Installing tracks in TS tables

[Jerry Crawford]

I'm dropping my router into the right table extension of my Delta table saw soon. I want to install a couple of 3/4" tracks to hold down the fences. For those who have done this how did you put in the channels to install the track without chipping out or splintering the laminate table surface? WIll a routing do it neatly or do I need to do something like scoring the cut line first?

[Vaughn McMillan]

I've put dados for miter track in laminate surfaces with both a router and a dado blade on the table saw. Both worked well for me, as long as the blades/bit were sharp. (I don't think the scoring lines could hurt, thought.) That said, my experience has been pretty limited, so perhaps others will chime in with better ways to do it.

- Vaughn

[Michael Ballent]

Using a downcut spiral bit will leave you a nice clean cut, but there will be a lot of dust in the channel as you cut and there may be a tendancy for the router to push away from the work, so take a few light cuts :D

[Steve Clardy]

Just a sharp bit in the router.