How to make repetitive grooves on a drawer face - router and guide

[s1nglemalt]

I want to make 1/2" wide x 1/2" deep grooves in a 6/4 drawer face, alternating 3/4" between the indentations. This is for looks only, nothing structural. I need to make 11 cuts, and intend to use a spiral. These would look like louvers.

You can see I have the guide and router, and the current idea is to use the track and set it three times to span the 14" tall face, then adjust the router off of it each pass.

1. How would you guarantee parallel cuts?
2. What guides or accessories would you use?
3. Any other tips and tricks?
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[AlexThePalex]

1. How would you guarantee parallel cuts?

- You have a straight rail you can use as reference. Screw it onto a straight piece of wood/MDF so that it's parallel. Now you can rest your drawer face against it so it's parallel with the rail.

2. What guides or accessories would you use?

- Make a bunch small spacers of the right width out of MDF. For every groove in the drawer face, when you have to adjust the router position, add a spacer to the stack so all grooves are spaced evenly.

 

[Bob D.]

Or use a table saw with a 1/2" dado and be done in 5 minutes.

 

[Cheese]

Or just use a MFS 700 [big grin]

 

[s1nglemalt]

Thanks. This is dado and TS written all over it for simplicity sake.

 

[Naildrivingman]

I did a similar project using my mft/rail/protractor. I laid out all the "louvers" in pencil and then simply advanced the workpiece after each pass.  I also used rail stops  so the start and stop would line up easily. I recall the panel was 18" x 24" and I also recall it took me longer to set up/tear down than it did to plow the stop dados.  I think the hole project took me 3 hours all in.