Another router question...

[phi1l]

I made the Woodsmith adjustable dado Jig. It makes perfect width dados every time. You don't even have to measure, as long you have the piece of wood that will goin the dado

[SARGE..g-47]

Edit.. Sorry to Lary G and phi1l as we all had the basic same thoughts at once and was involved with posting our thoughts and opinions and posted about the same time. I will leave my post up as I did post the site for the alternative jig I use which is the same as phi1l. Anyhoo.. adjustable is the way to ride IMO and there are various ones out there you can build...

If you work with solid stock as I do.. a dado on a TS is not a quick way to cut an exact groove to match your stock. The problem you have taking 4/4 down to 3/4" is getting it exactly to 3/4" on your planer. You are usually going to be off by .000 give or take and require additional filing or sanding.. etc.

What if you decide you want to mill it down to 13/16" or 7/8" for proportion of extra strenght? Is it quick to shim the dado stack to accomodate under-sized ply or custom milled solid not precisely 3/4" and sometime thicker by preference? I think it is personally a PITA and almost impossible to do so without extensive effort and loss of time and the reason I sold a stacked dado set.

I now can do from 1/2" to 1 1/2" with one 1/2" plunge straight bit on a router... and match the groove to the stock without having to size the stock with sand-paper.. files.. shoulder plane.. etc. each time. And the set-up takes as long as twisting two knobs and sliding the adjustment fence up to a piece of the actual milled stock to insure that the groove is the same as the thickness of the stock. And throw in do a stopped dado which is about 80% of my dado needs! Ain't so easy to do that with a dado stack on the TS.

Doesn't get better than that to me and for anyone interested here's and explanation of "how" and detailed pictures of "how to".

http://www.woodsmithshop.com/download/204/adjustabledadojig.pdf

Regards...

[SARGE..g-47]

KCM, here is one version of the type of jig that Loring mentions. It's about as simple to make and use as anything I've tried or seen. Mine is sized to handle workpieces up to about 12" in width, which covers most bookcases, wall-hung cabinets, and the like. A longer version could be made if needed, but if so it would be a good idea to also clamp the far edge of the jig halves to keep them from deflecting laterally.

Secondly, if you're new to routers I recommend picking up a copy of Bill Hylton's most excellent book, Woodworking With The Router. No one here minds answering any questions you might have, but Hylton will answer questions you didn't realize you should ask. This title is THE book to own about routers and all things related.

That's a nice set-up also Larry as I like using an over-head bearing bit. I was gonna make one as yours when I built the Woodsmith version but I couldn't find a 1/2" OH bearing bit in other than 1/4" shank and I really prefer a 1/2" shank personally.

But seeing your bearing bit I just happened to pick up an Infinity catalog I got yesterday and looked and sure nuff... they now have the 1/2" with 1/2" shank I want. So your post lead me to something I've been looking for quite a while. Thanks as even an old blind squirrel gets lucky every now and then. ha.. ha...
Regards...

[pelligrini]

Along similar lines, I used to have a jig that used bushings instead of bearing bits. Like this one: http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodwork...idth-dado-jig/ I need to make another, as I ended up using some of the material for another jig that was needed at the time.

[LCHIEN]

...

I now can do from 1/2" to 1 1/2" with one 1/2" plunge straight bit on a router... and match the groove to the stock without having to size the stock with sand-paper.. files.. shoulder plane.. etc. each time. And the set-up takes as long as twisting two knobs and sliding the adjustment fence up to a piece of the actual milled stock to insure that the groove is the same as the thickness of the stock. And throw in do a stopped dado which is about 80% of my dado needs! Ain't so easy to do that with a dado stack on the TS.

Doesn't get better than that to me and for anyone interested here's and explanation of "how" and detailed pictures of "how to".

http://www.woodsmithshop.com/download/204/adjustabledadojig.pdf

Regards...

That looks like an excellent jig for transferring and then cutting dados of a perfect thickness with a router... probably what the OP is looking for.

[knobcreekman]

Thanks!!

hey thanks so much everyone for the links! that is exactly the info I was looking for. I already have a 1/2" straight cut bit (one with bearing and one without) and i was wondering if it was worth my time to buy a 3/4" right now.... it seems like i'm going to have to do some fine tuning to the stock at hand anyway so there's no reason for me to rush out and get a 3/4" bit if I'm still looking at multiple passes. I was hoping it would be as simple as buy 3/4" MDF and 3/4" bit and the two would play well together... but the more I learn from you veterans is that things rarely work out that way in woodworking

[LarryG]

I was hoping it would be as simple as buy 3/4" MDF and 3/4" bit and the two would play well together

It might well be that simple -- today, with today's sheet of MDF. Tomorrow, with a different sheet ... eh, who knows. (This, incidentally, I why I think router bits meant to match undersized plywood are a bad investment. If they happen to match what you have, great. If not, yer scrood.)

My experience is that MDF tends to be just slightly oversized, probably because of the high humidity I have typically "enjoyed" in my shops. And since MDF is a soft, fibrous material, trying to force a piece into a groove that is even the slightest bit too narrow can result in the grooved piece splitting. DAMHIKT.

The benefit of any of these two-pass router jigs is flexibility. You can dial in the groove width to the exact dimension required, every time.

Bonus tip: if you need to buy additional material partway through a project, don't ever ever EVER assume it will be exactly the same thickness as what you bought before, even if you bought it at the same store, out of the same bin. DAMHIKT one, either.

[knobcreekman]

Bonus tip: if you need to buy additional material partway through a project, don't ever ever EVER assume it will be exactly the same thickness as what you bought before, even if you bought it at the same store, out of the same bin. DAMHIKT one, either.

Thanks for the tip.... i'm trying to learn to buy more than i need so that i can avoid the sawdust covered trip back up to HD in the middle of the project

[phi1l]

The only thing I would change if building that jig again would be to have it facilitate 90 deg. dadoes (since most dadoes are right angle anyway). I would make the cross piece longer & adjustable to create a perfect right angle.

[gsmittle]

+1 on Hylton's book! Also Router Magic, also by Bill Hylton. I haven't read his third book (Router Table Secrets?) yet, but I expect it will be as thorough as the other two.

g.