I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
George
One very simple solution is 2 straight edges set the width of the
router base apart.
John
On 19 Jul 2004 07:23:36 -0700, [email protected] (George) wrote:
>I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
>edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
>need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>
>Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
>kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>
>Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>
>George
On 19 Jul 2004 07:23:36 -0700, [email protected] (George) wrote:
>I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
>edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
>need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>
>Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
>kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>
>Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>
>George
http://benchnotes.com/Router%20Dado%20Guide/router_dado_guide.htm
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_improvement/workshop/2001/1/router_jigs/index2.phtml
"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
> > edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
> > need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
> >
> > Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
> > kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
> >
> > Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
> >
> > George
>
>
> Use two guides, one on each side. Use a 1/2" bit. Make one pass and then
> come back to do the other side and clean up any imperfections on the first
> side. Be sure to make the passes in the proper direction, but you already
> know that.
> Ed
Ed,
What is the advantage of using a 1/2" bit vs. a 3/4 inch bit?
What works for me is consider the right thumb the saft of the router
bit and fingers the direction the bit is rotating. If the thumb point
up rotation is counterclockwise and if down rotation clockwise. If
down router is held against the nearside of the fence or board to be
contoured and moved left to right, rotation PULLING the router tighter
against the fence. Right hand rule from school days in EE.
On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 16:07:54 -0700, "CW" <no adddress@spam free.com>
wrote:
>If you rout on the correct side of the straightedge, you have to physically
>pull it away from the straightedge.
>
>"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
>> edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
>> need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>>
>> Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
>> kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>>
>> Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>>
>> George
>
Your bit pretty well centered in the guide? If so, make a plywood jig with
some 1/4" ply, nailing two parallel strips of wood to it, as far apart as
the diameter of guide you will be using. That way you can attach a fence to
butt it against the pieces you're routing, make stopped dados by nailing a
couple pieces of your spacer at either end of the parallel strips, etc. As
the router is contained between the strips, no problems with jump. You
might even get a little wacky and try routing a sliding dovetail - same jig.
Those guides are great items, though some tend to think of them as pattern
routing aids only.
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
> edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
> need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>
> Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
> kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>
> Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>
> George
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
> edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
> need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>
> Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
> kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>
> Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>
> George
Use two guides, one on each side. Use a 1/2" bit. Make one pass and then
come back to do the other side and clean up any imperfections on the first
side. Be sure to make the passes in the proper direction, but you already
know that.
Ed
I assume you know to rout in the direction such that the rotation of the
bit is forcing the router against the straight edge.
You can use an undersized bit and rout twice, once on each edge of the
dado. Of course, if precision width is important, then fence alignment
is critical (but can be accomplished more easily with a spacer to align
the fence the second time).
Greg
George wrote:
> I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
> edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
> need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>
> Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
> kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>
> Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>
> George
Use a straight edge to guide both sides.
-Jack
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
> edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
> need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>
> Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
> kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>
> Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>
> George
You could also use a track that holds a router mounted on a slide which
eliminates nearly all of the wavering.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What works for me is consider the right thumb the saft of the router
> bit and fingers the direction the bit is rotating. If the thumb point
> up rotation is counterclockwise and if down rotation clockwise. If
> down router is held against the nearside of the fence or board to be
> contoured and moved left to right, rotation PULLING the router tighter
> against the fence. Right hand rule from school days in EE.
>
> On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 16:07:54 -0700, "CW" <no adddress@spam free.com>
> wrote:
>
> >If you rout on the correct side of the straightedge, you have to
physically
> >pull it away from the straightedge.
> >
> >"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...
> >> I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
> >> edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
> >> need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
> >>
> >> Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
> >> kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
> >>
> >> Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
> >>
> >> George
> >
>
Very true but a wooden T-square takes about three minutes to make and has
the advantage that it has a built in alignment pointer.
"Lou Aiello" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> You could also use a track that holds a router mounted on a slide which
> eliminates nearly all of the wavering.
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > What works for me is consider the right thumb the saft of the router
> > bit and fingers the direction the bit is rotating. If the thumb point
> > up rotation is counterclockwise and if down rotation clockwise. If
> > down router is held against the nearside of the fence or board to be
> > contoured and moved left to right, rotation PULLING the router tighter
> > against the fence. Right hand rule from school days in EE.
> >
> > On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 16:07:54 -0700, "CW" <no adddress@spam free.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >If you rout on the correct side of the straightedge, you have to
> physically
> > >pull it away from the straightedge.
> > >
> > >"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > >news:[email protected]...
> > >> I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a
straight
> > >> edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
> > >> need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
> > >>
> > >> Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
> > >> kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
> > >>
> > >> Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
> > >>
> > >> George
> > >
> >
>
>
Advantage of using a 1/2 bit to route a 3/4 dado is that you make 2
passes, and if the router jumps a bit, the 1/4in lets it move without
gouging the far side, you just go back and make another pass to
correct the spot where it jumped
John
On 19 Jul 2004 12:25:25 -0700, [email protected] (George)
wrote:
>"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>> "George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
>> > edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
>> > need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>> >
>> > Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
>> > kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>> >
>> > Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>> >
>> > George
>>
>>
>> Use two guides, one on each side. Use a 1/2" bit. Make one pass and then
>> come back to do the other side and clean up any imperfections on the first
>> side. Be sure to make the passes in the proper direction, but you already
>> know that.
>> Ed
>
>Ed,
>What is the advantage of using a 1/2" bit vs. a 3/4 inch bit?
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > Use two guides, one on each side. Use a 1/2" bit. Make one pass and
then
> > come back to do the other side and clean up any imperfections on the
first
> > side. Be sure to make the passes in the proper direction, but you
already
> > know that.
> > Ed
>
> Ed,
> What is the advantage of using a 1/2" bit vs. a 3/4 inch bit?
With a 3/4" bit you are plowing through the cut in one or two passes
depending on the depth. With the smaller bit, you plow through the first
time but on the second and any subsequent passes there is more room for the
chips and I find a cleaner cut.
Works well for me, but it is not the only way.
Ed
It isn't intuitive, to me anyway. I cut in the wrong direction
watching the base move away from the guide wondering why I had to hold
it so hard against the guide. A post had words that shouted, to me,
USE BIT ROTATION TO FORCE THE BASE AGAINST THE GUIDE STUPID!! Now I
"already know that". I used the "right-hand"rule" as a mnemonic when
hand routing to determine proper direction.
On Mon, 19 Jul 2004 14:44:16 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Be sure to make the passes in the proper direction, but you already
>know that.
If you rout on the correct side of the straightedge, you have to physically
pull it away from the straightedge.
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I need to rout a dado for some shelves I am building. I use a straight
> edge to guide the router. The upright is about 24 inches wide and I
> need to rout a 3/4 inch dado.
>
> Problem in the past is I always get one or two spots where the bit
> kicks away from the straight edge a litte.
>
> Any ideas/techniques on how to prevent this?
>
> George