Letter Punch Jig: Uniform and Adjustable Spacing Between Letters

Introduction

Hi!

I've been a long time follower of Instructables, and in many times it was really helpful. So, I think it is my time to contribute with something that, to my best knowledge and strangely, is not available to buy and can save some frustration. Some people also asked me dimensions and related information, so I can direct them to this page.

Some months ago I bought a set of letter punches just because I wanted to add my "signature" to the stuff I make. Isn't something funny (and kind of heartwarming) when you buy old tools/stuff at a flea markets and then you find the authors signature under the rust? Well, I'm always looking for that details and I'm very pleased by that.

Problem

Everything is fine until I try to write my name in a stainless steel plate. Without any guide or similar help I could not write a straight word and with the correct and reproducible spacing between the letters. Adding a straight edge helped with the straightness of the word, but the spacing between letters was irregular and not good and did not see any improvement with practicing. Stacking the punches side-by-side produces words with too much spacing between letters.

I've started looking for ideas online and there are really good options out there even in this platform there is a JIG for stamping letters straight here. Nonetheless, as I was searching I was adding constantly items to an imaginary list of things that my jig should perform and those online options did not met the cut. They were

• Possibility to use letter punches with different sizes/widths;
• Variable, adjustable and reproducible spacing between letters according to a specific task and punches;
• Did not want to use removable spacers as I would loose them instantly;
• Small, portable and inexpensive to build;

I'm no expert in fabrication so, if I was able to build it with scrap laying around in the shop, someone taking their time to think and with decent materials should also be able to do that. To build the Jig that I propose here, you the most "advanced" tool you need Is a welding machine but in general you'll need:

1. Tools

• Angle grinder or hacksaw;
• Drilling equipment (drill, drill bits and hole saw);
• Welding machine;
• Some markers or scribers;
• Bench vise;
• Ruler;

2. Materials

• Steel L profile;
• Small pieces of flat steel bar (4 mm and 8 mm);
• Threaded rod (I used M6 x 1.00 but you can use other dimensions as I'll explain latter);
• Two M6 bolts (other sizes will work);
• Nuts and washers for the threaded rod and bolts you use;

I'll try to post dimensions of the different parts but if you understand the reasoning behind the Jig you can adapt it to your desire and those dimensions are no longer important. I apologize for only having photos of the finished Jig and not of the process but I'll try to be as clear as possible. following the steps I took. I also apologize for the rudimentary look of the materials, but this was built with things from the scrap bin and since it worked so fine in the first iteration I did not make another one.

In a first instance you should cut the L profile to a desired length. There is not one measurement to follow, you should know what you want to do and the dimensions of the things you want to punch. To start the build you will need two pieces of L profile. In my Jig the L profile is 3 cm wide and 12 cm long.

In this step it is necessary to drill two holes in each L profile pieces. I call offset holes because the two L profile pieces are not aligned and there is more or less 1 cm of offset that is necessary to have. One piece will be the attached to a vise and it will be the base of the Jig. It provides stable mounting and a a straight surface to hold the materials to punch the letters. The other piece is the top part and it will act as a straight edge to keep letters aligned.

This is the most important part of the Jig as it provides a way to rest the punch against it at the same time it allows the user to increment in a reproducible way the space between letters. Some rigor should be considered to eliminate play between pieces and keep everything aligned.

In a first instance you may start by cutting a piece of 8 mm profile with 1 cm more than the width and height of the L profile. Next you should cut a precise slot according to the thickness of the L profile. There should be no gaps but the piece should be able to slide in the L profile relatively free. Take your time to align all pieces. Measure twice and cut once, or twice if you have more material

With the slotted piece installed in the L profile you may weld two small tabs of 4 mm flat bar on each side keeping the slotted piece perpendicular to the L profile. I've found that this makes the sliding of the slotted piece much much easier and smoother.

In a second instance you may want to cut two tabs of 4 mm flat bar. This will be welded at each edge of the top L profile. They should be cut to the desired width and height of the L profile "internal" dimensions.

Drill one hole in each tab in the exact same place. The holes should be the same total diameter of the threaded rod.

Transfer the holes to the piece created in the previous step. Precision is necessary to keep everything aligned. This will be the only threaded hole and should be the same specifications as your threaded rod.

Weld the two tabs at the edge of the L profile. Keep everything aligned.

Now that the two tabs and the slotted piece are inserted in the top L profile part, the threaded rod can be inserted in the holes and a small handwheel can be cut with a hole saw. I used a 30 mm hole saw and some 8 mm flat bar. Drill an offset hole in the knob and insert a small bolt to act as a knob to make it easier to turn.

Place two nuts around the handwheel and one washer on the outside part of the tab in the L profile. With this you can cut the threaded rod keeping in mind that you will need one washer and two nuts on the opposite side of the L profile to lock the threaded rod in place.

At this point the jig is basically assembled and should look something like the photos show. Be sure that in the advancing part there is no play as it will ruin the spacing between letters.

Using a vise, attach/clamp the bottom part making sure that the two bolts are inserted. Slide the top part (that by this time is all assembled) and with two nuts secure the two parts. At this point the Jig is ready to be used.

With the bottom and top parts all attached, slide the piece to be engraved in between the two pieces. Tight the two bolts making sure that the piece does no slide and is firmly secure.

Place the slotted part at the beginning of the place you want to engrave. At this point knowing the pitch of your threaded rod and the space that pleases you the most, you just calculate the necessary turns. In my case, with 3 mm wide punches, I like 3 mm between two consecutive letters, so with 1 mm pitch threaded rod I need to turn the wheel 3 full rotations. In attachment I put some photos of the end results and the video at the beginning demonstrates the procedure. The results are far better than anything I was expecting within the limitation of the precision of the punches.

There are two things that I would like to improve in a near future and it is the way that the pieces are clamped, a little bit cumbersome, and the size limitation of the pieces which is imposed by the two vertical clamping bolts.

Hope it is helpful!

IVZNH