Parallel stops for tools

 

— devices designed primarily to form straight cuts parallel to the edge of the workpiece and located at a clearly defined distance from this edge, as well as to limit the planing width when working with an electric planer along the edge of the material. However, many models also provide the possibility of a circular cut. And for engravers, a special kind of parallel stops is used, which has a different specific application.

The use of a parallel stop in the case of saws, jigsaws and planers looks like this. The device is attached to the tool using special rails (in particular, one rail is used for jigsaws, two for saws); rails have markings that allow you to choose the distance between the cut and the edge of the workpiece. The stop itself is located on the side of the working part and in the process of work is tightly pressed against the edge of the workpiece — in this case, the tool moves strictly parallel to the edge, without deviating either inward or outward. Planer models may also have the ability to tilt the tool at 45°, and sometimes other angles, in particular for easier chamfering.

A circular cut, in turn, is usually carried out according to the principle of a compass. To do this, the stop itself is usually removed from the mounting rail, and for work a special hole is used at the opposite end of this rail from the tool. With such a hole, the rail is put on a nail or other similar object that plays the role of an axis of rotation — this allows the tool to clearly move in a circle.

As for the stops for engravers, they usually have the form of characteristic cones, put on the working part of the tool with the base to the material. When working, this base is in close contact with the material, holding the cutter (or other working nozzle) in a strictly perpendicular position, and also providing additional support for the user; this contributes to the accuracy and accuracy of the cut. The cutter is also held in a strictly defined vertical position, so that such devices actually also serve as depth gauges. Thus, many models even provide an adjustment mechanism with a scale that allows you to accurately set the depth at the request of the user.