Shelves of 3/4 ply, need to have dividers every 2"
The supply store did not have anything like traditional 1/4 HB for the dividers, I ended up buying some 3/16 ply to use. Maybe a mistake.
How would you cut a 3/16 groove in the 3/4 boards? (I need them every 2", making a total of 32 slots)
My sawblade is 1/8, my smallest router bit is 1/4
Suggestions please!
markndawoods
Markndawoods wrote: ...
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Most (all?) dado sets will only give you 1/4" w/ two outside cutters so buy a 3/16" router bit is probably the most effective choice.
Otherwise, you'll have to double-pass on the saw which is twice the work; twice the chance to make an error.
Alternative is use 1/8" grove and rabbet the top/bottom of the panels to fit.
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Do you have a sled for your saw?
That'd be the way I would do it. The nice thing about that is that the edge of the dado gets covered and that in itself allows you a bit of slack. Easier assembly.
When your fence is parallel to the body of the blade, the blade will cut 1/8". If you make the fence unparallel to the blade, the blade will make a wider cut.
Regards,
Tom Watson
I suppose, but that's a pretty bizarre technique. Probably not so good either if you're looking for a really clean cut with perfectly straight sides (which may not matter in this case), but an interesting suggestion nonetheless.
If you have a sled, you could drill a 1/8" hole in the base (not all the way through) near the fence at a point 2" from the blade, then drop a short piece of 1/8" rod in the hole so that it protrudes up from the sled surface a short distance (somewhat less then the depth of your dado cuts). Position the board against the pin, make a cut, then reposition the board such the pin protrudes up into the slot you just cut, then repeat as necessary. Drill another hole close to the first one, but
1/16" further away from the blade, reposition the pin in that hole, then repeat the process, making sure to snug the board up against the pin each time (since the new slot will now be 1/16" wider than the pin). Test the positioning of that second hole on some scrap first; you may need to reposition the pin by drilling a different hole if the width of your dado is incorrect.
A sled and a 1/8" cleat attached to sled offset from saw cut by 2".
Two passes get 3/16" cut, 2" offset insures repetitive spacing of
3/16" cuts.Lew
If your sled is wide enough, do both top and bottom shelves at the same time, as one slab and then rip it lengthwise into two pieces.
"Markndawoods" wrote in news:dYqdnSxnYbZnm13XnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@molalla.net:
There's two ways to make pieces fit in grooves: Either enlarge the size of the groove, or reduce the size of the piece. I'll leave this to your determination as to it's usefulness, but you could possibly reduce the size of the piece to the 1/8" required for your dividers. I'd only do the edges of the ply that go in the groove.
This is probably a more viable technique for larger dividers where the reduction is sorta like a dado & tongue and groove.
Puckdropper
Make your slots 1/8" wide with your blade. Them with a straight router bit shave 1/16" off of one side of the 3/16" plywood the depth of your slot.
I do this all the time, did it last week to make a so called 1/4" plywood panel fit in a tight slot.
Or use a 1/6" spacer between your work and the fence. Make a pass, remove the spacer and make the pass again. Plastic laminate will probably work.
It is actually a common technique - used for a less common purpose.
Regards,
Tom Watson
Absolutely, think of it as a simple and slight "cove" molding being made on the TS.
Sure, commonly used to cut coves, and as long as he's only widening the kerf by
1/16" it should work fine. Not so good for 3/4" dadoes though. :-)
I just did this for a shoe storage unit. I needed 96 3/16" wide 3/16" deep 16" long dados. I made a jig to use with my router which had a
1/8" downspiral bit and a 3/8" collar installed. My jig would make 3 dados before I had to reposition it. Worked like a champ. Ted
First measure the thickness of your plywood. 3/16" is nominal and will vary slightly even with the same sheet. Measure it imperial and metric then buy a router cutter to suit.
Tell me about it :-( ! The last time I went to get some "6mm" plywood I was told their stock was 5.5mm. I needed it so I bought it, then ordered a new bit to suit.
Or get a wobble dado blade and keep fiddling with the dial until it hits the right thickness of cut. I get better cuts with a table saw than with small router bits.
Measuring is always good; I like feeler gages for slot-too-wide determinations.
In any case, the glue in your plywood is gonna gunk the blade; get a brass brush and suitable cleaner (my preference is lye), you'll need it to keep the cuts clean.
Ok, so here's what I did...
Cut each slot on the TS, standard 1/8" blade, single pass. Took each divider to the router table and passed the edges over to shave off 1/32 on each side. Could have taken 1/16 off one side, but hey, it was quick and easy and now they are centered.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
markndawoods
Check your 7 1/4" circular saw blades, you may find a matching pair that can be stacked together, perhaps with a shim in the middle, for 3/16"
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