Radiator cover slots-new plan!

[anonymouse1]

Thanks! Cabinet maker is looking better and better....

macphanatic wrote:
Bushings tend to be router brand specific. They are a collar that mounts to the router base and follows a template. You want your jig to be a little thicker than the bushing is long to keep it off the surface of the material being worked.

[cbelt3]

IMHO I would go with slats made from half round.

[mikebw]

cbelt3 wrote:
IMHO I would go with slats made from half round.

This guy still has a few brains left, eh? (tu)

[anonymouse1]

These are pre-made kits.

cbelt3 wrote:
IMHO I would go with slats made from half round.

[macphanatic]

Another thought would be to build a frame that the router can follow along the inside. You could clamp this to the top to use as a jig.

I would start with a piece of plywood. Mark out the size of the slots that you want to make. Measure from the edge of the bit to the edge of the router base. Add this dimension to each side of the slot and mark a new box. Attach 1/2 or 3/4 inch material lined up and outside the larger box. Use the plunge router to route out the slot in the jig. Line the jig up on the radiator cover top and clamp and go to town.

If you can't use the router outside, have someone hold a vacuum hose near the router to suck up as much dust as possible. A shop vac would be ideal, but you could use any vacuum. I'd use a new bag so as to have as much suction as possible.

[Cary]

mikebw wrote:
Have you considered drilling a hole at each end, and then running the router between those two holes? I missed your earlier post about so maybe that was already suggested. I've done that on a pine 2x6 with reasonable results.

I can say that cutting MDF definitely does produce lot of dust, and if you are routing out a channel all the way through there is going to be A LOT of dust. It's not like normal sawdust.

That said, if you can do it outside or in a space that is closed off from any living space, it may not be an issue. Definitely, definitely wear a mask for this, inside or outside. And boy if you are doing that many you're gonna be real good at it by the end!

This was my suggestion last time - you don't need a plunge router. As I believe I mentioned last time, DF is really hard on router bits. You may need multiple bits.