[CharleyL]

The left pin in your first pictures is a tapered pin, with an adjustment knob on the top side of the plate to move it in and out. It is used to fine adjust the dimensional relationship of the tenon to the mortise, to get the desired perfect fit of the tenon to the mortise. An 1/8 of a turn of this knob will change the mortise and tenon fit by about 0.001". Once set, you can create mortises and tenons of the exact size relationship to fit together perfectly.

I have an early model FMT jig, but I have a knee problem that will keep me from getting to the jig to be able to measure it for a while, so I hope you can find someone else who can provide your needed measurements. They need to be quite accurate, not only for the pin spacing, but the pin to router bit center measurement as well. It would be best to make the plate from aluminum, since moisture changes in a wood plate might seriously affect the accuracy of the jig. The taper on the pin is going to be hard to measure too. It's this accuracy that is likely the reason why a replacement plate is so expensive.

How in the World did the seller manage to loose the top plate to his FMT? He likely still has it attached to one of his routers and it is some place in his shop. Maybe you could help him search for it (and maybe find some other goodies in the process). If not, deducting the cost of a new top plate should be part of the pricing for what is left.

Charley

 

[CharleyL]

The taper pin adjusts the accuracy of how tight/loose the tenon is to the mortise. In use, the tapered pin does not touch both sides of the plastic template at the same time. You make a pass down one side and back on the other for cutting the mortise. The pin then rides against the outside of the same template when cutting the matching tenon. Changing the depth that the tapered pin fits into the template makes slight changes in the dimensional relationship of the tenon to the mortise. Once the pin is at the correct depth, the tenon cut will perfectly fit the mortise cut with the same bit and settings.

I think you should download the manual for the FMT Pro and read it thoroughly. Watch their Youtube demos and training videos too. My leg problems have not allowed me to get to my shop, so I still can't take measurements for you, but don't hesitate to ask more questions here or send me a PM. Much of every day is spent here in my photo studio at my computer, since I can't do much else. Saw the doctor yesterday, and he saw me. I still can't walk much, but I helped him pay for the new stereo for his Mercedes.

Charley

 

[CharleyL]

Andy,

Send me a PM with your email address and I'll try to get to the shop to take pictures and scan my FMT Pro plate for you. If it doesn't happen today, it will likely be this weekend. I'm back on my feet and walking again, but my wife is now having health problems, so I have all of the chores to do, both her's and mine, as well as catching up on my own since I haven't been able to do much of anything for over a week.

I want to send high resolution pictures, so you can enlarge them to see tiny details. They won't post in this resolution here because the file sizes are too large.

Charley

 

[CharleyL]

They run on the same schedule here too. If you can get a full 15 minutes with them you are doing better than me. Mine frequently runs back and forth between patients, so I get attention for just a few minutes at a time, maybe 10-15 minutes total, but I'm always afraid that they will mentally mix my problems with those in the other rooms and prescribe the wrong things for me. Hasn't happened yet, but the chances are there.

Andy, I'll do my best to get you some pictures and info this weekend, but SWMBO has quite a list of chores for me that absolutely have to come first.

Charley