Dado in laminated table?

[Bill Miltner]

I'm building a new drill press table and need to cut dadoes for the t-track channels. The table has Wilsonart laminate on both top and bottom. The dado's final dimensions will be 1 1/4"wide x 1/2"deep
What method would give me the cleanest formica edges? Using a dado set in my tablesaw or routing the groove? If routing is best, what bit is best to use.

[Brandon Weiss]

It depends on the quality of your dado set or router bit but if you used a down-cutting spiral bit that would probably produce the cleanest edges. It requires a little more tedious setup than the table saw but if I were doing it that's what I'd use just because the laminate is already there. If the laminate weren't there I'd use the dado set. If you use the router, make sure to take light depth passes.

[Brandon Weiss]

I just thought of another way. If you have a melamine/laminate blade for your table saw you could cut the groove edges with that blade and nibble out the middle with whatever blade you want.

[Jim O'Dell]

Brandon's second post is what I would do. But then I already have the plastics/laminate blade. It gives you the cleanest cut for laminate. I would cut both outside edges, then clean the middle out with the dado blade. Just be sure to do some test cuts in scrap wood to get the depth set right between the two blades!! Jim.

[Rick Mathison]

I would either use a dado blade with a zero clearance throat plate or a down cut spiral router bit.

Rick