I’ve done this a few times and have the Wheeler/Miles Gilbert Jig. The grinding and fitting is not the problem. It’s the holes for the screws. The darn jig screws tears em up. I know how to make a small incision with an exacto and how to insert the installation screws using soap and no problem with them. But the darn screws that attach the pad to the jig. The real long machine screws. Those always seem to tear up the pad to some degree. How can I reduce or eliminate this?
Have you thought of re-engineering the jig to use smaller diameter screws, or at least reduce/re-shape the screw heads if those are what's dragging the rubber? Dunno, I've never used one of those jigs - when I've installed pads I masked off the wood with a couple layers of masking tape and ground the rubber by eye on my 12" disc sander getting it close and finishing with sanding blocks, taking it down flush at the same time I sanded the wood. Always on raw stocks, but once on a previously finished stock which was a real heart-in-mouth experience but it turned out fine.
