Best jig for hand held router dados?

[Michael Drew]

I know I can make a jig. There's dozens of different plans and videos on YouTube, or a variety of wood working books I own. And I might just do that...... I need to do something better than clamping a straight edge to whatever it is I'm cutting a dado in. My success ratio sucks. Seems like I inevitably screw up and forget to go in one direction, get cocky and move the other direction, make a mess of things......

So I was searching the innerweb and getting ideas, when I found a WoodPecker's "one time tool" that looked pretty cool. Of course they don't make or sell it any more. I'm tempted to try and duplicate that. https://www.woodpeck.com/exact-width-dado-jig-2020.html

I have a Festool track saw and couple different length tracks. Is there a router adapter I could use with this track?

I also found a couple jigs that clamp to a straight edge clamp. Infinity and CMT look to make the same thing. I dunno about that style. I have one of those clamps, and I've gotten it to move on my without much effort.

Rockler has a jig with dust collection. That would be nice, seeing how much dust a router will make cutting dados. I do not own a router with good dust collection, but I'm sure I'll get one eventually, seeing how my collection of green tools is expanding. But, the Rockler jig looks pretty cheap.

What's your preferred method of cutting dados with a router for those situations where you just don't have another option?

[Doug Garson]

If you want to make one Mark Spagnolo aka the Wood Whisperer made one and has plans on his web site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j4vGS4HY-8 looks pretty easy to make.

[johnny means]

Think you hate screwing up a dado? Wait until you chew up that pretty aluminum jig. I work with a lot of trainees, I can't stress to them enough the importance of patience, diligence and concentration. No jig will fix mental errors. We've got a 100k CNC machine and not being careful still leads to spoiled material. Diagnose what your doing wrong, walk through every operation without the motor running and keep your eyes on the ball. You'll never be able to buy enough jigs to cover everything. My current build has required almost a dozen different router jigs and a handful of one tine use cauls just to make a table top. You got this. Of course, a Festool router with guide rail is works too.

[Thomas McCurnin]

I'm assuming you are doing 3/4" dados or less.

If so, the best jig is a piece of rectangle of 6" wide 3/4 plywood sized to your router. I use this stupid, cheap jig a dozen times a year. Assuming its sized to you router, it will never fail! Just set your plunge router depth stops to 1/8" increments and you'll get a clean crisp dado every time. I have a piece of tape for the center line on the router, and another pencil line for the center on the jig, and another on the center line of the piece to be dadoed. Router bits come in all sorts of crazy sizes to fit exact hardwood or modern day undersized plywood.

Want to get fancy? Drywall screw a couple fences on the bottom to hold your piece. Practice on some scraps to get the thing dialed in. Might cost you $20 worth of 3/4 ply and will probably take you a couple hours to make the thing. I size the jig 6" or more wide to allow for clearance for the router handles and a couple Jorgensen clamps which hold the piece. Add legs to the jig to get it off the bench, and to allow clearance for the clamp heads.

Better than any jig you could buy in my judgment.

[Frank Drackman]

There is an adapter that fits some of the Festool routers. It is a great solution if you have one the the routers that fit and can find bits the size of the dados that you want to cut.




I have a Festool track saw and couple different length tracks. Is there a router adapter I could use with this track?

[Bobby Robbinett]

I once made a router table out of a full sheet of 3/4” MDF with the router screwed to the bottom with no router plate or lift. Got it set to perfect 1/4” height and added a Biesemeyer fence and 99” rails. Worked excellent for making repeatable dado’d for cabinet making.

[Derek Cohen]

What's your preferred method of cutting dados with a router for those situations where you just don't have another option?

Drew, both Festool and Makita have attachments for a router to run on their rails. Since these rails are interchangeable, you can get either. I have a 1400 rail from Makita on order, along with their guide. This will fit the Makita trim router I have, as well as a Elu MOF97 (same as Dewalt DW621). I am hoping it may also fit my large Elu 177e (same as a Dewalt DW625) since the attachment has provision for a larger router as well.

Call me curious, since I do not have a track saw, and am not really interested in one. However, I do a lot of dados and sliding dovetails, and want to see if this can do the job.

My preference for dados and sliding dovetails is to do it with hand tools. I feel that I can work more precisely this way than with power tools. And it is quite quick as well. Here is an example of the process in a recent build ...

The case is a dry fit. Above the case is the outlay of the drawer blades for the drawers. Inside the case is the template (story stick) made to mark out the dados for the drawer blades. The dados will be 12mm wide and 6mm deep …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_2dd274b0.jpg



The template is alternated for each side, which ensures that they are marked at exactly the same position ..



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_me44b49d.jpg



The knife lines are deepened and undercut with a chisel to create a wall for a saw ..



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m7b3e82c5.jpg



A straight edge is clamped along the knife line, and a kerf is created with an azebiki saw …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m7c49e1cb.jpg



The waste can then be removed with a router plane …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_6d5f52ad.jpg



Why do it this way, and not use a power router or tablesaw? I believe that I can be more precise with hand tools. This includes the positioning and fine tuning of the dados.

The router plane's depth stop is set to 5mm, and this is reached incrementally …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m1ae097fc.jpg



The final 1mm cut (to a depth of 6mm) is made by a smaller router plane ..






http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_4e525567.jpg



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_197421f7.jpg



The reason for this is that, as with a smoother, which follows the undulations of a panel and removes the least about of material, so this small router plane will create a more even depth.






The depth is checked ...






http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m7557f158.jpg



Any waste in the corners is removed with a side rebate plane (this is one from Veritas). be careful not to remove waste from the upper edge as this will change the position of the dado. The side rebate plane is the only plane which can plane along the inside edge of a dado or groove, to increase the width.



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m4a7162fc.jpg



Test the fit as you go …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_317be0f.jpg



Once done …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m2ffd84c4.jpg



... the surfaces are sanded to 240 grit. This is an original (!) Festool sander, when it was still "Festo"! I have had this about 25 years. Heavy, but works well for this task.



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_7da56fab.jpg



A final test for the accuracy is to align the sides …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m1dc598d8.jpg



... and then run a drawer blade across both dados …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m47f3c273.jpg




Regards from Perth



Derek

[Kevin Jenness]

I use a shop-made t-square, but you could easily make a cradle jig to fit your router. 1/4" melamine coated particleboard, plywood or mdf base with rails either side spaced apart the width of your router base. Make one for each dado width and the routed slot will line up with your layout marks.

[Ronald Blue]

Rockler has a couple different dado jigs for the router. I've no idea how good or bad they are or what your exact needs are. Might be worth a look.

rockler.com/rockler-indexing-dado-jig

rockler.com/rockler-perfect-fit-dado-jig

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Let me start by saying that I have seen this technique by Derek a few times and I have finally convinced myself that I might be able to do this myself <tip hat to Derek>.

This time around I noticed something in the image that I never remember seeing before. Are those magnets in the side of the board helping to hold the saw in place?



A straight edge is clamped along the knife line, and a kerf is created with an azebiki saw …



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/UnderbenchCabinet4_html_m7c49e1cb.jpg



If those are magnets, that is brilliant, it never occurred to me... I just need a saw and a side rebate plane.... and some magnets.

[Jim Becker]

I will comment that IMHO, the ideal jig will allow you to use a smaller diameter cutter and separate passes for each side of the groove/dado so that you can make things "exactly" the correct width for the material you'll be setting into the recess. That's especially important for sheet goods which are never some exact thickness.

[Cliff Polubinsky]

Infinity Tools has a dado jig that works well.
https://www.infinitytools.com/infinity-tools-precision-router-dado-jig

Cliff

[Derek Cohen]

Let me start by saying that I have seen this technique by Derek a few times and I have finally convinced myself that I might be able to do this myself <tip hat to Derek>.

This time around I noticed something in the image that I never remember seeing before. Are those magnets in the side of the board helping to hold the saw in place?

If those are magnets, that is brilliant, it never occurred to me... I just need a saw and a side rebate plane.... and some magnets.

Magnets, Andrew ... rare earth magnets. Work like a charm :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Michael Drew]

Derek, I don't know what to say.... You sir, are a true craftsman. I had no idea that dados could even be cut with hand tools.

[Michael Drew]

I will comment that IMHO, the ideal jig will allow you to use a smaller diameter cutter and separate passes for each side of the groove/dado so that you can make things "exactly" the correct width for the material you'll be setting into the recess. That's especially important for sheet goods which are never some exact thickness.

Ya, that's what I am thinking as well. Something similar to the one Doug linked to earlier. (Thanks Doug, I actually watched that video yesterday)

My most recent screw up (two days ago), was cutting a 3/4 wide stopped dado in my "newly" built TS sled that I painstakingly took my time on to get it as flat and square as possible...... The dado is for some T track to hold small things. So now every time I use this damn thing, I'll see my mistake......

I did not realize how tough Baltic birch is. It took several passes, increasing cutter depth each pass to cut the dados. If I would have had a jig to trap the guide bushing, this would have been a much simpler task. A spiral bit would have been a better choice as well.....

I had mistakenly thought Woodpeckers stopped making their jig, but it looks like it's going into production again. Not sure if I want to spend $400 on it though.