Author Topic: Slot cutting fix (Read 8199 times)

vidmouse · « **on:** April 17, 2007, 12:14:30 pm »

Started slot cutting with my router and mostly got it right...
but the board kicked up at one end and have a much wider gap
than I wanted, the T-molding slips out easily.

I'm thinking wood filler, let it set, sand, and re-route but
are there better recommendations?

fatfingers · « **Reply #1 on:** April 17, 2007, 01:06:32 pm »

I think people generally glue it in -- at least that's what I've heard recommended (never tried it myself). I think it might also be possible that if the widened part is not too long then the rest of the T-Molding might just "hold" that part in.

Good luck.

vidmouse · « **Reply #2 on:** April 17, 2007, 03:28:43 pm »

Thanks... no dice on the second suggestion, the mistake is too long.

bfauska · « **Reply #3 on:** April 17, 2007, 03:33:34 pm »

I know that some folks say to put tape on the part of the T-molding that goes into the slot so that it gets fatter and can fill out the wider area. I also have seen highly recommended by several people the use of hot glue, it would be much less work than filling sanding and re-slotting, and is less permanent than using many of the other glue options.

knave · « **Reply #4 on:** April 17, 2007, 04:24:00 pm »

I might try the tape method first, then if no luck try taping a toothpick or two in there. If that still doesn't work...Go with the hot glue.

...My last option would be to use filler and re route...but that is the perfectionist option.

NiteWalker · « **Reply #5 on:** April 17, 2007, 07:32:05 pm »

I would definitely fill with some heavy duty filler (fiberglass reinforced bondo or something similar) and reroute. About people gluing the t-molding in, it means they're using the wrong sized slot cutter. I use a 1/16" slot cutter for 3/4" t-molding from t-molding.com and need the assistance of a rubber mallet to get it in the slot. It's a very tight fit and will not ever fall out if done properly.

The keys to successful t-molding installation are the right sized slot cutter and not tipping the router. Not tipping the router is a bit easier with an offset subbase.

vidmouse · « **Reply #6 on:** April 17, 2007, 09:04:11 pm »

Thanks... lots of good ideas here from all. Didn't even think about the tape
but considering my error I don't think the tape alone will do it.

Hadn't thought of Bondo before... been using a wood putty for
most mistakes but in this case the putty I"m using cracks under
re-routing and the mistake is still there.

Will go to pick up some bondo by this weekend...
maybe a wider base router too

It's funny... the slots on the control panel were the hardest to make.
The slots on the side panels came out great, just as you described,
have to pound them in via rubber mallet or fist (ow)

fatfingers · « **Reply #7 on:** April 18, 2007, 03:45:36 pm »

I think NiteWalker would recommend an offset base instead of buying a new router with a larger base...

(although, I do hate to put words in NiteWalker's mouth...)

ChadTower · « **Reply #8 on:** April 18, 2007, 03:48:36 pm »

I dunno, Nitewalker might recommend buying two more routers just to have two more routers.

knave · « **Reply #9 on:** April 18, 2007, 04:19:17 pm »

Any reason we couldn't make our own off-set base with a knob and a nice flat piece of wood?

I understand that you would loose the tranparency benifit, but if you are just following the edge for t-molding I think it would work...

ChadTower · « **Reply #10 on:** April 18, 2007, 04:25:08 pm »

Eventually the piece of wood may start to wear unevenly, giving you some play, but other than that I wouldn't imagine it is a bad idea.

Rusty · « **Reply #11 on:** April 18, 2007, 04:31:19 pm »

Quote from: knave on April 18, 2007, 04:19:17 pm

Any reason we couldn't make our own off-set base with a knob and a nice flat piece of wood?

I understand that you would loose the tranparency benifit, but if you are just following the edge for t-molding I think it would work...

You could do exactly that, and it should work just fine. You can also use 1/4" (or thicker) plexi to retain the transparency. For those of you that picked up Woodworking with the Router, check page 51 for a simple plan.

fatfingers · « **Reply #12 on:** April 18, 2007, 06:32:57 pm »

Quote from: ChadTower on April 18, 2007, 03:48:36 pm

I dunno, Nitewalker might recommend buying two more routers just to have two more routers.

Wow...you are so right...how could I have overlooked the obvious??

ChadTower · « **Reply #13 on:** April 18, 2007, 07:28:21 pm »

It was hidden behind a couple routers.

NiteWalker · « **Reply #14 on:** April 18, 2007, 08:01:20 pm »

What's wrong with having multiple routers?

Seriously, an offset base is easy to make. I use 3/8" polycarbonate. I make all of my subbases from polycarbonate. I don't use wood because of the mentioned loss of visibility.

Pixelhugger · « **Reply #15 on:** April 18, 2007, 08:01:44 pm »

The same exact thing happened to me on the first CP I built. I used DAP Plastic Wood to fill the gap. I guess any "structural"

filler that is capable of being machined (should say so on the can) would work.

It was a perfect solution and rerouted cleaner than the wood itself. Held the t-molding beautifully

vidmouse · « **Reply #16 on:** April 19, 2007, 08:11:31 am »

Got the Bondo (thanks for the other suggestions tho).
Decided to borrow a buddy's router but will use the
make-your-own offset base idea if he takes too long
in bringing it in.

NiteWalker · « **Reply #17 on:** April 19, 2007, 08:58:54 am »

What router do you have?

knave · « **Reply #18 on:** April 19, 2007, 11:40:26 am »

Will the offset Base work with a plunge router as well as it does for a fixed base? (I hope this isn't a duh question.)

NiteWalker · « **Reply #19 on:** April 19, 2007, 02:58:55 pm »

It will, but plunge routers are best for inside cuts (joystick recess for instance). For edge cuts a fixed base router is the best. I'll post a simple plan for an offset base later. On my way out.

vidmouse · « **Reply #20 on:** April 20, 2007, 10:51:27 am »

Re: which router I have
Actually, I was using a hand-me-down Rotozip.
I hold my head in router-shame
and have router-envy for those of you
who have one (or two, or x-many).

The rotozip DID do the side panel t molding
grooves ok... have to tap in the t molding and
all that.

ChadTower · « **Reply #21 on:** April 20, 2007, 10:54:48 am »

No need for shame. Personally, I don't think it's all that cool to have a big fancy tool that you only use occasionally for small tasks. If you don't route often, you don't need a $250 router. The right tool for the right job.

(yeah, I know, I have a Porter Cable that has never been turned on

)

rovingmind · « **Reply #22 on:** April 20, 2007, 10:57:18 am »

heh or you hit all the yardsales until you come across a complete craftsman setup for $25

ChadTower · « **Reply #23 on:** April 20, 2007, 11:00:39 am »

I spent two years hitting roughly 15 yard sales every saturday morning as they opened... I very rarely saw power tools unless they were 50 years old and rusted. Very rarely.

rovingmind · « **Reply #24 on:** April 20, 2007, 11:11:09 am »

I got really lucky.

Grandpa died, sell everything type of sale.

ChadTower · « **Reply #25 on:** April 20, 2007, 11:14:39 am »

Sweet. I got a "granpa has alzheimer's" bounty of electronics repair equipment off Freecycle. The lady said she had "some electronics stuff, don't know what it is, dad was a TV repairman". I walked in and almost crapped myself. Daddy wasn't a TV repairman, Daddy was a master electrician in the Navy and had taken up TV repair as a hobby after retirement. There was probably the 1985 equivalent of $50,000 in high end gear in that room. I ended up taking a bunch of it and pointing out some of the really high end stuff that she would want to Ebay instead.

rovingmind · « **Reply #26 on:** April 20, 2007, 11:24:41 am »

good on ya.

she probably freecycled it to the next person to call though.

ChadTower · « **Reply #27 on:** April 20, 2007, 11:28:12 am »

I doubt it... that's about when her brother came in and was annoyed with her, started to place limits on what I could take, and was fairly ticked off about it. I tried to explain to him that I had already told her what the really valuable pieces were, etc, but he wasn't hearing it. If I hadn't put the stuff like oscilloscopes in my car already he probably wouldn't have let me take them. He just came in and assumed I was taking everything I thought was worth money when I had actually been doing the opposite.

It wouldn't have been prudent to try and take the really expensive stuff even if that were my style. It was in response to a request I sent out on a Freecycle list I own... gotta walk the walk if I want my members to keep it honest, right?

rovingmind · « **Reply #28 on:** April 20, 2007, 11:55:22 am »

yep and actually older oscilloscopes are getting rather cheap anyway. They are almost to the point i could slip one into my budget without upsetting the spouse.

ChadTower · « **Reply #29 on:** April 20, 2007, 12:00:10 pm »

Yeah, but these aren't cheap ones. I just wish I knew more about how to use them. There are also dedicated testers (that work in and out of circuit) for caps and transistors (digital and analog), a box of variable power supplies, RF audio generator, adjustable TV signal generator, CRT tester with a whole slew of neck adapters, a top of the line analog multimeter... more that I can't think of off the top of my head. More than a year later I'm still learning to use this stuff.

rovingmind · « **Reply #30 on:** April 20, 2007, 12:17:27 pm »

Ok now i'm drooling. you get some awefully fun toys to play with. its to bad you live so far away. You have toys and I have shop space.

RichSorr · « **Reply #31 on:** April 24, 2007, 04:07:06 pm »

putting tape on the leg of t molding could help, if its still loose put some liquid nails in there.

vidmouse · « **Reply #32 on:** April 24, 2007, 08:27:16 pm »

Actually, I thought better of what I was going to do to "fix" it and decided it was worth the money to buy new wood and start over. Just cut, slotted (with a friend's Craftsman plunge router) and painted tonight -- and tried out my old t molding before I painted -- oh man, what a difference. The router had 3x the wide base of what I was using before, had no problems whatsoever. Another of example of "use the right tool for the job".

I'll keep the Bondo just in case but will probably return it later if I finish the project without it.

This did whet my appetite for a router. Yet another tool to add to my wishlist...

NiteWalker · « **Reply #33 on:** April 24, 2007, 11:37:09 pm »

Quote from: vidmouse on April 24, 2007, 08:27:16 pm

This did whet my appetite for a router. Yet another tool to add to my wishlist...

Get one (or two...or five...

) sooner rather than later. You won't regret it.

Ed_McCarron · « **Reply #34 on:** April 25, 2007, 10:46:19 am »

Quote from: NiteWalker on April 24, 2007, 11:37:09 pm

Get one (or two...or five... ) sooner rather than later. You won't regret it.

Who let Norm Abrams in here?

vidmouse · « **Reply #35 on:** April 25, 2007, 12:17:03 pm »

NiteWalker (or any):

Best recommendations for a router?
(and don't break my wallet, let's put
it this way, I had a hard time coughing up
to start my project in the first place)

ChadTower · « **Reply #36 on:** April 25, 2007, 01:24:52 pm »

Start reading through the various threads in this section for about the past month. Most of them have been about routers.

rovingmind · « **Reply #37 on:** April 25, 2007, 01:57:14 pm »

The most expensive craftsman bosch or milwaukee you can afford.

I agree with Norm. More is better.

then you can have your flush cutting bit set up in one and your slotting bit in another and not have to reset your slotter.

Chris G · « **Reply #38 on:** April 25, 2007, 02:30:24 pm »

Or just offer Chad some $ for his new one since he can't use it.

ChadTower · « **Reply #39 on:** April 25, 2007, 02:58:01 pm »

Yow!

Chris G · « **Reply #40 on:** April 25, 2007, 03:46:51 pm »

At least you've taken it out of the box - that's one step ahead of me.

ChadTower · « **Reply #41 on:** April 25, 2007, 03:51:00 pm »

I played with it! I did! I didn't turn it on, though. It's like being in middle school all over again... I can get it to meet me someplace, I can play with it a little, but it won't put out for me until I can provide more than I have available.

Chris G · « **Reply #42 on:** April 25, 2007, 03:57:48 pm »

Sounds to me like you haven't 'played with it' enough, what with the plunging issues and all. Sinner...

ChadTower · « **Reply #43 on:** April 25, 2007, 04:03:19 pm »

It's not that I can't plunge, it's that the router won't plunge for me.

Chris G · « **Reply #44 on:** April 25, 2007, 04:15:39 pm »

Maybe it's a boy plunger.

rovingmind · « **Reply #45 on:** April 25, 2007, 04:19:05 pm »

maybe your not touching it in the right way. You have to play with it more before it will plunge on ya.


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