Plywood bits for OF 1010

[JimB1]

I'm going to be starting the casework for my kitchen island soon and I have a few pieces that are going to be a bit long and awkward to try and get a good cut on the tablesaw with a dado set. Going with the theory that it's easier to bring the tool to the wood in this case, my 1010 seems to be up for the challenge . I did a couple of test cuts using a standard 3/4" straight bit and the fit's not horrible but I'd like to get it a little tighter if possible.

Freud, Whiteside, and a few others make slightly undersized bits for routing plywood so you get a tight fit in dados and grooves but I haven't used any of them yet. Really doubting I'll find any with a 8mm shank but 1/4" shank with the straight 3/4" bit seems to work fine (only going 1/4" deep for the dados) so I'm guessing any good name brand 1/4" shank bit is going to work out OK.

Anyone using their 1010 for plywood dados? Any favorite bits to use for this?
Any help is appreciated...
Thanks
-Jim

 

[pugilato]

You might want to look at Joe Fusco's (RIP) series on cabinetmaking... No dados used to build what appear to be pretty sturdy base cabinets.

 

[semenza]

You could also go with a 1/2" (or anything less than the plywood thickness)  straight bit and sneak up on an exact fit.

Seth

 

[Jay Evans]

Jim,
You could always measure your plywood and see if straight metric bits would work, They can be bought from Festool with metric shanks and although a bit pricey and needing to be ordered, Festool does make EXCELLENT router bits.

John Lucas (RIP) from Workshop demos, had a really neat method of making exact slot sizes with the Festool system and some playing cards- a search should help you find it, plus I believe you can still get his archive DVD through Woodcraft(?).

I thought it was a clever idea.
Good luck
Jay

 

[andvari]

Paul Marcel did a video showing how to make exact fit dados with several tools including a router+rail and the Bridge City Kerf Maker.

http://www.halfinchshy.com/2011/06/bridge-city-km-1-kerfmaker-users-guide.html

The router bit is about 2/3 the way into the video.

 

[woodwreck]

I don't understand your issue - as you point out numerous manuf make 1/4" shank bits for the three undersize plywood thicknesses, nominal 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 with 1/4" shanks. For heavier work sure you want a 8mm adapter to half but the 1010 is 1/4" shaft I believe. You state you are only doing 1/4" deep.

For example see also, Rockler.com, P/N 9011, 90110, 90264

 

[ccarrolladams]

Actually, the Festool OF1010 router uses and is supplied with both 1/4" and 8mm collets.

 

[sancho57]

You might want to look at Joe Fusco's (RIP) series on cabinetmaking... No dados used to build what appear to be pretty sturdy base cabinets.

I used to use other methods pocket holes, dados etc… Till I saw Joes video, I had a conversation with him ( May he RIP) and He was the one that got me interested in Festool.

I also use his method now for building cabinets.  I can honestly say I have not had a failure yet.

Here is the link to his U Tube Channel

 

[billg71]

I like the Freud downshear mortising bits, they give a pretty clean cut on both sides and they're available in 1/32 undersizes for ply.

For the absolute ultimate in fitment you'll need to make yourself a jig: Cut two straight rips of the material you're using, long enough to span your workpiece plus a a few inches for a couple of spacers and whatever you want to use for a fence. Add a fudge factor for trimming. They should be half as wide as the OF1010's base or more, if you're routing 24" case sides I'd suggest 4" or wider for strength. Make two short crosscuts from your shelf material, slightly shorter than its thickness.  Turn them 90 degrees and use them as spacers to glue the two rips together, don't clamp them real tight(you might want to add a piece of brown paper bag as a shim so you can get the shelf in). Now crosscut one end of the assembly dead-nuts square and add a fence.

Clamp the jig across the work and use any top-bearing flush trim bit smaller than the thickness of your shelf and short enough to allow for the depth of the dado and the thickness of your jig. Rout out out your shelf dado up one side and down the other and avoid climb-cutting.  Just make sure you're routing in the right direction. If you want to be picky get yourself a 1/4" shank downshear bit and a bearing to match. Now you're officially splitting red cat hairs....   [wink] Just don't forget the brown paper bag or you'll never get the thing together....

It's a matter of paying your money(or time) and taking your choice. For me, the 1/32 undersize bits are close enough as long as I'm consistent in assembly. YMMV.

HTH,
Bill

 

[woodwreck]

Actually, the Festool OF1010 router uses and is supplied with both 1/4" and 8mm collets.

Agreed, but my thought was that the undersize bits in in question to my knowledge are available in 1/4 or maybe in  1/2 shank and the 1010's 8mm just isn't applicable. If I misunderstood the issue, my apology.

 

[TomGadwa1]

As stated above the OF1010 is supplied with a 1/4 inch collet. Freud makes under sized plywood bits in the 1/4 inch collet sizes. These are nice bits and will make a snug fitting dado.

 

[JimB1]

Not really any issues per se with 1/4" vs 8mm, just that if I am buying new bits, I'm willing to look at 8mm as well if someone has a source but there's just not that many out there in NA. Like I said, I can't see using a plywood size bit for more then 1/4" deep dados, grooves and rabbets so 1/4" shank should be fine. I never really used a router for dados before. Until I got the 1010 I really didn't like using a router by hand so I don't have a lot of bits and I'd like to start using the router more since now I have a good one. Usually I just use a dado set in the tablesaw and move on with life, so I don't know much about brands of bits or if the ply sized bits are good so I was hoping to get some first hand reviews.

The rest of the cabinets are done so I just have a refrigerator frame and the island to do so I'm not looking to change the build type in mid build but some good vids you guys linked to. Maybe when I rework my garage I can try those cabinets...

I'm just not all that conversant with using routers by hand I guess is what it comes down to

Thanks for the suggestions and info so far...
-Jim

 

[GreenGA]

I agree with andvari.  [thumbs up]

Using the KM-1, as shown in Paul's video, allows the thickness of the plywood to be all over the place, and it might very well be, even from the lot, and you still can get a perfect fit every time.

 

[Brice Burrell]

...You could always measure your plywood and see if straight metric bits would work, They can be bought from Festool with metric shanks and although a bit pricey and needing to be ordered, Festool does make EXCELLENT router bits.....

The last I made dados use Metric bits for plywood. 

You might want to look at Joe Fusco's (RIP) series on cabinetmaking... No dados used to build what appear to be pretty sturdy base cabinets.

I used to use other methods pocket holes, dados etc… Till I saw Joes video, I had a conversation with him ( May he RIP) and He was the one that got me interested in Festool.

I also use his method now for building cabinets.  I can honestly say I have not had a failure yet.

Here is the link to his U Tube Channel

I'd agree, screws work great assuming you can hide them.  I miss Joe's willingness to to help out in on the construction forums.  He sort of came off as a typical New Jersey knucklehead* in some of his videos, but the guy sure knew his stuff.  His site was filled with some great construction info.  At least his Youtube channel is still up.

* No offense intended to our New Jersey knucklehead friends out there. [tongue]

 

[Ken Nagrod]

...You could always measure your plywood and see if straight metric bits would work, They can be bought from Festool with metric shanks and although a bit pricey and needing to be ordered, Festool does make EXCELLENT router bits.....

The last I made dados use Metric bits for plywood.  

You might want to look at Joe Fusco's (RIP) series on cabinetmaking... No dados used to build what appear to be pretty sturdy base cabinets.

I used to use other methods pocket holes, dados etc… Till I saw Joes video, I had a conversation with him ( May he RIP) and He was the one that got me interested in Festool.

I also use his method now for building cabinets.  I can honestly say I have not had a failure yet.

Here is the link to his U Tube Channel

I'd agree, screws work great assuming you can hide them.  I miss Joe's willingness to to help out in on the construction forums.  He sort of came off as a typical New Jersey knucklehead* in some of his videos, but the guy sure knew his stuff.  His site was filled with some great construction info.  At least his Youtube channel is still up.

* No offense intended to our New Jersey knucklehead friends out there. [tongue]

Brice,

I'm a pinhead so no offense taken.  [big grin]  [tongue]

BTW, Joe was from Staten Island, NY

 

[zapdafish]

IMO plywood bits by themselves are absolutely useless unless you are extremely lucky and your plywood supplier happens to match your bits. When I first got into woodworking they sounded like such a great idea till I discovered that 3/4" is measured differently by different manufacturers.

If the bits are undersized you can waste alot of time sanding the ply to fit and if they are oversized you get loose panels.

 

[PaulMarcel]

The best way to make a dado/groove for plywood is by running two passes.  I think the key is that plywood is 'nominal' 3/4", which is a bit of the industry word to mean "take what you get; we don't check it".

I have a set of plywood bits, but not because I expected to use them for a one-pass groove that would fit well.  Since I use two passes, it doesn't matter the size of the cutter as long as it is larger than half the size of the groove I want.  I got the plywood set on a clearance for next to nothing; they work well (not as well as a nice spiral, but I didn't get 4 spirals for $9).  As Andvari and GreenGA mentioned, I use the KM-1 to exactly size the groove.  There are other ways to do it, but that one is fast and usable on a number of tools (dado stack comes to mind).

Speaking of spiral bits, a compression spiral will give you very clean and fast grooves.  That's all I use when grooving plywood unless it is really shallow in which case I use a down-spiral.

 

[ccarrolladams]

I agree with Paul, for nominal 3/4" plywood I use 12mm compression spiral bits. For nominal 1/2" plywood I use 8mm compression spiral bits. For nominal 1/4" plywood I use 4mm bits.

 

[butzla]

Don't waste your money on fancy bits that will never fit sheet to sheet.  John Lucas's tip works flawlessly.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[sancho57]

...You could always measure your plywood and see if straight metric bits would work, They can be bought from Festool with metric shanks and although a bit pricey and needing to be ordered, Festool does make EXCELLENT router bits.....

The last I made dados use Metric bits for plywood. 

You might want to look at Joe Fusco's (RIP) series on cabinetmaking... No dados used to build what appear to be pretty sturdy base cabinets.

I used to use other methods pocket holes, dados etc… Till I saw Joes video, I had a conversation with him ( May he RIP) and He was the one that got me interested in Festool.

I also use his method now for building cabinets.  I can honestly say I have not had a failure yet.

Here is the link to his U Tube Channel

I'd agree, screws work great assuming you can hide them.  I miss Joe's willingness to to help out in on the construction forums.  He sort of came off as a typical New Jersey knucklehead* in some of his videos, but the guy sure knew his stuff.  His site was filled with some great construction info.  At least his Youtube channel is still up.

* No offense intended to our New Jersey knucklehead friends out there. [tongue]

Yea your right as long as ya can hide them.

I use a 3" long #9 robertson head screw. It works great.

Once I gang the cabs together and add a end panel Im good.

Joe was quite a character. His site had a chat function, Him and I and a guy from Texas used to chat with each other.  He was very colorful when discussing things at the old break time. Thats where I met him (online)

I learned a lot from him.