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lucas_wallis
9th April 2007, 06:48 PM
Hi there,

I am new to woodworking / this forum, hopefully you guys can help me out....looks like a lot of info, so sorry if its been covered already.

I am making a gate at home, basically I am ready to start and want to build the frame which is just two pieces of wood for the side and another two that make up the top and bottom of the gate.

I want to mortice the two top pieces into the vertical pieces, there are going to be some tounge and groove boards that will fill in the middle of the gate later on, but for now I need to route a channel up the middle of the 35mm (my hardwood is 90x35mm) edge.

Is there a common jig setup for this, I only have a plunge router and the bit that I have is skinnier than the width of the tongue and groove boards so I figure I will have to shift the jig to finish the groove. I am on a bit of a budget, so I can't really afford another router bit at the moment that is the correct width.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time,

Nathan

Skew ChiDAMN!!
9th April 2007, 08:19 PM
Have you got a bolt-on fence for your router? No need for a jig then...

I'd just clamp a dressed pine stud flush to each side of the face you want to rout (purely to add some width to keep the router stable... 35mm is a bit narrow for comfort) and then adjusting the fence to cut a shallow rebate along centre line of the piece. Rout it out in several passes... only a few mm deep each time until you get to the depth you want. (Thin router bits tend to overheat and break easily so don't expect it to hog out quickly! :wink:)

Then tap the fence in just a mm or so and widen the rebate by running the router through with the fence on one side of the work, then another pass with the fence on t'other. This will ensure the rebate is always centred on the job.

Repeat until you've crept up to the width of rebate you want.

lucas_wallis
9th April 2007, 09:16 PM
Hey,

Thanks heaps, thats the sort of tip I was hoping I could get....cheers...makes sense

Is is possible to use a plunge router to drop it down vertically into a piece of wood to route just a certain area of the middle or do you have to run the entire length of the wood?

I guess what I am asking is if you need to start outside an edge on the wood and move in....hope that makes sense.

Nathan

lucas_wallis
9th April 2007, 09:33 PM
Sorry I just had one more thought while I was setting up for the cut, gonna try and have crack before its gets too late.

Is there some kind of formula as to how deep I should cut into the wood for the mortise and tenon? Just curious.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
9th April 2007, 10:33 PM
Is is possible to use a plunge router to drop it down vertically into a piece of wood to route just a certain area of the middle or do you have to run the entire length of the wood?

I guess what I am asking is if you need to start outside an edge on the wood and move in....hope that makes sense.

Yes... that's what it's designed for. Set the router's depth stop to the depth you want to make the cut. For multiple passes with your thin bit, set it shallow first then a bit deeper for each pass.

Don't try to just plunge the router in at one end and cut to the other... it's not a drill! :D Just start in the middle and plunge the router in while moving it along the work so it makes a "ramped" cut until it hits the depth stop, then keep going until you've come to where you want the cut to finish.

Don't stop there though... just reverse direction you're cutting back towards the other end to clean up the "ramp" and continue through to where you want to finish the other end.

Increase the depth stop setting and repeat. Do the same when widening the sides, too... start in the middle and cut to each end: it gives you better control. Because your only trimming a mm or two of the side at each pass, you can leave the depth stop at full depth. :wink:

mailee
10th April 2007, 09:24 AM
All of the gates I have built I have morticed the tennon into the stile about two thirds of it's width. I think this is correct and is my way of doing it. Also I don't know if it helps but I rebate the frame to take the T&G boards so I can replace them in the future. Once the rebate is cut and the boards are installed I just add a beading around the outer edge to hold them all in place, this allows them to expand and contract too. Hope this helps. All the best with the build. :wink:

bpj1968
10th April 2007, 09:20 PM
Nathan do you have a table saw? If you want to put a long channel in, it would be much quicker than using a router

lucas_wallis
10th April 2007, 10:25 PM
unfortunately no, I will have to stick it out with the router I think. Not a bad idea though, luckily I enjoy moving the router along the wood and seeing it cut!!!

thanks for the info..

lucas_wallis
15th April 2007, 10:23 PM
Hey,

following on from your table saw idea Brian, I gave the circular saw a go with a cutting guide and it worked a treat. A lot quicker than the router too. Its not the most accurate tool in the shed, but a little bit of fiddling and I got a pretty good end result.

I then used the router to cut my tenons and they matched up well.

Getting there!

Nathan

Skew ChiDAMN!!
16th April 2007, 04:35 PM
Whatever gets the job done safely, is good, :thyel:

Personally I probably would've gone the other way, routed the mortise (you did say 'twas a stopped cut) and used the TS for the tenons! There's always more than one way to do a job, eh? :D