How to route a long, thin piece of wood???

[alfie_m]

So I am somewhat new to woodwork. The situation is this:

I need to route 6mm OR 3mm wide and 5mm deep 'slots' in the middle of long timber beams that are 44mm wide and 44mm deep and 2000mm long. I have attached a sketchup model of what I need the beam to look like.

I just dont know what kind of set up I would need for this? Would it be best to use a router with some kind of jig? The 'slots' need to be straight. Or the other idea I had would be to use a table saw and use a 3mm kerf blade, and adjust the blade so it would be 5mm from the table, and not actually going all the way through the wood, therefore just ripping out a 3mm wide and 5mm deep trench in the middle of the beam...

I'm helping a friend build a photobooth and the timber beams will form the 'skelton' of the booth, while the routed 'slots' are for the mdf 'walls' of the booth, the mdf 'walls' will slot into the routed beams if that makes sense? I know it would be easier to just screw the mdf to the beams but the photobooth will be built up and taken apart many times and we decided that consently screwing and unscrewing the mdf to the beams would mess up the wood after a long time.

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

 

[Mrs C]

Use a small handhed router with the parallle fence it was supplied with. If the fence wont adjust so that its narrow enough clamp another straight piece of wood to the original to use as the guide (this is a bit fiddly and you might need to do it in sections when you come to move the clamps) . Make sure that the whole thing is clamped firmly down - I would do it in 2 or 3 shallow passes to get the depth, and might sound obvious but make sure you rout in the correct direction so the router pulls against the fence and doesn't wander off of its own accord.

P.S. Have a test run first

 

[Beau]

I would just use a router with it's side fence like this.

Welcome to forum by the way

 

[novocaine]

a perfect job for a small router (katsu do a good one, have a look on amazon for it, it's cheap) as already said. I'd be tempted to make my own 2 sided fence from a few offcuts with the gap the right width for the stock so it simply cant wander and you can stop and start without the risk of missing as you drop the router in. with the length as it is, get you mate to hold it down at the other end while you guide the router. for shorter peices, double sided tape it to the bench .

what are you doing at the corners?

 

[paulrockliffe]

Alternatively you could get around the MDF screw issue by using a tap, cutting a thread and bolting the booth together; MDF is very easy cut a thread into, it won't degrade like a screw hole would and you could use bolts for every part so the kit could be completely separated and pack up smaller.

Another approach would be to make the frame from several pieces laminated together, with the middle piece offset to give the slot.

 

[marcros]

i would use a grooving saw blade on the table saw http://bivenmachinerysales.co.uk/index. ... uct_id=790

 

[transatlantic]

i would use a grooving saw blade on the table saw http://bivenmachinerysales.co.uk/index. ... uct_id=790

Those blades don't seem to be designed for table saws?

Application: for grooving cuts or for rebating, chamfering, grooving and profiling as a set of tools.
Machines: double-end tenoner and moulding machines.
Material: soft and hardwood, wood-based panels, plastic.

 

[Neil S]

3mm is awfully narrow for a router cutter. They do make them but take it easy by going in a number of passes gradually increasing in depth or you might break the cutter.
Neil

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[marcros]

edited to include the post this relates to...

 

[Neil S]

Just noticed it's only 5mm deep so you could probably do it in just two passes. Also as it's only 5mm deep have you thought about making a makeshift router table?
Just a flat sheet of MDF say 600square you can screw the router to the underside of. Put some sides on it Leaving a lip overhang around the edge for clamping to. Then clamp a straight piece of wood to the table as a fence. This might be a bit more controlled.

HTH

Neil


Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[marcros]

i would use a grooving saw blade on the table saw http://bivenmachinerysales.co.uk/index. ... uct_id=790

Those blades don't seem to be designed for table saws?

Application: for grooving cuts or for rebating, chamfering, grooving and profiling as a set of tools.
Machines: double-end tenoner and moulding machines.
Material: soft and hardwood, wood-based panels, plastic.

it works safely on my table saw. It is held properly like any other saw blade so cannot escape from the arbor, and is well within the max speed stated on the blade. the only thing that doesnt work is the riving knife, but it is for grooving- the cut cannot close. The saw plate is such that you dont need an extended arbor. The blade is guarded by the wood itself, but some thought needs to be given before and after the cut, as with any sawing operation.

One thing to make sure is that you have sufficient blade exposed above the table to cut the groove. Works fine on mine- I could cut more depth than i need to on my Kity 618, but others have said that they would have no blade exposed.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

With a 3mm cutter it's best to plunge (make sure you have a cutter with a bottom cut) several holes as if you were using a drill then joint them up - as above, you are likely to break the cutter it you push it too hard. There is far less stress on them when plunging.
Reading the Op again, I believe you'd do it easiest with a table saw, just take two or three passes with a normal rip blade to get the required size.

 

[Peterthegardener]

If you have got access to a simple Router Table & fence then I prefer to use a slot cutting router bit rather than a narrow straight router bit. For 2 reasons, you are less likely to break the bit, and it is possible to collect most of the dust with a shop vac connected to the fence. It is almost impossible to vac the dust from a straight bit cut slot while it is produced since there is not enough air-flow through a narrow slot.

Just my two-penneth!

Peter

 

[Racers]

Router table, even a temporary one made from a bit of MFC with a router screwed to it and a 2x2 as a fence.
That was my first one and it lasted for years.

Pete

 

[andersonec]

It seems you have a table saw, in that case I would cut a rebate in your timber, sit the mdf into the rebate and tack in a strip to hold it in place.

Andy

 

[dzj]

"Reading the Op again, I believe you'd do it easiest with a table saw..."

+1

 

[petermillard]

I may have the wrong end of the stick here, but why must the MDF 'walls' be in a slot within the 2x2? Is there some reason why the walls can't be 6mm MR MDF sandwiched between lengths of 2x1 (glue & screws) and the booth simply formed by joining the corners? As mentioned above, I'm also wondering how you plan to join the corners.

If you must go the 'slot in a length of 2x2' route, then a grooving bit in a router table would my choice; 1/4" groover for 6mm panel works for me.

HTH P

 

[Peter Sefton]

Slotting cutter on a router table for jobs like this is fine.

https://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/On ... r_134.html

Cheers Peter

 

[alfie_m]

Thanks Peter, I think I'm going to a slotting cutter router bit to make the slots.

Do these have to be used on a table router because I only have a handheld one.

Cheers