Router help

[wooowman93]

i need to know if you can any other size slot cutters for t-molding or has it to be 1/16

[Chadwick]

3/32" should work just fine.

[Franco B]

I wouldnt use a 3/32" for t-moulding that has a spine width of 3/32" as the spine will have no material to grab to.

Most t-moulding used in arcade cabs has a 3/32" spine so you do want to use a 1/16" cutter. Some t-moulding such as the black/chrome has a wider spine and you do need to use a 3/32" cutter for this t-moulding.

A metric 1.5mm cutter works fine as an alternative for a 1/16" cutter. (1/16" = 1.5875mm)

[Chadwick]

I get my T-molding from T-molding.com and it is a pretty tight fit with a 1/16" slot.  The first time I put it on I was actually a little concerned that I might blow out some MDF when tapping it in.

Maybe you are correct though; I have never put my caliper on the spine to measure it.  Maybe I'll do that this weekend out of curiosity.

[Franco B]

I know what you mean, the t-moulding is a tight fit with a 1/16" or 1.5mm (what I have) cutter. I have actually split MDF before where there isn't a substantial amount of material behind the slot (my cocktail CP ends).

In that scenario what I now do is to set the cutter just slightly off center and then slot it from both sides to give a slightly larger slot to stop the material from splitting.

[Nerdlinger]

MLCS has a 5/64" slot cutter--would that be a good compromise between too tight and too loose?

[Chadwick]

I think that would be fine.  Franco might give me slack, but he's a metal guy.  I'm a wood guy and we dont get as technical =p

[nuka1195]

good tip franco, that would also center the t-molding perfectly.

[Franco B]

MLCS has a 5/64" slot cutter--would that be a good compromise between too tight and too loose?

I think that would be an excellent compromise. I need to get a new cutter myself and I may try a 5/64" (~2mm) cutter.

I think that would be fine.  Franco might give me slack, but he's a metal guy.  I'm a wood guy and we dont get as technical =p

Heh. You know your wood (oo-er!) a lot better than I do.

good tip franco, that would also center the t-molding perfectly.

Its also good practice to use the same technique and flip the material over when setting the tool height. The cutter should remove little to no material when you have it bang on.

[SG Jaycurl]

This is a total rookie question here... I'm just about to start building a custom arcade-style joystick. I'd like to put a t-molding border around the joystick platform. I know I need a router with a slotting bit, but I'm pretty unfamiliar with routing at all.

Would I be able to use just a plunge router for that task, or would it require a router table to do it properly?

Thanks so much for your feedback.

[SG Jaycurl]

Maybe I posted too soon. I just saw this post, and I think it answered my question.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=89698.0

[Lecithin]

Maybe I posted too soon. I just saw this post, and I think it answered my question.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=89698.0

yeah, those pics in that thread pretty much sum it up perfectly