Art by Gabriel Leake

Supplies

Two ¾” wood screws
Five 5/8” wood screws
One ½” x 2” right angle plate with Two of the screws it comes with
One 1/2 “ wide metal bar, cut to 16” long
Two metal yard sticks (for sufficient height), or one wooden yard stick
One ½” x 3 ½” x 24” piece of wood, (stain it, paint it, coat it, whatever you like)
Welders (or similar) Glue
Three size 6-32 machine screws, ¾” long
Three fittings with a wood screw on the outside and size 6-32 machine screw threads on the inside
Six rubber or felt feet of the same height as the feet on the mat cutter

Tools

Hack Saw
Flat Head and Philips Head Screw Driver
Vice
Drill
Drill Bits
C clamps

Start by cutting your yard sticks. If you are using metal rulers, align them and clamp them with your vice as you cut. Cut at exactly the three inch mark on one end, and the twenty six and 1/8 inch mark on the other. Brush up ends with a file or bench grinder.

After cutting it to size, drill your holes through which to put your screws. I made five holes.

Now take your sixteen inch bar and cut a 1/4” deep notch between 5 7/8” and 6” from one side. I drilled a hole and then cut to it with a hack saw to make the notch. Drill holes big enough for your 3/4” wood screws to fit through. Now drill holes at 1 ½”, 7”, 9 ½”, and 14 ½” from the same side you cut the notch from.

Now take your angle plate and drill a hole, just big enough for your machine screws to fit through, in the center of one of the sides. You can use the predrilled holes, but they will be larger than your screw and will allow for lots of wiggle room.

Place the bar on the side of your board, with 8” of the notched side sticking out. Mark the place for your holes and drill them or, if you have a vice, clamp the board and bar together while you drill (make sure to protect your wood.) Fasten the metal piece with the ¾” wood screws.

Next place the angle plate on the other side with the drilled hole not against the wood. Drill the holes for it. Fasten with two of the wood screws it comes with.

Now for drilling into your mat cutter. Place the attachment snugly against the cutter. You can clamp it together using the C clamps and a couple boards on the top and bottom. Or you can just mark the position of the holes. Note that these holes must be exact. Drill the holes. There should be three, one on the front and two on the side. Make them just smaller than the outside of the fittings with the machine screw threads on the inside (supply # 9). Before screwing in the fittings put some welders glue on them, following the glue’s directions. This will ensure that the do not come out, as the cutter’s wood is soft.

Screw in the fittings and attach the squaring arm to the cutter. Place the cut yard stick an top toward the bar edge. Place a square along the cutting edge and against the ruler to make it square. The yard stick inch marks and the square inch marks should be aligned. Drill the holes and fasten it with the 5/8” wood screws.

Lastly stick the feet on the bottom of the squaring arm.

If you are going to take this on and off frequently you may want to make a screw with a wing nut and a bolt on the end. You can glue these together so they won’t spin.

See pictures below for reference.