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#161
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Speaking of the manual, there is another edit they'll need to make so be aware:
-"Step 5: Drilling out the holes for the fire control group" mentions the use of/need for a 5/16" bit several times. That's incorrect; that should say 5/32" bit each time; you never use a 5/16" at any point during this build. I called them yesterday and confirmed that. Well I've finished this one up. Here are some thoughts: Quite frankly, the fishined pockets look like crap: First thing I noticed is that my holes are too deep. I checked my stop before and after every cut, but I think using a polymer stop was a bad idea; it must have compressed ever so slightly when finishing the cut. This one: http://www.amazon.com/Century-Drill-...rds=drill+stop Don't use it. Use a real drill stop like they suggest in the manual. As for the sides and bottom, there's a real technique to milling with a router, and I didn't exactly get the hang of it until I was pretty much done with this one. I'm not sure how to explain it; I think its just one of those things you need to do for a little while yourself, before it clicks. In retrospect, I think I would have benefitted from some practice first, and that would be my suggestion to you: find a block of aluminum, or even a piece of 2x4 wood. Set things up correctly, drill a pilot hole and practice making smooth, slow easy cuts with your router and end mill. If I'd done that first, I bet I'd end up with much smoother walls than this one has. Next time... As for the finished product? My LPK went in with zero trouble, save one detail: the selector is crazy loose. I mean like pick up the lower and gravity flops the lever around in the detent, loose. I'm not sure why yet, but I suspect its the selector barrel/detent itself and not the lower/jig/cuts. I'll update on that when I figure it out. So, bottom line would I recommend this kit and this lower? You bet, without hesitation. I will be ordering (many) more paperweights from these guys and that jig is going to earn its keep. Sure, there's some progress they need to make on the manual and that video will hopefully help clarify many of the points the manual leaves less than clear. But overall, this setup is money VERY well spent.
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"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis Last edited by BigJ; 02-10-2017 at 9:19 AM.. |
#162
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The issue with the chewed up template experienced here seems to be stemming from not following the directions below highlighted in blue. We are going to slightly reword this to make it more clear, and highlight it in red in the manual so it can't be missed. If you messed up your template prior to version 8.2 of the manual being posted, we will replace the chewed up piece for free. Please send us an email and we will get it taken care of.
"Always verify end mill cutting surface has cleared or 1/2 down the jig template" "In a repeating fashion, increase the end-mill depth by ½ to 1/3 hash and execute a rough pass until the depth of 2.5 to 2.66 hash is achieved (figure 3.10)" "• Set the end-mill to the 3rd hash mark and execute a finish pass (see figure 3.11)" We are adding this to the manual: Under no circumstances should the cutting surface of the end mill ever touch the jig. Only the smooth part of the end mill (Called the shank) should ever touch the template. You MUST verify that the cutting surface of your end mill has cleared the template before executing a finishing pass. Following this will solve this entire problem. Quote:
We greatly appreciate all of your feedback. We had a pretty sizable number of novice beta testers complete a lower based solely of the instruction manual and this was not a problem initially. Your feedback helps us identify things like this that are not entirely clear and we will correct them. Manual version 8.2 will be posted by 7 PM PST today or sooner with clarification on when to make the finishing pass.
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com Last edited by 80% Arms; 01-04-2014 at 11:14 AM.. |
#163
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Very nice guys. Top notch customer service, that.
I placed my order and paid for a replacement trigger template about 5 minutes before you posted that, but I don't mind eating the cost. It was my fault that I chewed it, not yours. Thank you for being receptive to our feedback. Its only going to help make a good product even better. Looking forward to the revised manual!
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"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis |
#164
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Quote:
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#165
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Wow, thanks guys. Hats off to ya. We'll be doing lots more business in the future, that's for sure. :cheers:
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"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis |
#166
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The way I understood the manual was that after making the first rough cut you were to then do the finish cut (I'll have to go back and look at the manual that I downloaded from them the first day to see the exact wording) then lower the depth of the cut and repeat. What router are you using? Did you get the B&D? - one of my irks is that I can't see anything going on while cutting - and - partially part of the reason I didn't catch my mistake until it was too late. The only way to visually see where the cutting surface of the end mill is by laying the plates down on the router - which means disassembling the top part of the jig. A re word of the manual that says NO FINISH CUTS UNTIL THE THIRD MARK would have helped so that's a real positive change to instruction manual . Another thing would be using an end mill with a shorter cutting surface like 1" instead of 1.5" - unfortunately I can't find an end mill with those specs. 4" long shanks seem to only have 1.5" long cutting surfaces. I'm going to check with a friend of mine that has a machine shop (unfortunately for me, in North Carolina ). When I checked on ordering just "parts" the individual items weren't listed - I got a phone call from 80% Arms today and they offered to replace the top plate for free (which I was more than willing to pay for), really happy about that. I started cutting the rear shelf last night but I only did a portion of it - I was too frustrated and tired - going to wait until I get the new top jig plate before continuing on. The chips from the end mill are so fine they make a huge mess in the garage. I'm back to work on Monday and want to relax the last few days before going back to the grind. |
#167
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Its all good bill, I understand where you're coming from.
Quote:
Maybe try taking that cover off too (the clear plastic piece with the port on it that supposed to let you put a vacuum hose on?). Also I found using a light clamped to my desk, shining upward from the underside of the jig when mounted in the vise really helped me see what was going on.
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"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis Last edited by BigJ; 01-04-2014 at 12:19 PM.. |
#168
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I just did the initial drilling...
...took about an hour with a 18V Dewalt(let the drill cool off between holes). I wanted to see how hard it would be with a cordless, plus I don't have a drill press. Use a quality drill bit, stop, slow speed, and plenty of Rapid Tap or similar. |
#169
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After taking a hard look at the Black and Decker router, we are no longer recommending it. If you already have one, it definitely works, but we feel there are quality control issues with the Black and Decker router that are causing inconsistent results depending which one you happen to get. If you notice you can flex your end mill from side to side when it's secured in the B&D router, we would recommend returning it. If your end mill seems very rigid in there and does't give when pushed from side to side, then you should be fine.
We have several Porter Cable and Dewalt routers and they all seem to be of consistent quality. This is going to be our official recommended router going forward, as it's the cheapest one that yields quality results.
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com Last edited by 80% Arms; 01-04-2014 at 2:06 PM.. |
#170
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I have my B&D router and I haven't even opened it yet to check the play. Just to be on the safe side, I am going to send it back and get a Porter Cable or DeWalt. Are the recommended routers the Porter-Cable 7310 and the DeWalt D26670 Laminate Trim Routers?
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#171
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Yes
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#172
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Version 8.2 of the manual has been posted. http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/021...essed.pdf?1329
We've clarified a few things and made it easier to follow overall. The problem of accidentally milling the jig should be solved if you follow the bolded red text in the manual.
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#173
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Just finished, sorry for the phone pictures
I have the same rough finish on the sides. This and the slight poke through to the bullet button cavity is due to the end mill jumping when I tried to take off too much material. Neither should effect function of the lower. I honestly think this jig is a game changer. I will be buying another lower and doing this again. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk |
#174
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Quote:
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk |
#175
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Some have posted that it took them a long time to drill out the trigger pocket. There are three things that can cause this. 1) dull drill bit 2) underpowered cordless drill 3) a lower made out of 7075 alloy takes at least 2x longer to drill.
We made a brief video showing that the main drilling process can be done in just 5 minutes using a $5 drill bit and a standard $50 Dewalt drill. This literally takes about an hour to do with any other jig, including our own 1st gen jig. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccO1Day60sA Regarding the instructional video, please bear with us a little longer. Based on your feedback here, we are clarifying a couple things in it to make it extra clear how to avoid having any trouble with your end mill chewing up your jig template. It's pretty easy to prevent that from happening with proper instructions and the video will emphasize this.
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com Last edited by 80% Arms; 01-05-2014 at 12:10 AM.. |
#177
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Blasocut, it's the coolant we run in our CNC mills.
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#178
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Well ****. I was doing great. I made it past the 3rd hash mark, I had a great polygon cut, I had only managed to slightly nick the edge of the jig and mar it. Then the piece that regulated the depth of the cut on the Black and Decker router I was using vibrated loose. And I didn't catch it until after I had cut a large hole through the bottom of the FCP. ****! ****, ****, ****! And everything had been going so well.
-Mb
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#179
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Quote:
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#181
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The Porter Cable 7310 is sold out locally. I picked up a Ridgid R24012. Any thoughts pro or con?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-1-...012/100337039#
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Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem. |
#182
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You know, I still like the jig. Like I said, until that router failure, everything was going very well. It wasn't the jig set up that had the problem.
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#184
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Quote:
Amazon reviews sound positive: Quote:
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#185
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I agree, that is really awesome. As BigJ's wife and one who also plans to work on this same project, this kind of customer service really goes a long way with us.
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#186
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While I have not used that router on aluminum yet, I do use one often in my day to day job. The light and clear base are nice to help you see what you are doing. |
#187
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I bought one of these as well and plan to try it on a .308 paperweight once those ship. I might not be able to contain myself though and order a AR15 paperweight in the meantime :-)
I'll report back on the router once I use it. Quote:
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#189
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I'm going to return mine to Amazon (without the box), listed as defective. Amazon typically makes things right in situations like this.
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"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis |
#190
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nice piece...exceptionally nice lowers as well. i will be watching this thread. interested in the .308 set up...
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#191
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Amazon will usually take things back without the box. If you still have the option to return it, would recommend doing so.
__________________
Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#192
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Update on the Rigid brand router, we spoke to a customer who used it and had an issue with the depth setting coming loose midway through a cut. If you are using the Rigid brand router, you need to pay very close attention that the depth setting doesn't change mid way though and frequently check that it's not coming loose.
Still recommending the Porter Cable and Dewalt routers as the most fool proof versions.
__________________
Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#193
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Quote:
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#194
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I have a Bosch Colt palm router. Great for wood. Two locking mechanisms and micro adjust. They are $100 ish but it's a Bosch and last awhile. Work great routing dado slots in any wood Home Depot sells.
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#195
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An update on router selection:
To use the Easy Jig in the configuration we recommend, you need a laminate trim router (like the Porter Cable and Dewalt routers we've posted previously), which is smaller than most full size routers. You can use a full size router, but you will have to follow a slightly different procedure than what the manual suggests for making the trigger hole. In the manual, on page 21, we have you put the rear shelf pocket template directly on top of the jig without using the spacer plate to raise it up like in the previous steps. The reason for this is because the router is easier to control when it's lower down and closer to the part. This makes it easier to get a nice clean trigger hole. With a regular router, they larger base of those routers will hit the buffer tube hole on the lower. In order to clear the buffer tube area, you will need to use the spacer plate to raise the router above the buffer tube. With the spacer in, it's a little harder to do the trigger hole, but by no means impossible. We will add this as an update to the manual in the future for those who already have a full size router and don't want to have to buy a laminate router.
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Home of the Easy Jig • GST-9 Polymer Frames • Premium Billet 80% Lowers and Jigs • FFL licensee - The world's largest manufacturer of 80% Jigs and Lowers - 80% Arms 12282 Monarch St. Garden Grove, CA 92841 Phone: (949)-354-ARMS [2767] Email: sales@80percentarms.com |
#197
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Called these guys up this morning. Talked to them about my fire control pocket template problem and they are sending me a new one soon. I must say these guys offer great customer service. Will definitely be doing business with these guys soon. thanks again "T"
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#198
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Quote:
Thanks!
__________________
"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." - Elmer Davis |
#199
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Quote:
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk |
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