how do you...Angled grooves

[Frank Carnevale]

Hi all...so if I am building a hanging cabinet where there is a groove on the sides at a 10-15 degree angle, how are you all routing something like that? Router plane freehand or with straight egde as a guide? Other ways? I want to build a plane till and have that angle and, ideally, want to stick all hand tools...i am assuming router plane but wanted to see if there was another way

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I started (and never finished) part of a floorboard for my guitar effects pedals I build - basically a big "wedge" shaped box (shorter at the front than the back, kind of like a lap desk shape?) with push buttons in the panel area. So the grooves in the side to hold the aluminum panel where perpendicular to the stock. The grooves at the front and back were angled.

Anyway, in this case, since the top of the stock in the front and back where angled at the same angle as the groove should be, I simply used my plow plane as normal, taking care to keep the fence of the plow tight against that bevelled edge of the stock. Worked well. If you aren't going to bevel the edges of the stock as well, I'd imagine simply adding a bevelled fence to a plow plane would work just as well. It was a little rough as the cut started, so it left a bit of a poor edge on the show side, but going slow at the start of the cut worked it out okay - I started with a bit of shallow depth of cut until I plunged it into the surface. I suppose a knife line would make the face of the groove cleaner, but I wasn't too concerned about the inside surface.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Oh - oops, I get it. It's not that the groove is angled out of perpendicular to the stock, but moves closer or further away from the edge as the groove moves in length?

If the groove never gets too far away for your plow planes fence, I'd simply either attach a temporary, angled, piece of wood to the edge of the board to give a straight bearing surface for a plow plane to ride against, or simply cut my groove fairly deep into the board against a straight edge on the wood, and then saw the wood to angle the groove in relation to stock after the groove is complete.

Another option would be some sort of small rabbet plane or grooving plane that could easily run against a fence. I've an old weatherstripping plane that I only keep around because I can use it to run 1/8" grooves by running it against a fence rather than referencing it against the edge of a board.

[Charlie Stanford]

Tilt the fence on a Stanley 55 or hot-melt glue a small wedge (at the desired angle of the groove) to the fence of a Stanley 45, Record 405 or similar plane. This will produce a result which is passable, but not perfect. You use the eighth inch cutter to cut the angled wall to depth, then you move the fence, put on a wider cutter and waste the rest of the groove.

Easiest way would be to fire up a tablesaw. Make the angled cut, put the blade back to 90* and waste away the rest of the groove.

[Chris Scimone]

I would probably reach for a dado plane like this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXhdN1Vl_20&feature=plcp). Assuming you didn't have too many to run, and you could find a dado plane in the width you need.

[Michael Ray Smith]

I'd do it the way I do most of my grooves and dadoes -- Saw the sides to the desired depth with a stair saw and take out the waste with a chisel and/or a small router plane.

[Jim Matthews]

Our own Derek Cohen has demonstrated the method I now use, involving a fence at the chosen angle and a miter saw.
(http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/SlidingDovetailsbyhand1.html)
Alternately, you cut along your chosen line with a knife and chisel out as you go.
That sounds crude, but is effective if the blades are sharp and you take your time.

If your groove runs along the edge, I would use a groove cutting plane (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK284m0wJME) with a batten.

[Jim Koepke]

Hi all...so if I am building a hanging cabinet where there is a groove on the sides at a 10-15 degree angle, how are you all routing something like that? Router plane freehand or with straight egde as a guide? Other ways? I want to build a plane till and have that angle and, ideally, want to stick all hand tools...i am assuming router plane but wanted to see if there was another way

This really depends on the equipment you have at hand or which one you need an excuse to buy.

It also depends on if this is a square grove running at an angel to an edge or if the sides of the groove are at an angle to the face of the piece they are in. The first is easy with a batten or marking knife and chisels.

Angled to the face is a bit more difficult.

It might be possible with a router plane. It would be slow and likely need a wedge built for the base. There should be a straight edge on the wedge to follow a batten.

With an angled fence on a plow plane, one needs to keep changing the fence because of the distance to the bottom of the groove always changing distance from the edge.

If you have a plow plane that can be used against a batten, then it would be easiest and likely fastest to make a batten with one face at the desired angle.

Table saw would be easy. I do not own a table saw.

Hand sawing could also be an easy way to go if there are saws in the shop to handle the project.

Good luck.

jtk