T-mold routing

[ksaub73]

I am sort of uneasy to route for T molding as i don't want to ruin my cabinet. Is it really that hard with the right tools? I just don't want to turn one of my sides into a "scrap" piece of wood. I did cut and measure the entire cabinet with the help of a friend so i know my way around the tools. Tips would be helpful

[MYX]

Please try a search. There is a lot of info concerning this already on the BYOAC forums.

[leapinlew]

I am sort of uneasy to route for T molding as i don't want to ruin my cabinet. Is it really that hard with the right tools? I just don't want to turn one of my sides into a "scrap" piece of wood. I did cut and measure the entire cabinet with the help of a friend so i know my way around the tools. Tips would be helpful

Simply take a peice of scrap and do some practice cuts. At some point your gonna have to grow a pair and make the cut....

If you screw up - it can usually be fixed with some bondo work.

[ahofle]

Yep, practice on scrap pieces until you have the router depth perfectly set (test fit the t-molding to make sure it's perfectly centered on the scrap wood).  Then it's a piece of cake on the real wood once you have the depth setting locked in IMO.

[Taborious]

Take care in you measurement of "center" when making your route cut. If you are going to have formica on one side that will increase you width by 1/16 of an inch. I which you may want wider t-molding.

Also, when mounting the router bit on its spindle  make sure you do it correctly, if you mount it upside down it will spin backwards and just burn through the wood. Trust me you will know if its mounted correctly once you hit the wood. If correct it will be smooth and simple...

As Leap mentioned grab some scrap wood and practice until you are comfortable with the tool...

[leapinlew]

Also, when mounting the router bit on its spindle  make sure you do it correctly, if you mount it upside down it will spin backwards and just burn through the wood. Trust me you will know if its mounted correctly once you hit the wood. If correct it will be smooth and simple...

Good tip!

I mounted my router bit upside down. It cut through the MDF, but with lots of smoke and burning. I noticed the way it was spinning and flipped it over. It cut so smooth after that. Like I wasn't even cutting wood.

Point is -

Do some practice cuts
Cut the cabinet
Realize your worrying over very little

[fatfingers]

I was worried about this step as well, but once I got down to it I found it was super simple and quite enjoyable!  Just practice a few cuts like has been said and have at it.

[Tahnok]

The router is among the harder tools to screw up. Take into account the spin direction (as said above), work counter-clockwise around the piece, make sure the entire router doesn't tilt outward, and keep your fingers clear (the router is also one of the more dangerous tools if you're not careful). The router will do all the work.

[leapinlew]

The router is among the harder tools to screw up.

At least with T-molding and MDF, I disagree. The 3 wing slot cutter cuts so smooth through the material it's easy to lift a little or angle the slot cutter. and never even feel it.

(the router is also one of the more dangerous tools if you're not careful). The router will do all the work.

Yes. Very true Tahnok. I believe there is a story around here in the forums of someone who is in the hospital due to a router related injury.

[JoeJoe97]

I did my tmolding when the cab was assembled.  It went fairly well.  The only problem was a few spots where I must have hit a screw, and the router jumped big time.  I took out a few chunks of laminate, one of them catching me about a half inch below the eye.

[Brax]

I did my tmolding when the cab was assembled.  It went fairly well.  The only problem was a few spots where I must have hit a screw, and the router jumped big time.  I took out a few chunks of laminate, one of them catching me about a half inch below the eye.

A FEW spots? You you continued after you hit ONE!? Laminate is the least or your worries. If a piece of carbide router bit hits you at 30,000 RPM, you're DEAD. It's probably obvious to you by now, but that was beyond careless. Never ever, ever, EVER use a router if you think fasteners are nearby. Offsetting any fasteners by 2" from any edge that is going to be routed is a bare minimum. It's for this reason that I do all my routing before assembly. It's no harder; it just takes planning.

Take your time and respect your tools.

[Spaz Monkey]

Making sure the bit is sett correctly reminds me when I was trying to get some broken dowels out of my futon... " @#$%!, why aren't the @#$%! dowels getting  @#$%! drilled out?!?!  Just got this  @#$%! drill bit  @#$%! two- @#$%! days ago.  Why won't this @#$%! bit bite?"      I was putting my weight into the drill; smelt like I was using a wood-burning iron to take out the dowels.

Took me 5 minutes to realize had the drill in "reverse".     Only took me 2 minutes to do the job.  I was having a very bad day that day...

[Crafty]

Right on BRAX.

There are a few postings around here dealing with near misses in the use ( misuse) of powertools.

We all need to remember that these things bite.

There is no point cutting corners in a rush to complete a project when we ultimately would like 2 hands to play or 2 eyes to see the completed product

I work in a major hospital and the risks far out weigh any benefits

BE CAREFUL               

[bleemus]

The only other piece of information that I can offer is to be sure that you can easily see where you are routing.  Just because it "feels" like it is in the correct position, it might not be.

I didn't feel like leaning over my cabinet when I routed a couple places where I had to cover up the previous routing track with bondo.   At first I had the router bit up to where I couldn't see it, but it felt securely in the previous routing track.  It felt like I was cutting fine for a inch or 2, until I found out I had ran out of the groove and put a huge gash in it... good thing it was on the top, the t-molding covers it right up, but it could've been disastrous.

One more piece of advice, do routing before painting; I scratched up my paint job when I had to do some post-painting routing.