how do i cut this? multitool?

[flh801978]

I want to cut a slot in a piece of hardwood 20mm thick right the way through
prefer 1mm kerf and 25mm to 30 mm long along the grain

ive been doing it with a scrollsaw or piercing saw after drilling a 2mm hole or so to thread the blade through

would a bosch or fein multitool do it with the flat blade?

Ian

 

[petermillard]

How accurate / clearly defined do the start and finish points need to be? The oscillating nature of multitool blades make it hard to get clean ends to a plunge cut, IME. Plus of course, you'd have the added fun of keeping the cut perpendicular...

I've ground the 'horns' off the Fein E-cut universal saw blade (29mm) before now to make a narrower blade btw - works well.

Pete

 

[flh801978]

Well once the slot is through i can clean up to the ends with a variety of other hand saws possibly a hack saw blade in a pad saw handle
I was going to make a bracket to hold it on a drill press type arrangment to hold it vertical and lower it slowly into the cut,but never having used a mutitool before was wondering if they would do this

Ian

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

You can get a drill press /bench drill stand type of holder for the fein multimaster as scale train modellers and others use it for making mortises and so forth. It would certainly do the job but you may get some burning in the slot, more so when the blade starts to blunt. You can get alsorts of blades and files for cleaning up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maQ5cq1cHac Skip to 4:30 and then to 8:30 Or watch the whole video it shows how versatile these machines are.

 

[soulboy]

Hi Ian, personally, I would mark-up the slot required, drill-out either end with a 20mm bit then cut the long sides with the saws you have and squaring the ends if necessary.
HTH chris

 

[AndyT]

It will depend what you are making and how much wood there is around the slot, but it might be quickest and easiest to cut right through, chisel or file your 1mm depth, then glue the bits back together again.

 

[flh801978]

I have a job to make lots of roubo bookstands and this part of the job takes the longest and most problematic with the tools/ equipment i have so if a multitool may do it i'll get one

 

[flh801978]

the slot is 1mm wide 20-30mm long and wood is 20 mm thick

 

[Jacob]

Mortice chisel.
Wide blade of the usual pattern but 1mm thick. I've done similar slots with a 1/8" MT and it worked really well. Very quick too.
Not much else you can do with a thin mortice chisel other than making thin slots. I don't see why 1mm wouldn't work if the steel was OK. You might have to grind your own though.
It would only work along the grain, not across.

 

[Charette]

By coincidence I watched a video on Youtube by Steve Ramsey this afternoon titled "The 10 cent labyrinth challenge", which demonstrates a really easy method using a pillar drill. The process starts at 6 mins in. Sorry I can't post a link, but I'm new here.

 

[flh801978]

Thats good charette but my material is 20mm thick

 

[Jacob]

Coincidentally there is a thin mortice chisel in Richard T's thread here

 

[Charette]

My smallest router bit is about 2mm. A 1mm cut would seem to imply a saw cut. Good luck!

 

[AndyT]

Now you tell us what you are making, the answer is clear. Watch this video: http://video.pbs.org/video/2172468729 especially from about 10:30 in. You need a small drill and a fine padsaw. The cuts don't take very long at all.

In softwood (or soft hardwood) you can do a knife cut to minimise the kerf, using something like a sharpened paint scraper blade, cut down to size, or a bit of hacksaw snapped off and sharpened like a thin chisel.

 

[flh801978]

That's the way I'm cutting them now but with scroll saw or piercing saw just wanted to speed up process

 

[Jacob]

I had to google 'roubo bookstand'. Brilliant!
I want one, for cookery books especially.
Christmas presents! :idea:
Another vid here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU-rncivcdk

 

[flh801978]

Well I went out and bought the bosch multitool with kit box and parts and its fantastic fo rthis job
I know its not 20mm thick but it just flies through

Ian

 

[petermillard]

Good to hear it worked out; now you have one you'll find it useful for all kinds of things