Dado or hand-held router for rabbets?
I have a bunch of cabinet cases to make that will utilize rabbets along the back edges to hold the back panels in place and square up the cases.
In the past, I’ve run into instances where a slight bow in a plywood panel would cause the dado blade to make a shallow place in the rabbit – and then the back did not fit properly.
Although I’ve never tired it, I’ve read that a rabbeting bit in a hand held router avoids this completely, but that’s a lot of hand routing (and router dust everywhere) for a batch of cases.
I’m thinking that perhaps a set of rollers for the saw fence like the Board Buddy might exert enough pressure to straighten out the slight bow in any errant panels that I might encounter. My fence clamps down at both ends, so lifting of the fence would not be a problem. Has anyone had success with such a technique?
Is there a best way to do this?
Thanks,
MikeD
Replies
If rabbeting the edges you could get a rabbet bit with the proper depth of cut and guide with the bearing, and make multiple passes.
If you want to use the tablesaw you could make a taller auxilliary fence that would partially house the dado exposing the proper woidth for creating the rabbet, then use a feather board attached to the auxilliary fence to keep the stock down tight to the table. I have also used this method with success.
Hope this helps.
Webby
Edited 8/30/2008 3:58 pm ET by webby
Edited 8/30/2008 4:00 pm ET by webby
You're right, routers are messy but can account for the work deformities you mention.
Moreover, with the router above the fray, its footway cannot be fouled. Indexing is easy, with the templet, the pathway (dado) is always at right angle to the reference edge, and the work is clamp-flattened coincidentally with the templet.
Try attaching a feather board to your fence, positioned over the dado blade so that it will keep the wood pressed firmly against the table top and thus give you a uniform depth of cut. Unless the wood is very bowed and is thicker than 3/4" then a feather board is not strong enough to flatten the board and then a router will help but it will still have some variation
I prefer a router as it will follow contours. I use this setup when working edges to help with dust control.
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Mike_D,
Doing rabbits on the TS with a dado is just to easy and fast to give up on easily. As others said, using a feather board on your sacrificial fence takes care of slightly bowed plywood. I also made a couple of push pads, like the ones used on jointer, and can keep pressure on the stock as it goes over the dado. I then check and if needed I run it through again.
Personally, I don't like the weight of a rabbit bit, fiddling with the bearings and making multiple passes to reach depth.
Yup that's what I do if I have a lot of rabbits or dadoes to run! It's fast and the set up is no hassle if you bury the blade partway in a sacrificial fence. This way there is no fussing with the dado blade width.
Just use a feather board clamped to the fence in front of the blade. Don't use too much pressure just enough to hold the board down to the table as you run it.
Chaim
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