Replies

1. 
   BossCrunk | Aug 06, 2008 10:11pm | #1

   Sounds like installing case molding around the new opening would ease the pressure a bit, no?  Is this possible?  Would it look silly?  Got any sketches or photos?

   If you can't case the opening, you've got some FUN ahead of you!  Doesn't have to be traditional case moulding like in your home, could be cabinet "screen" molding or something like that.

   You could cut wide of the line with a handsaw and bring everything just to truth, leaving a whisker of the line, with a smoothing plane and a bullnose plane and chisels in the corners.

    

   
   

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   Edited 8/6/2008 3:13 pm ET by BossCrunk

1. 
   Opa8 | Aug 07, 2008 05:16am | #10

   I'll have to see if case moldng would be acceptable. Thanks for your help

2. 
   oldusty | Aug 06, 2008 10:18pm | #2

     Opa8 ,

           Sounds like the normal way to make a cutout like that , are you thinking of using the cutout for the door ?

        I would check to see if the thin kerf blade actually leaves a cleaner cut than your other blades before using on the real thing .

       If the possibility exists of making a door to fit properly , either inset or overlay or lipped , buy all means make a door .

         Depending on the materials you could even mold around the inside of the opening to hide the saw kerf left from cutting it out , make a cock beading or other detail .

          good   luck           dusty

1. 
   Opa8 | Aug 07, 2008 05:22am | #11

   Thanks. I almost have to use the cutout for the door. I'll be checking with the church committee about having possible mismatch on the finish. Good hardwoods are difficult to come by where I live. All of the replies I've gotten have been very helpful and informative. Things I had never considered have been pointed out to me. Thanks to everyone.

3. 
   MikeHennessy | Aug 06, 2008 10:19pm | #3

   Is the cutout to be used as an operating door? If so, you'll either have issues with possible warping of the door panel, or edge grain issues if the cab is ply or veneered particle board. If it it is to be a door, I think I'd plan on making a panel door -- you could even use the cutout as the panel.

   Otherwise, I'd use it as an excuse to get a new CS and make a zero-clearance insert and a guide strip to make the cuts.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   Opa8 | Aug 07, 2008 05:29am | #12

   The material is 3/4 in. but I cannot determine as yet if it is glued up or MDF or ply. It sound like making a door using the cutout as a panel would be best bet. Thanks for your help.

4. 
   Samson | Aug 06, 2008 10:56pm | #4

   How large a door?  Will the cuts only be needed on three sides (as the bottom side is the base of the pedestal?  or will the door be four sided cut out?  What is the purpose of the door?  Will it be receiving hinges and knob or catch?  Some more detail might help as far as allowing better suggestions.

1. 
   webby | Aug 06, 2008 11:48pm | #5

   Would it be possible to make an mdf template and use a router with a spiral bit and a template guide. With this method you wouldn't be able to use the cut peice for the door. A down spiral bit would /should yeild you a nice smooth splinter fre edge. A plunge router would be best because you might have to make several passes lowering the bit on each pass.

   You would just have to clean up the corners a bit. You could use your tablesaw and raise the blade into the mdf without fear of something going wrong i.e. overcutting which is very easy in a blind cut.

   But just cutting the peice and using it for the door won't leave you with as graceful a result as making a door to fit.Webby 

    

1. 
   Opa8 | Aug 07, 2008 05:38am | #15

   Thanks for your help. The concensus seems to be to use the cutout for a panel in a new door.

2. 
   Opa8 | Aug 07, 2008 05:35am | #14

   The door would be about 16 X 32 and cut all four sides. It sounds like framing it with molding is going to be the way to go. It will have a keyed lock on it. At first I had intended to use piano hinge but if I use molding, I'll have to use concealed hinges of some sort. Thanks for your help.

5. 
   sapwood | Aug 06, 2008 11:59pm | #6

   Making the first cuts on a tablesaw is possible, but that is one of the processes that simply gives me the shakes. Not that I haven't done it... but I think using a tablesaw in that manner is just asking for trouble. With that and your limited tool inventory in mind, I would suggest that your pastor has asked the wrong fellow. Perhaps you or he know of someone who has a Festool circular saw with the guide track. The cut you describe is a piece of cake with such a set up. Why? Because you can view the cut limits as you make the cut, unlike on the tablesaw where they are blocked. After cutting with the Festool, finish up with a handsaw.

   Baring all the above, then go handsaw all the way. You can get japanese saws the will make a plunge cut just as a jig saw does.

1. 
   webby | Aug 07, 2008 12:25am | #7

   Another thing you could do using a circular saw is make a slightly simpler version of a festool guide track for the circular saw.

   I have these for my circular saws. they can be built out of a quarter sheet  of 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch plywood. I would use birch.

   It is probably the most practical option and should yeild you with acceptable results given a limited tool inventory.

   What you do is use the 1/4 inch ply for a base and glue /screw the 1/2 inch to it giving you a guide to run your saw against.

   What you do is rip the 1/4 inch sheet larger than the distance from the blade to the edge of the wider side of your circular saw base. Plus the width of the guide rail made out of the 1/2 inch ply.

   Next rip about a 3 to 5 inch peice off of the 1/2 inch sheet, note the factory side ,if ist is good and straight I generally use it. (You might want to make it wider than the motor of the saw so that it doesn't hit any clamps or method of securing the guide. However this would necessitate a wider base peice.) Next glue and screw the peices together lining up their outer sides. Make sure you 'dry fit' first and see if you have acceptable room for the saw.

   When the guide is dry, clamp to a sacrificial piece and run your circular saw along the guide (1/2 inch ply) cutting thru the 1/4 inch ply. The result is a guide indicating the cut line and providing you with a straight(er) edge and a low clearance base helping to prevent chipout. I do not want to say zero clearance because all mine seem to have a little gap in them.

   Once that is built the only hurdle you have is a way to secure the guide to the case peice on the cut line .

   For a few bucks you could make one up and try it on a scap peice of mdf rather inexpensively and see if it will work for you.

   Additionally you need not make the guide 48 inches long (the length of the quarter sheet of ply. You could make it just slightly longer than your longest measurement. However allow room for clamps or other method of securing it.

   Webby 

    

   Edited 8/6/2008 5:27 pm ET by webby

2. 
   Opa8 | Aug 07, 2008 05:44am | #16

   I live in a small town and I doubt that anyone here has ever even heard of a Festool CS. It is new to me. This is just a hobby situation and I can't afford too many tools but all of the advice I've gotten has reawakened the "leetle gray cells" and I will now use my head and ask the local cabinet maker for help. Thank you for your advice and help.

6. 
   heartwould | Aug 07, 2008 03:34am | #8

   My fear from what I've read so far is the great risk of kickback from the cs or ts. What is it that your pastor wants to achieve? Making a cabinet out of a pedestal would IMHO be best achieved by dismantling the display pedestal and reworking it because you will need to install a floor in the bottom to make it useful anyway.
   See of you can determine what sort of glue was used for the joinery and make the effort to take it apart and make the proper door and floor,then reassemble and refinish. If there are any mechanical fasteners (nails, screws, etc.) you will have problems aplenty with sawing the opening for the door, plus you will need to figure out how to hang he door.

1. 
   Opa8 | Aug 07, 2008 05:08am | #9

   I think the pedestal is over 15 years old and have no idea who made it or how to find out. How would I determine what glue was used. The door would end up about 16 inches wide and 32 inches long. If I don't use the cutout for the door, how would I match the finish? I'm not sure if the case is made with oak veneer MDF or glued up boards. If it turns out to be board, I can see why the almost inevitable warpage would occur. I'll have to check with the pastor about casing the door with another material if I can't match the oak. I know a couple of cabinet makers and will see what guidance they can give me. I'm 75 years old and on a fixed income. New tool purchases just aren't in the cards anymore. Thanks to all of you for your help. I tried another forum and all I got was smart remarks and attempts at humor. Opa8

1. 
   heartwould | Aug 07, 2008 05:30am | #13

   One of the reasons that I was asking what the pastor had in mind was that it may be just about as easy to build something that would suit his needs. Some glues can be dissolved, and if there is any overrun you may get a clue as to what was used.
   Your concern for not being able to match the finish is valid. However you may cut into an existing piece, the problem of matching the existing finish will always be a problem. Replicating the patina of any aged varnish is tough.
   I strongly recommend that you simply ask your pastor what he has in mind and then go from there. If your congregation is like many in my vicinity, someone probably made the piece for a specific purpose that now escapes memory, but that woodworking servant may be willing to redo his masterpiece as the pastor wishes.