Jerome Hanby
04-05-2012, 10:44 PM
After cutting approximately an infinite number of test joints, I got my setup dialed in to cut locking rabbet joints for some plywood drawers. Was never able to really get a perfect setup so that all I had to do was move the table saw fence to switch between cutting the rabbet and the dado. After forgetting to take in account clearance for the slides, I was faced with trimming then re-cutting one side of the front and back and I decided my setup is just not going to work without driving me crazy. I really need to cut my drawer pieces as I go, cut the joints, assemble, then install one drawer before going to the next. It finally dawned on me that the tweaking I was having to do is mostly caused by the plywood not being exactly 3/4", so my 3/8" rabbet and dadoes weren't fitting (or even lining up) without some tweaking.
So I think I have a new procedure worked out. I have a standalone router table and a router wing in my table saw. The table has my big Freud router, the wing my smaller Hitachi. I'm going to set the wing up with a rabbeting bit set for 3/8", put a 3/8" straight bit in the router table, and put my plywood blade back on the table saw (instead of the dado blade). I think I can get the height of the rabbet bit dialed in, the fence and height dialed in for the straight bit on the router table, and still have plenty of room to cut my drawer pieces on the table saw. Then I can rock and roll without having to do the drawers production line style (they are being fitted as I go, so that would have been dicey at best) or drive my self crazy swapping my setup back and forth and tweaking each setup over and over.
That sound like a workable plan? Best part, Woodcraft has a sell on their router bits and this gives me an excuse to go check them out. It would be a shame to drive all that way just to buy one bit, I really should stock up, right?
While I'm there, any suggestions for a good bit for making plywood drawers? I've got lock miter bits already and thought about a drawer lock bit, just not sure how well that will work with the partly crappy plywood I'm using. The locking rabbet seems to be working pretty well...
So I think I have a new procedure worked out. I have a standalone router table and a router wing in my table saw. The table has my big Freud router, the wing my smaller Hitachi. I'm going to set the wing up with a rabbeting bit set for 3/8", put a 3/8" straight bit in the router table, and put my plywood blade back on the table saw (instead of the dado blade). I think I can get the height of the rabbet bit dialed in, the fence and height dialed in for the straight bit on the router table, and still have plenty of room to cut my drawer pieces on the table saw. Then I can rock and roll without having to do the drawers production line style (they are being fitted as I go, so that would have been dicey at best) or drive my self crazy swapping my setup back and forth and tweaking each setup over and over.
That sound like a workable plan? Best part, Woodcraft has a sell on their router bits and this gives me an excuse to go check them out. It would be a shame to drive all that way just to buy one bit, I really should stock up, right?
While I'm there, any suggestions for a good bit for making plywood drawers? I've got lock miter bits already and thought about a drawer lock bit, just not sure how well that will work with the partly crappy plywood I'm using. The locking rabbet seems to be working pretty well...