router bit needed

[edswoods.1]

I'm writing this because I had to go to a lumberyard and buy an 8' 2X10 instead of a router bit, which I thought was kind of strange. The project involves putting a rabbet on a radiused edge, 1/8" deep but 7/8" wide. A regular slot cutting bit would have worked well but they only go in about 1/2". There is a top bearing flush cutting straight bit in the arsenal, with an inch long cutting edge. Anyway, the best alternative I can think of is to make a very thick template guide out of 2X in order to accomodate the flush cutter to get my 7/8" wide rabbet. It just seems that a router bit should be available somewhere, given today's powerful variable speed routers, that would make this kind of cut. I can't find it.

[CW]

Got an edge guide for the router?

[Charley]

If you're going to do that with a router you shouldn't be trying to make the cut in one pass anyway. Have you go an edge guide? With an edge guide and several reasonable depth passes your present straight bit you should be able to get what you want. With the edge guide it won't matter if the bit has a top bearing. You can still use it. If you don't have an edge guide you could attach a thin straight edge to the board and use your top bearing to ride against it. Again, you should plan on making shallow cuts and moving your straight edge several times to get to

7/8". Another approach, still using this same bit, would be to use it in a router table, making shallow passes and moving the fence until you reach 7/8". (you wouldn't be using the bearing this time either)

[Joe Barta]

You are thinking rabbet bit... but as you have found, such a rabbet bit would be a little hard to find.

Woodworking is like skinning cats... there is always more than one way. Sometimes it's futile to force a method to fit the job. Sometimes it's better to think of an entirely different method.

Using the tools you have on hand, or tools easily obtained, try thinking of multiple methods for achieving your task.

Joe Barta

[Ba r r y]

You usually only buy router bits there, never lumber?

There are several ways to do this:

Use an edge guide on the router, with a standard straight bit. If it is a 1/2" straight bit, make the first cut at the edge, with the second slightly overlapping the first, but ending 7/8" in. Since you're not going deep, this would be easy.

-- or --

Use the factory edge of a 1/4" sheet of hardboard to guide a shallow pattern bit. The bit I'm talking about is along the lines of the bit included with your typical $20 Porter Cable hinge mortising template sold at every hardware store and home center.

The edge of manufactured sheet goods is typically better than your typical 2X lumber, unless you joint the lumber. If you've got a jointer, use it to rabbet the part and skip the router altogether.

Other than that, you can also rabbet with a table saw.

Barry

[edswoods.1]

Oops, maybe I used the wrong terminology to explain my layout. O.K. Flat board, 5/8" thick, 40" long and about 12" deep. Each end of the board sweeps around in about a 4" radius, so it's not a straight edge that I need the rabbet on. Doesn't an edge guide require a straight edge? The curves at the ends of the board are more or less free form; each ends in a kind of tight squiggle. But the rabbet has to be a consistent 7/8 back in from the edge, which curves. The only two ways to do this that I could think of was with a slot cutter type of bit (with a bearing) , or a template with either a router-mounted guide or a top-bearing bit. So I got my 2X10 and traced

the curved piece onto it. Then I cut out the shape on the bandsaw and sanded it to the pencil line. Then, using a sliding square, I traced

7/8" back from this finished edge, cut it out on the bandsaw again and sanded it smooth and true, and clamped it over the workpiece. Turned out nice, but would have been a lot easier with a deep-rabbeting router bit! But now that I think about it, I could have used the router mounted template guide and a scrap of masonite. Shoot.

[Lyndell Thompson]

I have posted what you need on ABPW. It is not too difficult to make and I have used mine a bunch. All sorts of variations can be made on it. Use a straight edge and make however many passes it takes.....without ever moving the straightedge! It is courtesy of an old Patrick Spielman router book I have. If we could just get Patrick to contribute to this NG. If you ever get a chance to get a woodworking book by him grab it!

Good Luck Lyndell

P.S. Hope Patrick don't send the cops after me for this. It was an extra sheet just inside the front cover of the book.

[edswoods.1]

Thanks, I'd like to look at it, but what's ABPW?

[Robert Bonomi]

newsgroup: lt.inaries.ictures.oodworking

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[edswoods.1]

Using the provided information, I typed alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking, and came up with a bunch of postings about what I had just typed in. Am I supposed to be embarassed about being internet-illiterate now?

[Enoch Root]

Naw, but google doesn't carry the binary groups. I thought that aol would, however.

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