this is why I need a router table or stacked dado blades

allen levine

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my wifes been on me to make anything to cover up all the soda, water, juice cases we keep in the kitchen for everyone.
She says she needs a new kitchen with more cabinet space, I laugh at that.
I promised her Id make her something, she said, anything, just 4 boards nailed together with a piece of wood to cover this mess.
So a simple box with 2 doors, and now I know I need to get either some dado blades for the TS, or a router table.
I had a cheap set of blades, but I returned them after I didnt use them for 6 months. Figured, router and the guide is good enough for one or two dados here and there.
Well, first pass went well, shallow, held the router perfectly straight.
Second deeper pass, its history.
Ill use it since I dont have much ply left, and I dont want to buy anything.
bottom line on both sides are even and straight. unless I build a jig for every piece I cut for a dado, its tough to get a perfect cut handheld.
 

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Ouch! :eek: Two ways to help avoid this in the future. One might be to use two guide fences, one clamped to either side of the router base so it cannot go astray. Another would be to rout in the opposite direction from the way you did this one so that the bit rotation pulls the router tight to the fence.

I've had this happen before (can you tell?). Not fun. :(
 
Ive seen some simple jigs for routing out a straight line for a shelf, but I just wanted to get this thing built and didnt want to start making jigs.
the shelf went in straight, I put a faceframe on the cabinet and a face on the ply shelf so I can just paint it and it would be smooth.
Its not going to be in such a visible spot.

yeah, I take pictures of almost everything I build, figured I might as well use the camera I got, its outdated, but takes nice pictures of wood.Poplar faceframe, I will make poplar door frames, sanded ply for door, simple, paint it all white, didnt even bother to attach frame with biscuits or just glue, tacked it on with brads and filled in nail holes.
the shelf is high so it holds 2 cases of snapple or bottled water below, and soda cans on top.
instead of it all being on the floor under a kitchen desk.
 

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Really doesn't take a jig...just a piece of straight lumber clamped to the piece and used as a guide will work.

Looks like you get 'er done anyway, Alan. :thumb:
 
Al,

Rennie gave you some pretty sage advice and it doesnt' have to be fancy or expensive. When I built an oak sideboard for my wife I dadoed the shelves. I'd bought a wobble blade for my t/s but wasn't happy with the results. I took 4 pieces of 1x2 and built a jig for my router. 2 short pieces to connect the ends of the 2 longer pieces. The distance between the 2 longer pieces was set by placing the router between them and screw the two shorter pieces to their ends. By having two parallel guides, the router has to go where you want it to....
 
and this is why if I leave my clamps up at someones house, I need to buy a few more.
(I thought it looked funny, so why not take a picture, IM having fun at least)



I ran out of glue, ran over to the store, my wife left me a message. she thinks shes funny. shes lucky Im used to her
I guess Ill go wash the car now.( I had to take that picture, in case I need a new ts soon, I can tell her she rusted the surface)
 

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Allen, guess you can't upgrade to the new lithium ion ryobi 18volt batteries....they weigh less which would limit your clamping ability.:rofl:
 
it doesnt get much simpler than that I guess.
My next box cabinet, Im using oak lumber for the top and sides, I dont want any mistakes. Ill build the jig for sure.

Allen, when you build your Jig, I highly recommend making it like the one Glen showed. I had one with the rabbet's like that I hurriedly made out of MDF, (but a leak in the shop ruined it, so I've got to make another one out of Good Wood this time). The nice thing about a jig built this way is that you don't have to use the same router every time, just use the same size GUIDE BUSHING and BIT in ANY Router.:thumb: I also found that the router seemed to glide through the cut better than when I was using a guide that the edge of the router base rode on. YMMV.
 
and so the dados survived, the old lady got her soda cabinet, shes happy, and it proves one doesnt have to be named Sam to create something to put a smile on someone elses face.(ofcourse, Im sure she wouldnt mind a completely new Cherry bedroom set, but then again, I wouldnt mind owning a ferrari, so life is full of dissapointment)

Heres the pics, you pros, no laughing, Im still in the early years of learning.

Ill put together glenns jig this week to get me some nice dados for the next box.

the mess she wanted hidden. gotta use what I got, and cheap ply was all I had.

Hey robert, maybe in 10, 15 years from now you could give me a job helping you with the next home theater.
 

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Allen, that came out great. I used 5 gal paint buckets for clamps when I laminated my workbench top. Whatever it takes and always try to have fun with it.
 
Looks good to me Allen. Use what you have! I'm building shop cabinets and I'm using 1/2" CDX plywood for the backs as I had it left over from covering the walls of the shop.
 
and so the dados survived, the old lady got her soda cabinet, shes happy, and it proves one doesnt have to be named Sam to create something to put a smile on someone elses face.(ofcourse, Im sure she wouldnt mind a completely new Cherry bedroom set, but then again, I wouldnt mind owning a ferrari, so life is full of dissapointment) But this cabinet is not one of life's disappointments, as you said, someone important to you likes it, and I'll bet you had some fun doing it too.:) S

Heres the pics, you pros, no laughing, Im still in the early years of learning.

Ill put together glenns jig this week to get me some nice dados for the next box. Wise choice!

the mess she wanted hidden. gotta use what I got, and cheap ply was all I had.

Hey robert, maybe in 10, 15 years from now you could give me a job helping you with the next home theater.

Hi Allen :wave:,
You are on the path. Building a cabinet like this is the path to "better". Memory retention is one of the great helpers for improving your work habits, safety skills, design abilities and thus project results. A home theater? :rolleyes:
Let's plan on it (tenatively:thumb:) 2023, we will do a theater! :D
Shaz :)
 
I would love to glue up some lumber and make raised panel doors for my next project, but looking at the size of the raised panel bit, I dont think Id be able to control the cut without a router table. (and a cut a tiny bit off would ruin the glue up, and thats a job for me in itself)
Ive used some fancy decor , like a rope/flower type moulding(maybe 5/8" width) and cut and mitre'd it to a smaller rectangle on some doors Ive made for a set of cabinets, just glued it on, gives the doors some character.
But raised panels are something I really want to conquer in the future.
 
Really doesn't take a jig...just a piece of straight lumber clamped to the piece and used as a guide will work.

Looks like you get 'er done anyway, Alan. :thumb:
I'm with Vaughn on this one. I use a straight piece of wood as a guide. If you use a bit that's not as wide as the dado, you can cut the edges of the dado with the board on the side of the edge you want to cut. That way, if the router moves away from the guide board, it's going into waste area.

Two ways to do this, one is to ride the side of the router against the guide board. That technique takes some accurate measurements to allow for the offset between the side of the router and the cutting edge of the bit.

The easier way is to use a pattern bit (or bottom cleaning bit), which has a bearing above the cutting part of the router bit. I use an Amana 45563 for shallow dados. I have another bit with longer cutters for deeper dados but I don't remember who made it.

With that bit, you line up your guide board exactly with the edge of the dado. Use another board on the other side, just to support the router - that board should not touch the bit. Make small cuts so you can control the router.

Cut one side then the other.

For production work, make a jig with two boards hooked together (beyond the width of the work). Clamp it down, route one direction, then the other and you're finished.

Mike
 
the wife is gonna divorce me if I dont come out of the garage and clean up around the yard and things:huh:

I took one of the old filthy plastic flower boxes, some scrap PT, and some of the short scrap pieces of that plywood sheathing, and built a flower box cover.
Its a good thing she liked the color I stained it, or else I think Id be living outside in the garage.
 

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