Routing dado in narrow stock?

[leftistelf]

I have some 1"x2" mahogany that i want to dado (to put on the front edge of a plywood shelf).

Any hints from festool pros on how to cut the dado with the OF1400?

 

[poto]

I would put two pieces of wood of the same thickness on either side of it, clamp it at the ends (with the Festool clamping elements), line it up parallel to the guide rail, and use the guide-rail attachment to ensure a straight cut. Actually, the pieces on each side of it don't have to even be the same thickness. You just need them to hold the piece steady, and to support the guide rail and router foot (on either side). No problemo.

Check that it's parallel with the guide rail by checking where the bit goes at each end of the piece. The middle should take care of itself. The Lee Valley Wonder Dogs are really useful for making small lateral adjustments in the piece parallel to the guide rail...

 

[Warrior]

I have some 1"x2" mahogany that i want to dado (to put on the front edge of a plywood shelf).

Any hints from festool pros on how to cut the dado with the OF1400?

Dont you mean a rebate and not a dadoe? Maybe you want a lip? I dont understand why you would want a dadoe for applying edging.

Please enlighten me on the actual application.

 

[Tim Sproul]

They might want it grooved (same thing as a dado except dadoes are normally crossgrain trenches while grooves are longgrain trenches) so that the shelf has front lip and the lip isn't too substantial?

 

[leftistelf]

oops, it is a long grain rip to give a small lip on both the top and bottom.  I want to strengthen the shelf.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Or... get a Domino 

 

[bonesbr549]

I have some 1"x2" mahogany that i want to dado (to put on the front edge of a plywood shelf).

Any hints from festool pros on how to cut the dado with the OF1400?

There are several ways depending on how the stock is already milled.  It would be best if you still had wide stock and you could route the groove then rip a 1x2 piece off then the next etc.  The second method would be to get two wide stock boards the same thickness(or ply) and clamp or attach with carpet tape to either side so the edges align and that would widen the base to stableize the base of the router.  Or finally, if it's just for the front of a plywood shelf, use a biscuit jointer or domino. 

 

[Qwas]

I'm surprised no one has brought up the Plexiglass Template (495 246).  That is one of the functions it was designed to do. It is expensive but there is a post about making your own.

[attachthumb=#]

 

[josephgewing]

The MFS could provide some help.  It  would be an "it depends" solution.  And might involve some creativity.

Joe

 

[dirtydeeds]

ignoring the fact that there are other methods to attach edging to a board

the question was. routing a dado in narrow stock (1x2)

it has to be done safely as well, with this size timber a hand held router isnt safe

there are two methods that are safe (in both cases the timber itself is the guard on the tooling)

a router table

a tablesaw

with a table saw take the guard off, lower the kerf blade until it is 2mm below the top of the sawblade

but NEVER EVER remove a kerf knife / kerf blade from a tablesaw, its there to help against kickback

dont forget to put the guard back on when youve finished

a table saw does not have to have a dado head cutter to do the job, it just needs to be run through more times

wide stock as noted above is another method but wide stock involves more waste and it costs more

1x2 is cheap and is always avaliable

 

[leftistelf]

while the domino could attach edging, would the edge then strengthen the shelf?

 

[semenza]

while the domino could attach edging, would the edge then strengthen the shelf?

Hi,

  Definetly.  But the dado is is certaainly workable. Is this for the back edge?  I have done dados / grooves in narrow stock. I won't give details on the set up  because some of the clamping arrangments are particular to my shop, and items I have. Yours may be different. But you need to do a set up something like Poto suggested.  Just find a way to clamp and support everything.

Seth

 

[Overtime]

Or two of these and some creative clamping.

Edge guide # 492636  $61.00 EA
And you might already have one ?

 

[Warrior]

IMO this is not where festool shines.  Yes you can do it but a router table or table saw is the best option if you are conserned with efficiency.

If you do not own a table saw and dadoe set or a router table then you have to use what you have to get it done.

With OF1400 and guiderail I would make a jig that would support the guiderail and capture the narrow stock with support on both sides. It would have to have a quick side clamp like the side action toggles or the clamping elements.

I have a few ideas but I dont know what else you have in your arsenal.

 

[leftistelf]

I have the edge guide, and that was going to be my strategy, but I keep getting the sense that a router table is the right way to do this work.  I feel like a quitter when you own these guiderails and an amazing router, which should work, but i can't imagine being able to make six 53" runs (for each shelf) without screwing things up.  I think working with thin stock is the the problem with the festool system.  Long rips, long dados, etc.  Sounds like an Incra LS positioner mounted on a woodpecker table is in my future...

The goal is to put the hardwood on the front edge, creating a little edge on the top and bottom of the shelf, as well as to hide the plywood.  This would strengthen the shelf and reduce sag on a long 53" run.  The shelf will sit on top of 1x2s that run on the sides and the back of the shelf (with a rounded over exposed edge).  Screws will secure the shelves to the supports, which will in turn be screwed into the studs that sit behind the drywall.  This is a 24" by 53" alcove, and the shelves will be a mere 13 or 14" deep.  The bottom shelf will be 17" deep, and sit atop 2x4s. I'll install a "kickplate" and some moulding to hide the 2x4s.

Many people here contributed to the design, after I posted a question.  If I can fix the shelves and run sturdy frontedge, the sagulator computes a 0.011 sag, which is less than the 0.02 (based on 35lbs/foot) that most people use as a guide.  I'm probably going to use 1" plywood, but it's designed around 3/4" plywood right now.  I'm shopping around for some quartersawn mahogany veneered plywood and I'll deal with what i can find.

 

[Michael Kellough]

You don't really need that dado. The popular wood glues are more than sufficient to hold that strip of wood if clamped up okay. If you don't have the clamps you can use pocket screws from under the shelf to pull the 1x2 in.

For a shelf that wide you should use the torsion box design DD posted about here. Maybe you are and I didn't understand the description.

I don't believe that sagulator thing unless that is the amount of sag per running inch unless it is 0.011 feet. Actually I don't even believe that as it's only 1/8" and I think a shelf that wide, as I understand the description, will sag 1/8" under it's own weight.

With limited tools available and the definite need to mechanically join the 1x2 to the edge of the plywood I'd go with a slot cutting router bit, the kind that looks like a small saw blade and has a BB guide. Then you need to cut a spline to fit the slot unless you are lucky enough to find stock the same size.

To 1x2 stock would need to be clamped to the side of a workbench (so it is flush with the top surface all along it's length) or clamped to a large L shaped jig that the router could ride along.

 

[Overtime]

I have the edge guide, and that was going to be my strategy, but I keep getting the sense that a router table is the right way to do this work.  I feel like a quitter when you own these guiderails and an amazing router, which should work, but i can't imagine being able to make six 53" runs (for each shelf) without screwing things up.  I think working with thin stock is the the problem with the festool system.  Long rips, long dados, etc.  Sounds like an Incra LS positioner mounted on a woodpecker table is in my future...

  Thin stock can be a problem no matter what tool or system you have. These are the types of situations that lead to the process setting up a shop - also known as acquiring more tools.  ;D  There are some tools that can do many things and others that are specialized. The router can do many things but it has it's limits too. 
    A router table would be just the ticket here as well as a table saw with or without a dado cutter blade. Both of these tools would make the process using that stock safe and accurate easy and fast. Slot cutter, biscut jointer, spline, glue, Domino even. This is why Festool also makes the CMS and Basis tables (not available in US ?) .
  You shouldn't feel like a quitter just because you found the (safe) limits of the router. There will be many times when you will reach the limits of what a particular tool will do. It's nothing new, finding the work around is always a challenge and is only limited by skill and tools.  When you can, you add to your tool collection those tools that are most important and useful to the kind of projects that you do.

  You can also make your own temporary router table.
1  get a 1/4 sheet of 1/4" or 3/16" tempered or regular hardboard
2  get a 1/4 sheet of 3/4" MDF
3  cut a hole in the mdf about the size of the router base
4  remove the brown base from the OF 1400 and use it as a template to drill counter sink holes in the hardboard top.
5  Cut a 2" or so hole in the center of the hardboard, place the hardboard over the MDF,  screws - glue.
6  mount the router without it's base under the hardboard using the same screws that were holding the base on
7  clamp the table to a couple of saw horses
8  clamp a fence on there and you got a 20$ router table  ;D

Make sure it's stable and secure (safe to operate)
You will be able to make the same dado or rabbit cut as a nice router table (for now) 

 

[Eli]

Build a support in the center of each shelf, rip the bindings off appropriate sized books, and domino them to the front of the center supports  ;D ;D ;D

(since all the great suggestions were already taken)

 

[Overtime]

"rip the bindings off appropriate sized books, and domino them to the front of the center supports"   ;D

Brilliant ! did you steal that idea from one of those design / room makeover TV programs ? 

Save some $ and use a hotmelt glue gun

TV show material list for project.

3/4" MDF
Framing nailer
glue
hotmelt glue gun
4 cans of spray paint
6 concrete blocks
4 2x4 x 8'
used book bindings
tool belt w/hammer
10'x10' EZUp canopy
2-3 helpers

edited cause it reads like I'm trashin Eli's idea - not so, it's a great plan and would look cool.
Ranting on the home shows  ;D

 

[poto]

Other than answering the question that was actually asked (about routing thin strips), one other approach to your shelf would be to buy the inexpensive Lack shelf from IKEA, and use its mounting hardware, but make your own shelf. It comes with a long steel plate (with lots of holes) that has two or three (depending on the length of the shelf) rods coming out, perpendicular to the plate (and the wall). Screw it onto the wall, make a shelf to slide onto the rods, and Bob's your uncle. Or aunt in some places.

But for sheer aesthetics, I like Eli's idea!