtu.be/h-zmJJNnr00

Please leave a comment or question if you have any! I will happily try to answer them all!

Step 8: Finished!

And thats that! :-)

Nice thing to have in the workshop from time to time. Please let me know what you think.

Next time I will be doing this, I will incorporate a magnet to hold the punches too.


Thank you fo checking this out, and hopefully it's somewhat useful! :-)