T-Track

You could make a track in the top with a keyhole bit. First, you cut a slot in the top with your dado on your table saw. Then you make the slot into a t shape with your hand held router, router fence, and the keyhole bit. That is just one way, It is by no means the only way to get the job done. Jim

Rockler has a 4 ft t track w/6 knobs and t bolts, $11 on sale a few days ago.

I bought two of these kits about 6 months ago for about 20$ (2-fer deal). The time for using them still hasn't materialized.

Trust me, it will. I can think of a couple of projects that call for them.

Rockler also sells a router bit that cuts T-slots. Norm demostrated it's use when he constructed the deluxe router table.

Have you looked at the cost of t-track? Do you know that it is available from multiple manufacturers and sources? It's usually inexpensive and no other commercialy available channel track does the same thing. The only other option is buying a t-track router bit which might cost as much or more than the track you need.

Uh, run a dado the width of the t-bolt head. Run a shallower dado on either side. Glue two strips of wood that overhang the deeper dado into the shallow dado.

-Leuf

Uh, seriously, he can't need that much T-track. As someone has pointed out, for $11, Rockler will sell you 4 ft. of T-track, plus 8 T-bolts, 4 star knobs and 4 T-knobs. You are both welcome to get the dado set and glue out, but for $11, I'd rather be making the finished product than re-inventing the wheel.

todd

How exactly are you installing the t-track into a table/fence without getting out the dado set, and what magical force is keeping it in there? And I'm pretty sure I can get mine out and have the glue dry before Rockler can ship me anything. But I was just responding to the notion that buying the track or the router bit were the only options. I'd prefer to have metal on metal, but it does work and it's not difficult.

-Leuf

The cheapest T-Track I have seen is Shop Fox, you can order it from Grizzly. 3' for $8. Locally I have found it for $10 for 3'.

Or, you can cut some from hardwood. The router bit is one way. Another is to form it from 2 strips of wood. Let's see if I can do it with ASCII art. You need to display this with a fixed pitch font, like Courier

Here's a cross section of a piece of wood, grooved on the edge:

--------- |

--------- |

--------- |

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Then remove part of the top lip:

------ |

------ |

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--------- Now you need 2 of these pieces that are mirror images. You can glue these together:

------ ------ | |

------ ------ | |

--------- --------- |

There's always a way to do something. Whether or not it makes any sense.

Don't know what amount you consider to be expensive, but here's some T-Slot track from Lee Valley.

There is also a T-Track bit available for your router. This way you stay compatible, and perhaps have better gripping.

T-tracks are not expensive at all. You can get a 3 foot one at Woodcraft for about 15bucks or less.

That is what I meant... Sorry, I had a brain malfunction. Jim

Leuf wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

In my case, I bought Rockler T-tracks and cam-nut sets. I'm attaching them to the *ends* (or sides) of both a router table and band saw. I had to make a block that the track screws down onto, then the block is bolted onto the side. No modification to either top. Wish I had a micro-adjuster, but for the cost, can live without it. Will *try* to remembr to post pictures on binaries hg when done.