Hi,
I'm teaching myself basic cabinet making starting with a built-ins for my office. The base cabinet will have raised panel doors and I need some advice before I start buying router bits.
I built the case using rabbit joints for which I bought an inexpensive Ryobi r163 router at Home Depot. Right off the bat I noticed looking at bits there seemed to be a fundamental decision on shank size: 1/4 vs. 1/2". It seemed like there was much more to choose from in 1/2", none the less, I went for the inexpensive option.
Now that I'm shopping for bits for making the raised panel doors, it looks like that may have been a mistake. For example, MLCS has a decent selection of 1/4" bits but of course the ones I need only come in 1/2". Here are my naive questions:
Should I cut my losses and buy a 1/2" router?
What router should I buy? What should I consider in deciding which to buy?
What router table should I buy?
What are the best sources for router bits? (I just discovered MLCS in this forum.)
A router table seems to be a popular project in the DIY books. Is this a waste of time compared to commercial products?
Thanks
Chris
I'm teaching myself basic cabinet making starting with a built-ins for my office. The base cabinet will have raised panel doors and I need some advice before I start buying router bits.
I built the case using rabbit joints for which I bought an inexpensive Ryobi r163 router at Home Depot. Right off the bat I noticed looking at bits there seemed to be a fundamental decision on shank size: 1/4 vs. 1/2". It seemed like there was much more to choose from in 1/2", none the less, I went for the inexpensive option.
Now that I'm shopping for bits for making the raised panel doors, it looks like that may have been a mistake. For example, MLCS has a decent selection of 1/4" bits but of course the ones I need only come in 1/2". Here are my naive questions:
Should I cut my losses and buy a 1/2" router?
What router should I buy? What should I consider in deciding which to buy?
What router table should I buy?
What are the best sources for router bits? (I just discovered MLCS in this forum.)
A router table seems to be a popular project in the DIY books. Is this a waste of time compared to commercial products?
Thanks
Chris
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