CP Grooves What Do i use to cut?

[SithMaster]

im working on a pac man cp and i just need to cut out some grooves or recesses so it can rest on the cab securely.  what tool would i use to carve or cut them out?

example

in the pic (not mine) it shows a wood rail going the width of the cab where the bezel would (lol) rest.  for my panel i need to have it rest above the rail which sticks up enough that i need to allow it to go into the cp to let it sit right.

[dkammer]

If I understand your question correctly...use a router to create grooves.  Any basic set of router bits will have the bit you need.

   Darren

[SithMaster]

frell

i could use a router but it would mean me buying one.  not a bad idea but not cost effective as of now.  is there a now powertool method i could use?   i seem to remember something like a planar or somekind of tool from my shop class in high school. dont know the name.

[miles2912]

An equivalent  hand tool is a chisel and hammer.  It will take you a good hour to do it right.  A router will take 30 seconds once you have it marked and a guide set to run the router on.  A planar is used to remove long strips of wood..  like when you are removing the wood from the bottom of a new door.

Cheap harbor freight router is 40.  Bits are another 20.


D-

[flyguy1821]

You can buy a rabbiting planer, but it is a "specialty tool".  To me, it is not worth the money or backache.  Trust me you will be dog tired when done, and you'll still need to chisel the corners.  You might find one at an auction for $25, but it is a very limited use tool.  A router is a much better investment.  My recommendation is to look on ebay for a used router.  You can usually find a craftsman router for $10-25.  The chicago electric brand is dirt cheap but I know nothing about them.

[RickDIII]

It looks like you will need to do a straight cut from end to end.  While a router would probably be best, access to a table saw would work as well (sorry, no clue if you can use a friends, etc.)  Just keep the blade the depth of the cut you need instead of all the way trough the board.  Cut a first groove and then move the fence just a little, make another cut, etc.  You can do this until you have reached the desired width. 

Guys with more experience may have some reasons that this is a no-no so check that out first. 

A table saw with a dado blade would be easier.

Consider all your options though...for instance if you know you are going to add t-molding you might want to plunk down the few dollars for the router etc.

Good luck.
 

[SithMaster]

the cab its for already has the slots for tmolding cut, but future projects will need then cut.  the router seems the best choice cost wise but the thing is when i asked my shop teacher (last year in high school but im not exactly allowed back in now that i graduated) he said i wouldnt be able to use the table saw becuase of the blade guard.

ill wait and see how things go i guess, i might buy a metal cp, depending on if i get a job between semesters at college.

Thanks guys.

[fjl]

You can always rent a router from your local home depot.