Hi Max, You will find a router to be a very useful and quite versatile woodworking tool. There are many who believe it to be the superior way to cut dados, certainly they can do a very good job, particularly cutting blind dados and sliding dovetails. I am not sure I always agree, I really like a dado blade in my table saw for a lot of that work too, the table is larger and the rip fence makes set-up very quick but a router forms a perfectly flat bottomed groove although there are those who claim the double groove at each edge of a properly dado blade cut provides some space for the glue.
If ever I have a problem with cutting dados with a router it is only in keeping it tracking absolutely straight. There are many ways of accomplishing that, the most important is moving in the direction of the cutter. When cutting a dado one side of the cutter is moving against the direction of the cut while the other edge is moving in the other direction. The point is that you are pushing the cutter against the direction of the cut so it tends not to pull the router along and therefor out of control. I prefer to use guide bushings inserted into the router base just because it is easier to get the cut positioned. The collar is like a short tube projecting below the baseplate through which your bit protrudes. If you are cutting a three quarter dado you fit a collar a little better than three quarters inside diameter the outside diameter will probably be 14 16ths so you can clamp a straight piece of quarter inch or half inch plywood within a sixteenth of an inch from the true location of the dado and set the router on that guide and follow the edge with the collar. The other way to do it is to include the width of the router base divided by two and minus half the diameter of the bit and clamp your straight edge there. I have done this many times too but getting the location exact can be a little frustrating. For example, if the dado is to be 3 quarters of an inch and the router base is 7 inches in diameter then you will offset the straight edge guide half the diameter of the base = 3.5 inches minus half the diameter of the router bit which is 3 8ths so you will place the straight edge three and one eighth inches from the desired edge of the dado. If you want a stopped dado say three quarters from the edge of your board that all gets a lot harder but much easier using a collar. I have made up templates for cutting the stringers for stairs and cut them with a router. This is the only way to go in my view. If you will be doing any amount of wood working you will also soon want a router table. I now have three routers, a monster plunge router from Australia, a 'D'-handled one from sears and a nice little porter-Cab;e. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Just now the sears is mounted in a router table and I had to remove a handle to get it there, it isn't my favorite. I really like the little Porter-Cable it seems to take all my collars and such but requires two wrenches to remove the bits and the switch is a toggle switch, not ideal. The big Triton is a variable speed with two position plunge but, as it stands I don't see how to instal collars, it is big and heavy and the switch, though very safe is difficult to manipulate. It is behind a sliding door, you slide the door then press the rocker switch with your thumb. when you press it off the door springs over it so you cannot accidentally turn it on but believe me, deliberately turning it on is something of a production. It does come with a very nice combination circle guide and a fence out to about 7 inches which is easily attached and removed and wonderful for cutting dados out to that distance. It is a pretty expensive router and very powerful. I would like a really small one for trimming and such and maybe a small plunge router but I can't imagine Janet allowing me five or six of them. I have destroyed a cheap Black & Decker router and a rather valuable Sears electronic variable speed router over the past 25 years or so. Yesterday I began cutting plywood in preparation for building a router table of more decent size. I began recording bits of the process however the recorder I have isn't doing a wonderful job, I have another better one and will get some batteries for it today and maybe a cheap separate mike. I sent the last mike I had to my daughter for her Skype. As I began cutting up the plywood I discovered it to be warped, maybe because it has been standing in my shed too long, I will probably use a router to cut the dados in that because it will sit flatter on the panels than I will get with my table saw, the saw though will permit much more rapid set-up. Do have fun with your new router and if I can be of any help just let me know. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Max Robinson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Blind Handyman" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, December 29, 2006 12:26 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] A router for Christmas. > Hi all. Sue gave me a Ridgid router for Christmas. I used the article > about > routers to pick it out but now I would like some hints, dos and don'ts of > using it. The radio desk has been started. I intend to use the router to > make the dados. > > Regards. > > Max. K 4 O D S. > > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net > Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net > Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com > > To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://acbradio.org/handyman.html > or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. > http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml > > Visit the new archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.29/607 - Release Date: > 28/12/2006 > > To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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