I use an 8" Amana set and I like it lot, although I am not sure about difference in the price between it and Forrest today.
I've seen them lately for $149 - $189, which is almost $100 cheaper for the same set than they were a couple of years back.
Various manufacturers make router bits designed for the "undersized" plywood. Here's an example:
There is a simple jig you can build yourself in about 20 minutes that allows you to use a standard straight bit and get any width dado you want. I usually use the 1/2 bit. There are two "rails" about 1 1/2" wide, mounted on a piece of plywood ( I made mine about 36" x 12". One rail is fixed while the other slides left and right in slots made on both ends. Both rails are set parallel to each other and run the length of the plywood base. If you have a 6" base on your router then you slide the adjustable rail right or left until the rails are 6" apart to make a 1/2 dado. If you want a wider dado simply slide the rail over that much more than 1/2 " and pass the router to and fro and bingo, perfectly sized dadoes every time with a set up time of about 30 seconds! Of course there is a fence on the bottom of the plywood that registers against the workpiece to keep the thing square and the slot made in the plywood the first time you use the jig becomes the reference line for putting the dado right where you want it.
Jim
configuring a
Clint, Actually, a couple of readers have posted answers already.
1} I do have a set of the 'undersized' bits . . . they should really be considered 'Metric' bits, because the plywood is either 'sized' for the Export market, or almost al the ply COMES from non-US sources. There are NO manufacturers of 'Marine Grade' ply left in the US.2) There are various jigs & techniques to allow you to use a bit smaller than the finished slot. Some will get you there in 'two cuts' {right side & left side . . . you may actually have to make a couple of passes - depending on the power of your router and the depth of the slot}. Others will have you 'sneak-up' on the final width.
There are a number of good books {'Router Magic' and 'Woodworking with the Router' are two examples}available through your local library. Sometimes a picture or a sketch can be worth pages of written words.
Regards & Good Luck, Ron Magen Backyard Boatshop {PS: There are ALSO a lot of good books about Table Saws & jigs that give a tremendous boost to YOUR efficiency}
Mikey,
You da man. Cheaper than ordering direct from Jesada, although, I thought shipping was a bit steep ($11.95) plus I got hit with sales tax for being in state.
Funny, I looked Hartville Tool up in Mapquest, and they are pretty close to what used to be ":home country" for my mother-in-laws family. Sadly, in the last 6 years, my wifes grandmother, and both of her aunts passed away and there isn't much reason to visit that neck of the woods anymore. I'm at the diametrically opposite end of the state, in Cincinnati.
To the others that advocated router dados. For a lot of items they make sense, but I just completed a three bay wide (total width, 35") by three bay high (total hight, 48") open front locker for my kids. It was the second real piece of furniture that I have built, and the casework was high quality hardwood plywood. Built myself a crosscut sled for my contractor saw and ran all the dados on that. With the big crosscut sled and stop blocks, I was able to safety and precisely cut many dados on the table saw in a very small amount of time. Took almost as much time to set the wobble dado up to make the cuts.
My original plan was to use my router, but setup would have been far trickier and time consuming on the 8 panels (some on two sides) that I had to dado. Honestly, I think there is a place for both methods, but on this job, and others that I will be doing soon, a proper dado blade, crosscut sled and table saw make the most sense.
Thanks to all for the comments, DLGlos
I thought the real issue with most plywood is that the manufacturers are making it 1/32" thinner to save money? Maybe marine plywood is different?
Brian Elfert
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