I had the need to make a little edge trim on one of the interior panels on the Rocket project the other day, something that would fill a slightly wavy gap on the order of a millimeter or two and hide edge of the panel. A piece of soft(ish) black tubing (pitot/static tubing, basically) was just what I needed. But trying to freehand cut a straight slot for a foot of tubing was impossible—it wanted to spiral.
Not to worry – the Home Shop Machinist (Robert Hadley – a neighbor) came to the rescue with a piece of hardwood (he also makes furniture), a hole one size up from the 1/4” diameter of the tube, and a slot to hold an X-acto blade. The pictures tell the story: hold the block of wood in the vice, clamp the blade in place, and pull the tube through the opening, making sure it doesn’t twist as you draw it though. The result? A perfectly slit tube that slides onto the edge of the .032” panel.
Ingenious