Cutting slot using router table

Sam...

With deep cuts, it's sometimes preferable to make repeated passes - with each pass removing a little more wood (perhaps 1/8"). It /can/ be done with a not-so-powerful table-mounted router, but as Puckdropper first mentioned, it's easier to exercise control with a hand-held plunge-based router with some kind of fence/guide and end stops to ensure repeatability.

Before you change/compromise your design, think about getting a little direct help from someone who already has the expertise and tools to do the job easily and who'll be willing to let you watch and learn.

Reply to
Morris Dovey
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Maybe for you. From personal experience, I disagree. I can make perfectly accurate, repeatable cuts on my router table. With the hand held, I suck. Hardly ever use it and will go to the table every time if I can.

I'd make the slot in multiple passes getting to about 1/2" of the end. Once through, I'd set up a mark or stop and slowly do the two ends.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

First, the key is the guide. By "guide" I don't think he's talking about one of those crappy little fence thingies that come with some routers. Make up a carrier that rides on both edges of the board or a template that clamps to the board and you should get cuts as precise at the router table.

If your router won't cut 5/16 by the way, I'd find out what was wrong with it--that's a little over 1/4 and a Bosch Colt or a Rotozip doesn't have any trouble with that. If it's a through cut though you may want to make multiple passes.

Reply to
J. Clarke

I'm working /really/ hard to not give you what I think of as a "Robatoy response". :)

Next time you travel across Iowa on I-80, stop in at my shop for a good cup of coffee and we'll cure that problem with the hand-held router. :-D

Then we'll cut the slot on one of the CNC machines and completely spoil you for anything less than a (nearly silent) 5 hp spindle. ;-)

(O shucks - I did it anyway!)

Reply to
Morris Dovey

My handheld is a DW 621. I did replace the base with one from Pat Warner and it helped. I made a cutting board and wanted a groove around it so I made a frame as a guide. Three straight out of four sides is getting better. I probably should take more time to practice.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I may take you up on that. I do want to drive out that way some day.

And I bet you don't even feel bad about it :)

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Morris Dovey wrote in news:49c4f9f3$0$87065$ snipped-for-privacy@news.qwest.net:

Well, google maps says it's 1044 miles to you from here (07410), so maybe I'll wait a bit before coming over. Though I would really like to see your setup and your solar gadgets. Is there a train somewhere near?

Reply to
Han

Osceola, Iowa has the closest Amtrak station - and I'd be delighted to meet you at the station, show off shop, solar, and a bit of Iowa, and return you to the station.

Reply to
Morris Dovey

Morris Dovey wrote in news:49c5139a$0$87065$ snipped-for-privacy@news.qwest.net:

I'll keep that in mind, Morris! Thank you!

Reply to
Han

On Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:48:07 +0000, Leon wrote (in article ):

Agreed.

assuming a router bit of the correct width... I'd lower the wood onto the spinning bit, some way into the length of the slot - pressing firmly into the fence - and climb cut (move the piece to the right) to the origin of the slot, then "properly" - right to left- for the rest, against a stop block.

Frankly it would be easier with a hand-held router and a side fence.

Reply to
Bored Borg

Yep, the MR can do the job and you are exactly right, with just a little care it will always do a great job. I attributed the variance I have ssen to bit flexing and maybe I was really just seeing some small amount of variance in the whole tolerance chain. I think I do tend to bull things through with power tools. I will get a MR this year I hope. But I also hope to soon after that get a powermatic or some other single end tenoner and a Maka or Centorino swing chisel mortiser. Then I'll just push the button real hard if I am in a hurry.

Thx for the compliment.

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

Got a link to this router?

Reply to
Upscale

You don't want to do a climb cut moving the work from left to right. The bit will pull the work away from the fence. If you let one end of the work set on the table top against a stop and lower the other end onto the spinning bit you have good control.

I have performed this procedure probably 1500 times. I used to make mouth blocks for Steve Knight. Each mouth block was made out of Ipe and had 2,

1.5" long parallel slots in blanks that were about 2" wide and 3.5" long and .375" thick I plunged the small piece of wood down on to the bit on the router table and against the fence. I did make a jig for hand held use but that took too much time and did not yield as accurate of results for me. Using a hand held resulted in having probably 30% more rejects than using the router table method.

Each situation changes the method of attack.

Reply to
Leon

Oddly named, it is not a router but a terrific accessory to attach your router to.

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Reply to
Leon

I cannot say however Swingman bought one a few years ago and used it immediately to build several round backed chairs. He used a jig and the MR to cut several slots in the curved upper back and lower back sections to receive and hold the long back slats. The tool is very well made, heavy duty, and operates smoothly. I would compare it in build quality and tolerances to a quality Cabinet saw or my HD Laguna band saw. You are getting what you pay for on this tool. It will easily last a life time.

Reply to
Leon

M-R Router not knowing that it referred to Multi-Router and came up with several thousand Mr. Router links. I wonder how it compares with the WoodRat?

Reply to
Upscale

In my opinion, the Woodrat and Leigh FMT are both fine pieces of equipment but one step down towards the home builder. The Multi-Router is more towards the commercial side. I think the biggest advantages are both the flexibility to do more types of parts and the speed at which you can run parts through the system. With the Multi-router, once you have a setup and if you use the air clamps it is pretty high production. The Leign and Woodrat are not as robust of clamping systems and take more work to get the parts clamped in position.

Of course a full production shop will have dedicated mortiser, tenoner, and dovetailers. The MR is really great for the one-off or short run custom funriture builder.

The Woodworkers supply guys have a Woodtek versi>

Reply to
SonomaProducts.com

You know I never thought of that! When I drop the wood on top of the bit, when it goes through(before I begin the slot)I have tear out. Doing it in passes, would enable be to reach the surface slowly, hopefully eliminating the tear-out.

Reply to
sam

You are absolutely right of course. I was merely advocating a climb cut _just_ to get the bit completely vertical at the extreme end of the slot but ONLY if the bit is the final slot width so it's cutting on both sides of the slot at the same time, definitely not for widening the not_against_the_fence side of a slot.

I do, however, bow to your deeper knowledge of slots and I agree that climb cutting is generally a Very Bad Thing.

On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:15:02 +0000, Leon wrote (in article ):

Reply to
Bored Borg

Your thinking makes a good case however if the bit is the final width of the slot the bit is really only cutting in "1" place in the slot. It is not cutting on eigher the fence or far side of the slot, it is cutting on the leading side of the bit back to tangent with either the sides of the slot, It is the direction of rotation on that leading side of the bit that will determine which way the work will be pulled by the bit. If pushing the stock from right to left the leading edge of the bit is on the right end of the slot, turning away from you towards the fence. If you are feeding left to right the leading side of the bit is on the left end of the slot, turning towards you and away from the fence.

Don't bow to me, I am the one that mentioned in an earlier post that I probably cut 1500 of these type slots in Ipe. Just last week when making a DP fence with a similar slot I forgot that you absolutely need to as close to the extreme left end of the slot as possible. I plunged the slot starting it near where I wanted it to begin and went left to right 1/2" to establish that end of the slot. The bit immediately pulled the work away from the router table fence a bit and I ended up with a slight bit of wobble in the slot. When I was cutting the many slots in Ipe I was always using stops for both ends of the work. "Beginning against the right end stop" and pushing towards the left end stop insured that I did not go in both directions to make the slot.

Reply to
Leon

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