Through housing with router table or hand-held router

[dance]

I'm needing to create some through housing joinery (what the Yanks would call a dado, right?) and I'm wondering whether it would be best/safest to use a hand-held router or a the router table? American woodworkers would perhaps use a dado stack, but British table saws aren't setup to use them.

How would you go about this?

thanks

 

[sunnybob]

Router table, easy peasy.

 

[Homerjh]

router table.

Set up fence so the groove is where you need it, fit a straight router bit cutter to the required height, and route as required.

it is possible hand held as well, but i expect you would need a solid jig to keep things straight

 

[ED65]

If you have a router table then deffo use that but it is easily doable with a hand-held router and a simple jig and probably makes for faster setup, once the jig is built of course. The classic adjustable version:

 

[Homerjh]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KNX9Y2cyRhk

 

[dance]

router table.

Set up fence so the groove is where you need it

This is my router table - I can see what you mean about setting the fence - but I'm concerned that if I'm routing a housing across a length of stock I'll be referencing off the shorter edge and it will potentially be unstable as I move the workpiece across the fence and over the router bit.

Any tips? Am I looking at it wrong or is it a case of making a jig?

thanks

 

[Homerjh]

if the fence moves then couldnt you clamp something onto it to keep it straight, but leaving the fence loose at the 2 bottom mounts so it will move along the table, then hold the wood on the fence and then push it back over the bit?

or if it doesnt go that far clamp a block of sacrificial wood to the fence and hold your wood to this and route as required?

can you draw what you are trying to do, i am no router table expert but am unsure as to what you are trying to do.

its been a long day today so brain isnt too speedy!

 

[dance]

Hi Homerjh, please find attached. Thanks!

 

[custard]

I don't know why people are recommending a router table for a cross grain housing/dado joint, unless you've got an accurate sled or sliding fence on your router table then it's pretty much the last way I'd go about doing it. As you rightly pointed out it means referencing off the short edge of the workpiece, plus there's every chance the workpiece will dive into the cutter gap in the fixed fence. And even with a sled or sliding fence it's still not plain sailing because it has to be bang on accurate, which in real life isn't as simple as it sounds.

The better way to go about it is to make yourself a simple jig and run a handheld router alongside the jig's fence across the workpiece. Google "Router/Dado" and you'll find lots of plans.

Finally, you mentioned non-American saws aren't set up for dado stacks. That's not strictly true, most aren't but quite a few are.

Good luck!

 

[dance]

I don't know why people are recommending a router table for a cross grain housing/dado joint, unless you've got an accurate sled or sliding fence on your router table then it's pretty much the last way I'd go about doing it. As you rightly pointed out it means referencing off the short edge of the workpiece, plus there's every chance the workpiece will dive into the cutter gap in the fixed fence. And even with a sled or sliding fence it's still not plain sailing because it has to be bang on accurate, which in real life isn't as simple as it sounds.

The better way to go about it is to make yourself a simple jig and run a handheld router alongside the jig's fence across the workpiece. Google "Router/Dado" and you'll find lots of plans.

Finally, you mentioned non-American saws aren't set up for dado stacks. That's not strictly true, most aren't but quite a few are.

Good luck!

Thank you. Good to have my thoughts confirmed! I might look into making a sled, as I can see how useful it would be for this and future projects.

 

[otter]

There's a video of how to make one on this website's homepage!

 

[Jacob]

No prob with a TS. Maker two cuts and chisel out the middle, (very easy and quick) or make enough cuts to take it all out. Best with a sliding table.