I need to cut out some grooves to put plywood in the bottom of a box. Two
of the grooves are easy to do on a TS because they can go through. The
other two are tricky.
I don't really want to chisel them out entirely by hand. I don't really
want to go buy a router bit for this and spend an hour rigging up some kind
of jig to control this cut.
I can do it on my TS by plunge cutting, but that feels extremely stupid and
dangerous, so it probably is.
So how else can I do it? I guess the Neander way is to use a router plane?
Well, I don't have a router plane either, and that would cost more than a
new bit.
I gotta get this right the first time. I spent countless hours surfacing
this stuff by hand, and I don't want to screw up these parts.
Ideas? (Other than buying a new router bit, I mean.)
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
"Silvan" wrote ...
> I don't really want to chisel them out entirely by hand. I don't really
> want to go buy a router bit for this and spend an hour rigging up some
kind
> of jig to control this cut.
? The router bit isn't that expensive, just buy a spiral bit. All you need
is a straight edge and a layout mark indicating where to stop pushing the
router. Depending on the width of the dado and the width of the bit you may
have to move the straight edge to widen the dado to match the width of the
bottom. (I assume it is a dado and not a rabbet but you weren't specific on
that point.) I wouldn't do it on a table saw because for that operation I
prefer the control of the router. However, all you need is a straight edge.
No fancy jigs are required. Then you just have to chisel the ends square.
I shuddered when I thought of chiseling out the entire dado by hand.
--
Cheers,
Howard
----------------------------------------------------------
Working wood in New Jersey - [email protected]
Visit me in the woodshop - www.inthewoodshop.org
Silvan wrote:
> I need to cut out some grooves to put plywood in the bottom of a box. Two
> of the grooves are easy to do on a TS because they can go through. The
> other two are tricky.
>
> I don't really want to chisel them out entirely by hand. I don't really
> want to go buy a router bit for this and spend an hour rigging up some kind
> of jig to control this cut.
>
> I can do it on my TS by plunge cutting, but that feels extremely stupid and
> dangerous, so it probably is.
>
> So how else can I do it? I guess the Neander way is to use a router plane?
> Well, I don't have a router plane either, and that would cost more than a
> new bit.
>
> I gotta get this right the first time. I spent countless hours surfacing
> this stuff by hand, and I don't want to screw up these parts.
>
> Ideas? (Other than buying a new router bit, I mean.)
Make the through plow and then drive appropriately sized wedges into the gaps
when assembled. On end grain the wedges will blend in and be unnoticeable.
As always, try it on some scraps and see what you think.
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
Silvan <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Howard Ruttan wrote:
>
> > No fancy jigs are required. Then you just have to chisel the ends square.
> > I shuddered when I thought of chiseling out the entire dado by hand.
>
> It wouldn't be *that* bad, but I'd just as soon find some other way.
Depending on the size of the project, it shouldn't be bad at all.
Use a marking gage to lay out the sides of the groove (I size mine
with the chisel I'll be using later and rabbet the bottom to fit).
Drill a hole to the desired depth of the groove at the stopped end.
Square the ends with a chisel. Set up a batten along one of your
layout lines and use a handsaw to cut to the desired depth. (I use a
stop block at the stopped end to prevent the saw from overshooting the
end.) Set up your batten for the other side and saw it to depth.
Use an appropriately-sized chisel bevel-down to remove waste. (I
usually drill some holes at various points along the groove. They
serve as depth-gages for my chisel and prevent runout if you hit a
squirrely bit of grain.) I finish up with a routah plane to level the
bottom of the groove.
Honestly, it's not that hard to do. I did it on a number of boxes
when I was developing my neander skills (and avoiding using my
routah). Practice on scrap first.
Chuck Vance
"B a r r y B u r k e J r ." <[email protected]> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 18:57:56 -0400, Silvan
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >So how else can I do it? I guess the Neander way is to use a router
plane?
> >Well, I don't have a router plane either, and that would cost more than a
> >new bit.
>
> Cut all the way with a TS and glue strips back in where the cut isn't
> supposed to be.
>
> Barry
That's what I'd do but you can also cut the grooves with the TS w/o through
cutting and then notch the ply to fit in the stopped grooves.
Gary
B a r r y B u r k e J r . wrote:
> Cut all the way with a TS and glue strips back in where the cut isn't
> supposed to be.
Well, this is an example of when sometimes it's better just to do the easy
thing... :)
I decided that since this is a very shallow box, I would do a rebate (?)
instead of completely enclosed grooves, and nail the bottom on from
underneath. That way it doesn't spoil the look, but it takes away minimal
room on the inside of the box.
I did rig up a way to do this on the TS, but I've done so much of this box
by hand, I wanted to cut out these huge "rebates" (or whatever they're
supposed to be called) by hand.
So I marked them off and went to work. Just like cutting out a hinge
morise, only a lot more waste to hog off.
Can you guess what happened? Yup. The chisel started to get dull about
halfway through. I didn't stop to hone it. So I had to use excessive
force, slipped, and broke off one of the end thingies, making it look just
like it would have if I had just spent 10 seconds to make the damn cut on
the TS in the first place.
Unshaken, and determined to persue my futility to the bitter end, I honed
the chisel and set to work on the other piece. About halfway through, I
did the same thing.
So I ended up with the two end pieces cut in such a way that one end was
perfect, and one end had an extra cut-out. Luckily I screwed up the same
way twice, so I reversed the box and put the ugly side to the back.
I patched the little cuts as you suggest, and it looks OK. I guess I should
have just taken your (and the others who made similar suggestions) advice
in the first place.
(After that, I did say screw it, and I used the TS for the through cuts
without hesitation. I was planning to do those by hand too, but I got sick
of sharpening the stupid chisels.)
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 14:35:42 -0500, Silvan
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I patched the little cuts as you suggest, and it looks OK. I guess I should
>have just taken your (and the others who made similar suggestions) advice
>in the first place.
That's how we learn. I have the scrap pile to prove it! <G>
Barry
On Fri, 24 Oct 2003 18:57:56 -0400, Silvan
<[email protected]> wrote:
>So how else can I do it? I guess the Neander way is to use a router plane?
>Well, I don't have a router plane either, and that would cost more than a
>new bit.
Cut all the way with a TS and glue strips back in where the cut isn't
supposed to be.
Barry
Dear Mike,
<snip of, I need a stopped groove>
Why not do it on the table saw? I think I have seen Norm drop a board on a
spinning blade, but there is no way I am going to do that. I use my router
table as little as possible and always look for a way not to use it unless I
have to. I needed some stopped rebates for my little cherry clock and I did
them on the table saw. I set my dado to the height I needed and marked on
the table saw fence the points where it started to cut and where it stopped
cutting. I also marked on my boards where the cut needed to start and stop.
I clamped a stop block to the fence where the cut needed to end. I had a
helper turn on the table saw and give the blade two slow cranks until the it
pointed to a spot I marked with masking tape on the front of the saw. I then
pushed the board forward until it hit the stop block, then I told the helper
to turn off the saw. It sounds much more complicated that it was, and it
saved me from having to use the router table.
http://members.rogers.com/dfeisan/images/dado1.jpg
I then just cleaned up the rounded ends of the stopped rebates with chisels
and a chisel plane.
http://members.rogers.com/dfeisan/images/cleandado.jpg
Thanks,
David.
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Howard Ruttan wrote:
> prefer the control of the router. However, all you need is a straight
> edge.
OK, I see what you're saying there, and you're right. I still don't have
the bit though, and I'd rather spend the money on another piece of walnut.
:)
> No fancy jigs are required. Then you just have to chisel the ends square.
> I shuddered when I thought of chiseling out the entire dado by hand.
It wouldn't be *that* bad, but I'd just as soon find some other way.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
David F. Eisan wrote:
> I had a helper turn on the table saw and give the blade two slow cranks
> until the it pointed to a spot I marked with masking tape on the front of
OK, there is that indeed. No plunge cutting that way. I might go that
route, because I already have the fence marked. I actually did a couple of
test cuts, and I still have all 10 fingers, but the hairs on the back of my
neck were standing on edge, so I decided not to do that again. :)
I'll have to figure out a repeatable way to do the cranks though. I don't
have a dado set, so I have to do this in three passes, then chisel out the
tiny bit of waste and clean up the ends. It complicates things a bit, but
it's not that important that these be dead perfect on the inside.
How much slop should I leave in the fit? I'm thinking I want to put the
board in the bottom so that it's got a bit of room to move if it wants to.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Nova wrote:
> Make the through plow and then drive appropriately sized wedges into the
> gaps
> when assembled. On end grain the wedges will blend in and be
> unnoticeable.
>
> As always, try it on some scraps and see what you think.
Hmmm... I didn't think of that, that's for sure. That could even be
decorative, if done right. Maybe make a matching cut toward the top to
balance it out visually and fill with maple or something.
I'm already using dowels for that kind of contrast this go round, but I'll
file that one away.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
"David F. Eisan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Dear Mike,
>
> <snip of, I need a stopped groove>
>
> Why not do it on the table saw? I think I have seen Norm drop a board on a
> spinning blade, but there is no way I am going to do that.
> David.
It really is not that bad. You clamp a board on the table in the right
place to hold the back of the board as you drop it on, with the side away
from you raised, back against the stop. A mark on the fence or table is all
you need to know when to stop. Turn off the saw, and stay still until the
blade stops.
--
Jim in NC