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'Mass' Cab Production Method?

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dirt:
 zaphod, i ended up not going to my dads on sat. but i am going tomorrow for sure so i will get the info for you. I dropped 4 cylinders in my '53 ford coming back from a early morning car show on sat., so needless to say i spent the day wrenching on my car. i even missed the super auction because of it >:(. and as far as the router bit not lasting long, my dad has cut out 6 cabinets so far on the same bit.


dirt
 

Wade:
The bit will probably last plenty long enough if you get a good carbide tipped bit.

Wade

Santoro:
OK, so I took the plunge and tried it.  

I used a flush/trim bit and 3/4" plywood.  I laid my prototype cab (no t-molding yet) on its side and clamped the 4x8 plywood onto it.   I supported the overhanging plywood with a cardboard box.  Just to be sure I didn't damage the prototype I adjusted the bit so that a hair-deep amount of plywood remained.

I routed around the cab and it took about 2 minutes.  It hesitated every now and then when it hit a knot in the plywood, but I managed OK.  I sanded off the thin leftover plywood.

Total effort - 5 minutes.  The result was a beautifuly smooth template.  (My previous circular saw/jigsaw effort took 45 minutes per side by the time I filed, sanded, etc - and the edge quality was inconsistient.)

I see that it took its toll on the bit, I will probably only get a few more sides out of it,  but that is only a $14  expense spread over a few cabs.  

This is unquestionably the way to go if you are building more than two cabs.

Thanks guys!

spystyle:
Santoro, that's really groovy,

Please post how many panels you are able to cut out before the bit starts smoking.

Thanks,
Craig


OSCAR:
Santoro - Yes, templates sure are the way to go, aren't they?  I made a Pac side panel template a couple weeks ago and just got around to using it this past weekend.  I made my template from 1/2" particle board because I had a left over piece just the right size.

To prolong the life of the router bit, I first laid the template on the sheet of wood I was going to cut, and then traced around it with a Sharpie marker.  Then I removed the template and rough cut around the traced line keeping within 1/4" or so.  This way the router bit doesn't have to remove so much wood.  I use a 3/4" diameter template bit with a 1/2" shank.  I feel the larger shank bits help reduce bit vibration when cutting through 3/4" thick stock with a single pass.  I've cut many templates out this way and I've never burnt up a router bit yet.  I also lube the bearing on the bit between every other use or so which also keeps them running smooth.  I have a particular template bit that I've used countless times over the past couple years and it still cuts like new, but I also keep the cutter face clean and the bearing lubricated, so that helps I'm sure.


Here is a pic of the template screwed down to the 3/4" side panel:







The below pics are after approx 10 hours of work, which also includes me figuring out how to securely mount a 26" TV tube without a frame into the cab.  Using a router template is a very speedy way to make a professional looking cab without much effort.

http://www.oscarcontrols.com/pacman/cab01.jpg
http://www.oscarcontrols.com/pacman/cab02.jpg

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