I'm putting some oak trim on some plywood cabinets I assembled, and the oak is about 1/8" wider than the edges of the plywood. Rather than risk trimming the oak on my old TS (risky because of a rather unreliable fence), would it be OK to simply nail the oak onto the plywood edges and then use my router (PC 893PK) to trim the excess down with a laminate trimming bit?
If it is OK, should I use a 1/2" router bit or would the 1/4" bit I currently have do a decent enough job?
Thanks! Nathan
Either bit should work, but just be careful to keep the router seated flat on the oak. A 1x2 is pretty narrow, and it would be easy to accidentally tip the router a little and screw up the cut.
First time I did that I screwed up - the router wobbled. All the other times I did that, I used a larger base on the router and clamped an impromtu jig (read wide board or 2x4) to the piece to widen the area for the router to sit on. Either bit should work OK although I've been using a 1/2". Go slow and if your moving upgrain, run the router backwards - back of the cutter. Even though this is patently wrong. A very light cut backwards - move the router in the wrong direction - then in the correct direction minimizes tearout.
Pete
You'll want to glue it as well...may not even need the nails. Masking tape works to hold it in place.
The 1/4" is fine, but you might want to build a jig to keep the router level. If you tilt it the wrong way you could take a bite out of the trim.
Chris
You are putting trim on to hide the plywood edge; is that it? I always leave it wide and trim with a router; tough to get it perfect otherwise.
1/4" should be fine, though 1/2" is always better.No!
Use glue, along with the nails if you feel that you absolutely must nail.
Either will work, just use a bit with a bottom bearing.
Tip: insure that you have a stable platform for your router base during the operation, otherwise you risk gouging the edging if there is any instability
Good way to do this is to use an offset router base with handle, and clamp a thick board to the opposite edge, even with the top of your edging, to give you a stable platform ... be sure to route in the proper direction so the router doesn't jump away from you.
Also, I find it much easier to pull the router toward me when edge trimming rather than push, with the offset base handle to my right, but you need to figure out what works best for you on some scrap.
If the only overhang is only1/8" wide I would consider leaving it on there. I believe that ultimately that you will get a better cut with the 1/2" bit.
Thanks for all the advice, yall!
What kind of glue do you recommend? I've got on hand some Titebond III and Gorilla Glue, as well as some Elmers regular Wood Glue.
I suppose I could pick up something like Liquid Nails, but I've never used it before.
"Good way to do this is to use an offset router base with handle, and clamp a thick board to the opposite edge, even with the top of your edging, to give you a stable platform ... be sure to route in the proper direction so the router doesn't jump away from you." All I have is the standard PC base and the plunge router base that came in the pack I bought, and I'm not sure SWMBO will allow another signifiacnt tool purchase for this project. Are offset router bases expensive? (i.e. more than $50? :-) )
I think if I can clamp some scrap 2x4s I have lying around to act as a support I should be OK as to the stability of the router.
-Nathan
EWG will work just fine, TBIII will too but it's more expensice, GG would work as well but it's messy *and* expensive.
Cheers,
Steve
An offset base should not be that much, and you can even make your own. They are not necessary, but you will think it money well spent the first time you slip. ;)
As long as you route in the proper direction, and have a steady hand and stay concentrated, you should be OK, but you will eventually want to put a subbase for your router on your todo list.
It's really cheap and easy to make an offset base. A scrap of 1/2" or
3/4" plywood should suffice. Your router base should have threaded holes in the bottom, probably something standard like a 10-24 or 1/4-20 thread. You probably have some screws lying around somewhere which will fit. Take a piece of paper and trace out the screw locations with a pencil, along with the hole in the center where the bit goes through the base. Transfer the marks onto your scrap plywood, drill and countersink the screw locations, drill out the hole for the bit, and cut out whatever shape you want for the perimeter of the base. Should take you 20 minutes and $3 worth of materials tops. You can make it any size you want. If I was doing something like faceframes, where there's only a little wood upon which to set the router, I'd make a temporary base that stuck out a good 24" so that it would reach all the way across the opening of the cabinet to keep the base flat.If your router is variable speed, I'd do this at around 10,000 rpms. It'll be less likely to burn the oak and should save you some tedious sanding.
Josh
N Hurst wrote:
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