46 - Utility Workbench, страница 28
Shop solutions TIPS FROM OUR SHOP RABBETING THE END OF A LONG PIECE TIPS & TECHNIQUES ■ When it comes to cutting a rabbet on the end of a workpiece, I usually use the table saw. But holding a long workpiece tightly against the miter gauge while making the cut can be a challenge. Especially when the workpiece is over five feet long (like the stretchers on the Utility Workbench shown on page 16). GUIDE. To solve this problem, I made an L-shaped guide to use with a handheld router and straight bit, see photo above. The guide consists of two parts: a fence to guide the router and a cleat that keeps the fence square to the edge of a workpiece, see drawing. ANGLED HOLES ■ Drilling an angled hole isn't a tough task. Just tilt the drill press table to the desired angle and drill the hole. But resetting the table to a position that's square to the bit can take some time. To get around this, I use an angled platform that clamps to the table of my drill press, see photo. This came in handy when drilling the angled holes in the hangers for the Clamp Cart shown on page 24. PLATFORM. The platform starts out as a base with a beveled support that positions it at the proper angle, see drawing. (In my case, this was 10°.) A stop along the bottom edge of the base prevents the workpiece from slipping off the platform as you drill the hole. The fence is just a scrap of 8/VL thick stock. But the cleat is made from a lV2M-thick piece of scrap. The reason for this is simple. REFERENCE NOTCH. Using a thicker piece of stock for the cleat allows you to create a deep reference notch when you make the first pass with the router. This reference notch helps to align the guide when you #& x V/z" Fh WOODSCREW SUPPORT (1%" x 12" 3/4"-THICK STOCK) (%" x 12" -%"-THICK STOCK) CLEAT (V/z X 10" -v/z"-THICK STOCK) make the remaining passes. ASSEMBLE GUIDE. It's important for the shoulder of the rabbet to be square with the edge of the work-piece. So before screwing the fence to the cleat, use a square to accurately align both parts. ADJUST BIT. Now you're ready to rout the rabbet. Start by installing a V2" straight bit in your router and adjusting the bit for the desired depth of cut. For the rabbets at the ends of the stretchers on the workbench, I set the bit for a full depth cut and nibbled away V4" of material at a time, see Side View. ROUT RABBET. With the guide clamped in place, you can begin cutting the rabbet. After the first pass, slide the guide along the workpiece (about V4'1 at a time) using the reference notch to position the guide. Note: For the final pass, align the! inside edge of the reference notch with the layout line that defines the shoulder of the rabbet. 28 ShopNotes No. 46 |
