How would you do this on an MFT/3?

[fritter63]

Yesterday I used a slot cutter bit in the router to cut the dados which will receive panels in a Stickley style frame and panel construction.

The members the slots were being cut into were 2 1/4" wide by 3/4" thick. Because the slot cutter bit is so "tall" (or low when being used) the bottom of the mounting shaft would have contacted any workbench or router mat under the piece.

So I clamped the pieces into my regular woodworking bench using the tail vise and bench dogs along the side, and was just barely able to have the piece hang over the side of bench so there was no contact.

If you only had an MFT/3 setup, how would you do this? It seems to me that the side rail extrusions of the MFT are too wide for this to have worked.

 

[tbellemare]

I've clamped rails and stiles to the profile of an MFT/3 with the edge to receive the dado facing up and flush with the tabletop. Then I used a straight bit in the OF 1400 with the edge guide. It works pretty easily.

Tom

 

[fritter63]

Another option I've come up with is to build a wider plywood jig with 20mm holes in it for the clamping. The plywood would be like 6 to 10" inches wide and could be clamped to the MFT using the rail clamps. Then you hang the rail or stile off the edge of that and clamp with clamping elements in the 20 mm holes.

 

[sancho57]

Id use the clamping elements to clamp it on edge on the MFT then use 2 edge guides centered with a spiral bit to cut the slot with my 1010.
You could do as Tom suggested anduse one edge guide. That would for to.

 

[fritter63]

Id use the clamping elements to clamp it on edge on the MFT then use 2 edge guides centered with a spiral bit to cut the slot with my 1010.
You could do as Tom suggested anduse one edge guide. That would for to.

The main point is to use the slot cutter bit, since you get a cleaner slot. I've used the spiral bits for years (in a router table) and I never liked the quality of the cut.

 

[Frank-Jan]

Depending on how far the slotcutter bit extends, I'd probably clamp it down overhanging the mdf top, but not the sideprofile, and do it in two passes (both sides of the clamp, then move the piece and clamp down again).

Or... clamp down in the middle of the table with a block underneath high enough so the bit clears the top and do the same (clamp down, route around clamp, reposition)

Or... vacsys (don't have one)

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I would get two boards, same size, thick enough to lift the router and bit off the MFT.  clamp them parallel with enough room in the middle to run the router.  Clamp a workpiece on each.  The idea is that the router can straddle the setup and not tip so that you will get a nice slot located squarely in the stile.  Don't try cutting both with one pass, you need to go in opposite directions for each one to avoid chipout.

 

[mouppe]

I only ever use my slot cutter in a router table. I don't like having the wood trapped between the bit and the router base with a handheld router.

I would use my plough plane in solid wood or a straight bit for plywood.

 

[sancho57]

Id use the clamping elements to clamp it on edge on the MFT then use 2 edge guides centered with a spiral bit to cut the slot with my 1010.
You could do as Tom suggested anduse one edge guide. That would for to.

The main point is to use the slot cutter bit, since you get a cleaner slot. I've used the spiral bits for years (in a router table) and I never liked the quality of the cut.

Then I would make a jig that would secure it, maybe 2 pieces of 20mm ply glued screwed together to build it up so the slot cutter wouldn't it the MFT