Routing dado joints can be a nuisance if you're making several at a time. A simple homemade jig can make the job easier and more accurate. Materials:
Two 20" x 4" x 1" pieces of hardwood Two pieces of hardwood 4" wide and 1" thick, with length determined in step 2 Router Table saw Drill 1 1/4" dry-wall screws Worktable 3/16" thick piece of clear plastic or PlexiglasB. with length and width determined in step 5 V-bit for the router Clamps Work piece - Position the two 20"-long pieces of hardwood so that the base of the router will fit snugly between them (figure A).
- Measure the distance between the outside edges of the two pieces of hardwood. Cut the remaining two pieces of hardwood to the length of that measurement.
- Use dry-wall screws to attach those two boards perpendicular across either end of the longer two boards (figure B). Use a framing square to make sure the boards are perfectly perpendicular (figure C). The four pieces will create a hollow rectangle.
- Mount the rectangle to a worktable with the two shorter strips of wood facing down (figure D).
- Using a table saw, cut the plastic or Plexiglas the width of the router base and the length of the rectangle's inside length. Place the plastic in the center of the rectangle.
- With a V-bit in the router, scribe a center line through the length of the plastic (figure E). The line will act as a guide. You'll place the work piece underneath the plastic and line up the spot on the work piece to be cut with the center line of the plastic.
- Once the work piece is aligned, clamp the right and left sides of the rectangle in place (figure F).
- Remove the plastic. Insert the appropriate bit into the router, and make the cut, using the rectangle as a guide for the router.
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