Replies

1. 
   TomT226 | May 05, 2003 07:43pm | #1

   Jointer.

1. 
   WorkshopJon | May 05, 2003 07:47pm | #2

   Zano,

   I think Tom's right. It might pay depending on the job, to pick up a set of inexpensive blades and cut them down to the size you need. Real easy if you have a cut-off saw.

   Jon

1. 
   DaveHeinlein | May 06, 2003 02:09am | #5

   No need to do that. Just remove the guard, and slide the fence over so the cut is 4" wide. The little ledge on the side of the out feed table is called a rabbeting ledge. It supports the uncut part of the board.

1. 
   WorkshopJon | May 06, 2003 02:19am | #6

   Dave,

   My impression was that Zano wanted to cut a groove (vs. a rabbit) 4"wide by 1/64 deep. ie. mtrl. on both sides adjacent to the cut.

   I see you are from the Woodstock, NY area. Just a long shot question, but do you know the Fisher's who live up on Mead Mountain Road?

1. 
   DaveHeinlein | May 06, 2003 02:39am | #7

   Ah, I must have read his post too fast and missed that part(oops).

   Not familiar with anyone by that name, there's so many 'transplants' here, I hardly know anyone any more.

2. 
   WorkshopJon | May 06, 2003 02:53am | #9

   Dave,

   Actually, Used to be a friend from HS. Think they've lived there for ~30+ years. Originally used as a weekend home, 5000+ sq. ft. (Dad owned NYC ad agency, had big bucks) Stunning view from inside about 3/4 of they way up the mountain. You could see all the way to the reservoir(Ashoken?), even from the pool cut into the hillside. Haven't seen 'um in 15 years.

   Jon

   Edited 5/5/2003 7:55:52 PM ET by WorkshopJon

3. 
   DaveHeinlein | May 07, 2003 11:43pm | #12

   Sorry, but the name still doesn't ring a bell. That doesn't mean that much though, because they could have been good friends that long ago, and I have forgotten. Did/do you live here in the area?

2. 
   Jamie_Buxton | May 05, 2003 07:56pm | #3

   Rather than routing into the lumber, can you build it up?  That is, at the edges glue on two strips 1" wide by 1/64" thick?   (1/64" thick is close to standard veneer, which is typically 1 /40" thick.)

   If you can't conveniently get veneer, try starting with a 4" wide piece of lumber and gluing on 1" wide strips, offsetting the strips your 1/64" from flush.  You can do it by putting the 4" piece face-down on a flat bench, but spacing it off the bench by your 1/64"; use business cards or several sheets of Post-it notes for shims.   Put the 1" strips flush down on the bench and glue them to the 4" piece.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 5/5/2003 1:01:43 PM ET by JAMIE_BUXTON

3. 
   PhillGiles | May 05, 2003 09:14pm | #4

   Unless there's some hidden consition here, my first thought would be to put the dado blade in the table saw and make several passes.

   .

   Phill Giles

   The Unionville Woodwright

   Unionville, Ontario

4. 
   Zano | May 06, 2003 02:43am | #8

   Fellas,

   Should have mentioned that the 4" groove is in the middle of the 6" wide plywood.  If I get a 6" Joiner and dull or grind the blades,  one inch on each side, that should do it huh?

   Just want it to be the easiest method instead of making multi passes with a dado blade.

1. 
   PhillGiles | May 06, 2003 05:25am | #10

   Zano, trust me on this: Do you have a table saw ? Even a good portable ? And do you have a dado blade (every woodworker needs a dado blade) ? You didn't say if the dado needs a clean, flat bottom, or just close; the reason I ask is that if you need high-quality, then you need the expensive dado with 2 blades and the chippers, if you just need a "groove, the you could get away with a wobbler or a vee-blade dado.

   In any case, that is the simplest, fastest, method; and probably the cheapest in the long run. .

   Phill Giles

   The Unionville Woodwright

   Unionville, Ontario

1. 
   Rarebreed | May 06, 2003 09:47am | #11

   Is it possible to set a guide on each side and make two passes (one down each side) with a door planer?

   TCW Specialists in Custom Remodeling.

5. 
   fdampier5 | May 08, 2003 12:02am | #13

   Mikita makes a tool called a groove cutter..... think of a skil saw with a big dado head..  the widest bit made is about an inch and a half so you'd have to do several passes.  but you can cut those grooves as fast as you can push the tool along..  put a straight edge  (I'd use a piece of angle iron)  as a guide so everything winds up straight..

     it will route up to about 1 5/8ths of an inch deep with the wide one and deeper with the narrower ones..  perfect sides and a smooth bottom..

1. 
   ScottMatson | May 08, 2003 12:28am | #14

   If it's just like a relief cut, and doesn't need to be very precise, just belt sand it.

6. 
   Qtrmeg | May 08, 2003 12:48am | #15

   Could you tell us where you want to go with this? I mean, a 1/64" dado?

   Why, what for, how many pieces, how accurate does it need to be?

1. 
   Zano | May 08, 2003 03:33am | #16

   I'm thinking of doing something in production work to aid in my  work - that's as much I can say now.

   -----

   Phil,

   I know nothing much about woodworking, so I asked.  I spoke to one of my favorite GC's, he's got a woodworking shop in his basement, so he said to use a Shaper, which he has, with a special knife.  So, he knows of a guy who can make a special knife for about $125.00 and the GC will test it for me.

   -----

   The Joiner idea I liked, but I checked out some cheap Joiners at the Home Depot and the cheap Delta one has half the table move.  Then I saw this better joiner at a woodworking machine outlet and the knives move up and down only up to 1/8".  That one may work if I dull the knives 1" on each side.

1. 
   Qtrmeg | May 08, 2003 03:50am | #17

   I was trying to figure out two things.

   First, how much you have to do.

   Second, how precise the dado has to be, in width and depth.

   Have your secrets, sounds like the shaper idea is a keeper. ;-).

1. 
   RalphWicklund | May 08, 2003 08:12am | #18

   Does it have to be plywood?

   For the money you are going to spend on a one time knife for someone elses tool, with no guarantee of accurate results (1/64"), especially in plywood, you might consider having a specialty fabricator make up this "prototype" in a different material, such as plexiglas, lexan, etc. It's even possible that a signmaker, one that uses plexi, can do the job. I had some stuff done in plexi and stainless a few years ago and those specialty shops are very good and very accurate.

2. 
   Zano | May 11, 2003 01:48pm | #20

   First, how much you have to do.

   Second, how precise the dado has to be, in width and depth

   About 20 per day and not that precise; a rough job is OK.

   ----

   Other Fellas,

   I'll try a variety of ways of doing this, looks like I'll spend a day at the GC's basement and play with woodworking tools so hopefully this can be done the easiest way.  So thanks for all the advise - will try it all ways.

1. 
   Piffin | May 12, 2003 05:18am | #22

   "Rough job"

   and

   "1/64""

   are not twin phrases that I would use in the same sentence..

   Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   MrPita2 | May 12, 2003 12:02pm | #24

   Maybe by 1/64" he just meant "roughly" a RCH, not exactly 0.015625"?If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.

3. 
   Piffin | May 13, 2003 02:28am | #25

   That just one BCH away from being a racist comment, you know. But I know you would never ...

   LOL.

   Excellence is its own reward!

4. 
   mosseater | May 13, 2003 08:26am | #26

   I didn`t think plywood was even flat enough to get an consistant 1/64 groove into it. If you`re using the jointer, you`ll have to make infeed and outfeed flat (same height) and raise the custom width blades 1/64 above the table height. Otherwise the hensfenkkin will obstrurcurrate the wiffinstaable...

2. 
   Piffin | May 12, 2003 05:14am | #21

   Cutter that wide on my Williams and Hussey Milling machine. ( edit ; it could do twenty in an hour)

   The dado head is easiest for some jobs but least accurate for this and impossible for production work.

   Shaper OK for a prototype or few pieces but too much skilled manpower for high production..

   Excellence is its own reward!

   Edited 5/11/2003 10:19:02 PM ET by piffin

7. 
   james | May 08, 2003 08:18am | #19

   you could try a molder or take a thickness planer and set up guides as well as trashing a set of blades to set the width, that way you could just feed and forget.

   james

8. 
   migraine | May 12, 2003 05:24am | #23

   I have a Makita 3 1/4" planer and have done this many times with it.  Two passes on each board and you are done.  Use this method only if you are using it for the back of a board, not the finish side