Dado joint on a router table

[CMax]

But you'd probably be better using one of these..
View attachment 140592

Same thing I suggested... am I missing something here? Sorry, I've not slept well lately, so I'm clearly not understanding.

 

[John In Ireland]

Maybe use use a combination of mitre saw and router table?

You could put a few cuts in with the mitre saw which would allow you to remove the bulk of it with a chisel then just use the router table to clean up the bottom of the joint.

Sounds a good idea. Just awaiting my router bit from Ebay. It can only be 12mm high for this. All mine are too long. Thanks for the reply.

 

[John In Ireland]

Can I thank you all for taking the time to reply. I have only just joined this forum and really pleased I did. Everyone is so helpful. Only just taken up woodwork in my retirement and I love it. Now with you people I can learn more and more each day! Thank you all again.
John.

 

[MikeK]

Same thing I suggested... am I missing something here? Sorry, I've not slept well lately, so I'm clearly not understanding.

I might be wrong, but I think Triton was poking fun at the vastly inferior Veritas router plane over the Lie Nielsen router plane (both are very good).

 

[TRITON]

Same thing I suggested... am I missing something here? Sorry, I've not slept well lately, so I'm clearly not understanding.

Yours was a Veritas, i countered with a Lie Nielsen.

But as above, both are very good. Just bit of fun on my part.

 

[CMax]

Yours was a Veritas, i countered with a Lie Nielsen.

But as above, both are very good. Just bit of fun on my part.

Hah, okay, I totally missed that

If I didn't already own the Veritas and I had the budget for it, I wouldn't waste a minute in getting the LN. I love their products, and IMHO are worth every penny. Those, along with Clifton, Vertisas, and Ashley Iles are the only ones I can say that in my experience.

 

[Sideways]

Just awaiting my router bit from Ebay. It can only be 12mm high for this. All mine are too long. Thanks for the reply.

Are you not using a plunge router ?
Longer bits are no problem. You set the depth stop and only plunge as deep as needed.

Just in case, let me also point out that a router is infinitely more controllable if you don't try and cut full depth in one pass. Multiple passes plunging a few mm more each time will quickly remove the bulk and work down to full depth. When you get the hang of it you don't even lock the plunge, just ease it down as you sweep from one end of a cut to the other. Lock off for the bottoming cut. Reset back to say 3mm depth and start the next set of cuts working back towards the shoulders.

I've watched many inexperienced users make a horrid mess thinking they could cut the entire moulding in one pass. Occasionally you can but it's often not a good idea.

This is a disadvantage of router tables. Height adjustment is awkward compared to the ease of plunging a handheld so folk often can't be bothered taking multiple passes.

 

[John In Ireland]

Are you not using a plunge router ?
Longer bits are no problem. You set the depth stop and only plunge as deep as needed.

Just in case, let me also point out that a router is infinitely more controllable if you don't try and cut full depth in one pass. Multiple passes plunging a few mm more each time will quickly remove the bulk and work down to full depth. When you get the hang of it you don't even lock the plunge, just ease it down as you sweep from one end of a cut to the other. Lock off for the bottoming cut. Reset back to say 3mm depth and start the next set of cuts working back towards the shoulders.

I've watched many inexperienced users make a horrid mess thinking they could cut the entire moulding in one pass. Occasionally you can but it's often not a good idea.

This is a disadvantage of router tables. Height adjustment is awkward compared to the ease of plunging a handheld so folk often can't be bothered taking multiple passes.

Thank you for the reply. My plunge router is permanently set into a router table. Never to see the light of day again! Trouble is with my recent project I need to go to a certain depth with the guide bearing datum reaching an edge. My router is too big for me to hand hold. I must invest in a palm router so I have both options without swapping and changing from the table. The table height adjustment is not really a problem for me as this can be adjusted from the top winder. I have made notes of your advice on multiple passes. Being a novice I learn something new every day on here.

 

[Sideways]

Thank you for the reply. My plunge router is permanently set into a router table. Never to see the light of day again! Trouble is with my recent project I need to go to a certain depth with the guide bearing datum reaching an edge. My router is too big for me to hand hold. I must invest in a palm router so I have both options without swapping and changing from the table. The table height adjustment is not really a problem for me as this can be adjusted from the top winder. I have made notes of your advice on multiple passes. Being a novice I learn something new every day on here.

Thanks for the feedback. Understanding more of your setup helps. If you're using a bearing giuded bit (they are good) rather than a plain bit and guide bush, it makes sense.

If you like routers - personally I do because they are incredibly versatile for a small tool - you may find yourself buying another sooner or later. I'm a great fan of the trad elu mof96e style handheld. These are light but powerful enough to be very useful and the very last powertool I'd let go of.

I tried a palm router and sold it on. With the elu style, you can maintain good pressure on one handle over the workpiece while you rout with half of the base unsupported. This prevents tipping. Palm routers have such small bases that I think they are less stable when doing edge work and the round body is slow to adjust for depth.

Long fence rods and TWO fences - one from each side - are a super useful accessory. Choose a router that uses standard 8 or 10mm rods on the common spacing and for which spare dlfences, fine adjusters and so on are easy to get.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

So I have two pieces of 30" long 4x1. I want to cut a half depth dado groove across the middle so as to make a cross. I normally mark them out and use a mitre saw set to depth then do multiple cuts to get the 4" width right. This is such a tedious task and the bottom of the dado is lined with saw cuts. I was wondering if it could be done easier somehow on my router table ( not freehand ). Perhaps with some sort of jig to make it easier and the bottom of the groove should also be a lot flatter.
John.

For cutting cross halving joints on larger scale pieces, I generally prefer taking a hand held router and cross cutting jig to the wood rather than taking the wood to a router table. Your 30" long dimension, to me, places your wood into the borderline 'larger scale' category, but even so I'd still probably take a hand held router to the wood rather than than pass the wood over a table mounted router.

Whilst I appreciate the task illustrated below isn't the same as you're doing, the images should give you the general idea of the sort of jig you might make along with the router type. Slainte.

PS. On a side note, what you're calling a dado is more commonly known on the eastern side of the Atlantic as a trench, if wide, or a housing, if narrow.

 

[hlvd]

Look up Half Lap Joint, it’s a basic joint easily done with hand tools.

 

[Orraloon]

I have to agree with the above. It can be done and dusted with hand tools by the time it takes to set up some kind of router jig. If you were doing a whole heap of them then by all means use machines to save time.
Regards
John

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Look up Half Lap Joint, it’s a basic joint easily done with hand tools.

That's certainly true, particularly for executing a single joint for a project, e.g., a cross halving, and doing the job by hand for even a few doesn't take long. I should perhaps have mentioned that in my post above, although if a jig or guide is to hand already it's another option, particularly if there are many joints to do, such as cross halvings, housings, trenches and can even come in to cut multiple tenons. Slainte.

 

[John In Ireland]

I have to agree with the above. It can be done and dusted with hand tools by the time it takes to set up some kind of router jig. If you were doing a whole heap of them then by all means use machines to save time.
Regards
John

Thanks for the reply. Yes I do quite a few of them.

 

[John In Ireland]

That's certainly true, particularly for executing a single joint for a project, e.g., a cross, and doing the job by hand for even a few doesn't take long. I should perhaps have mentioned that in my post above, although if a jig or guide is to hand already it's another option, particularly if there are many joints to do, such as cross halvings, housings, trenches and can even come in to cut multiple tenons. Slainte.

Thanks Sgian. I do quite a few so I needed to speed up the process a little.

 

[John In Ireland]

Look up Half Lap Joint, it’s a basic joint easily done with hand tools.

Thanks hlvd. I do quite a few so I needed to speed up the process a little.

 

[John In Ireland]

For cutting cross halving joints on larger scale pieces, I generally prefer taking a hand held router and cross cutting jig to the wood rather than taking the wood to a router table. Your 30" long dimension, to me, places your wood into the borderline 'larger scale' category, but even so I'd still probably take a hand held router to the wood rather than than pass the wood over a table mounted router.

Whilst I appreciate the task illustrated below isn't the same as you're doing, the images should give you the general idea of the sort of jig you might make along with the router type. Slainte.

PS. On a side note, what you're calling a dado is more commonly known on the eastern side of the Atlantic as a trench, if wide, or a housing, if narrow.

View attachment 140742

View attachment 140743

View attachment 140744

View attachment 140745

View attachment 140746​

Wow Richard thank you for your reply, my projects are not on your scale!! By your images you are an absolute craftsman. I will certainly take something from your post.

 

[John In Ireland]

Maybe use use a combination of mitre saw and router table?

You could put a few cuts in with the mitre saw which would allow you to remove the bulk of it with a chisel then just use the router table to clean up the bottom of the joint.

Did that Doug, seemed to work a treat! Still looking to get away from the mitre saw. If not I will stick to this method.