Hi all,
I’ve got a couple stacks of rough 1″ white pine to be used as exterior shiplap siding for my garage I’ve been building. Plan is to plane one side to uniform thickness – probably around 7/8-15/16 – then rabbet approx. 1/2″x1/2″ rabbets on the edges. Rough estimate is 4000 lineal feet to cut.
Options I’m looking at are:
1. Dado on table saw
2. heavy duty router.
Don’t think I’m ready to buy a big moulding cutter to do this.
I’m sort of leaning towards the router, as 1) it’ll give me an excuse to get a heavy-duty router (I’m thinking the Hitachi, which is only $200) and 2) lets me keep the board stationary instead of trying to hold random-width boards 6-12″ wide by 10-16′ long against the fence.
Will either option allow me to make the cut in 1 pass (my table saw’s a 1.5 HP Delta contractor’s saw)?
Not sure which would be more work – dragging a big router over the boards, or feeding the boards through the saw.
Thanx
Don
Replies
I vote router. Always go for new tool. Although even a 690 series PC would cut 1/2 by 1/2 rabbet.
I would use a table saw with a dado blade. If you set the saw up with feather boards to keep the stock against the fence and table you can cut each rabbet in one pass with out to much trouble also you should be able to do the entire run with out having to changing the blade. I am not sure you could get your entire run done with out doing muliple passes with the router and you might have to replace the blade as well. Another thought would be that you can where out the motor on a router a lot faster than a table saw motor. On the other hand if you want to buy a new router set up:) well have at it. Good luck
Troy
All good points, and probably the route I'll go.
Downsides are that I'm dealing with some random widths, so I either have to constantly move the featherboard or sort the boards first. (anybody tried the magnetic featherboards that Rockler has? Look like they might speed up adjustments considerably).
Also, the table saw option works best with more than 1 person, while the router option would allow me to do it myself bit by bit in the evenings, etc. without having to line up help.
I've got some time before I need to get this done, so I'll start doing some experimenting with my 1.5 HP Crapsman router, and the table saw. Sure would be nice to create an excuse to get one of the 3-1/4 HP beasties, though.
Don
Troy, I think that a good dado blade and your contractors saw(with supports and a helper ) could eat this up. While I am not comfey with the plastic feather boards with magnets out there, LV just came out with two magnet flange type castings that can be mounted on a wood feather board (a medium size and a gorilla) and they work like the base units for a dial indicator. You turn the knob and nothing moves-turn it back and everything moves. It 's something to look at. All the best, Paddy
I think thats what the original poster should tryTroy
Troy, sorry, I missed the op and it was only 8:16 PM. I must have had a senior moment? Pat
Dado for sure. If you decide on router, use a router table, don't hand hold the router. You'll get too fatigued.
Use a dado. You can do it in one pass fast. Get some infeed/outfeed support and a helper and you'll be through it in no time.
It'll be slow going with a router. I'd be surprised if you could do more than an inch per second with the router hogging out that much material -- so you're looking at 13+ hours continuous routing. In pine you'll probably have problems with tearout trying to hog out that much material too. You'll need a stack of bits too. It'd probably be hard on the router too.
Don,
I would suggest the dado blade as well. Even if you can hog off all of the groove in one pass with the router, it will be less work pushing all of that stock through the saw. Just my $.02
Lee
Don,
You asked what the best tool would be for cutting shiplaps. You didn't ask what the most practical or cheapest tool would be.
I would think that the best tools would be a nice CNC machine. They are a bit pricey, and not all home shops have them yet, -- but soon
If you make one shiplap board and aim a laser scanner at it, you will be able to automatically generate a three dimensional model of it which can be programmed into the CNC machine to generate thousands more which are just like it.
You asked for the best.
Personally, I tried both the router and the table saw. I prefer the table saw, but both are relatively cheap compared to the laser scanner and the CNC machine.
Have a good day. And remember: a day without humor is worse than a day without sunshine. I hope that I have convinced you never again to ask
What is the BEST tool for...? The reader cannot know enough of your circumstances to know what is best for you. If you are Bill Gates, then a CNC machine and a laser scanner would be well within your means, and they would also be a lot of fun, even if you only used them once.
Enjoy.
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
better and faster than a cnc.
the ez hydra system or a similar homemade jig.
one saw and two routers?
http://eurekazone.com/gallery/The-ez-Hydra-Tool-System
david.
LMAO. You've been drinking too much of that ez coolaide again, haven't you!
I'm ready to take the ez/pepsi challenge on this one. Bring that silly little gadget to my shop. I'll cut 4000 linear feet of shiplaps with my tablesaw, dadohead, and powerfeeder(no brandnames mentioned!). You do it with your tool. Winner gets whatever you wish to wager.
Hilarious!
A simple yes or no response will do. We don't need to see 75 more pictures of your guide in use. We've all seen the re-runs of "Gilligan's Island" 1000 times.
Jeff
Can I use power feeder(s)? Run 2-3 boards at once?
The silly little gadget VS your tablesaw?
david.
The bet is off?
1. build a cutting table 13"- 00' long x 3'- 4"- 00" wide.
2. Build a bridge with the guide rail 1/32" higher that the thickness of the wood.
3. Position the board under the bridge and slide the saw on the rail for your SLR.
4. Move the board to a second stop and slide your router for the rabbets.
5. Reposition the board under the rail with the help of an adjustable square for the second "dimensional cut"
The best tool for the job is your imagination.
The above method is safer-easier and even faster than a tablesaw.
david.
Edited 1/17/2007 8:31 pm ET by davidwood
I thought about that, but none of the CNC mills we have have enough X travel - I'd have to reposition the board several times:)
Plus, when you cut wood on mills usually used for metalcutting (with water-based coolant around), the chips leave little rust spots on the bed and ways from the tannic acid - DAMHIKT.
Don
Don,
Why rabbet them at all? Just overlap them with the laps on the bottom, so the rain runs off.
Lataxe
>Just overlap them with the laps on the bottom, so the rain runs off.
These will be vertical boards. Choices basically are shiplap, tounge & groove, battens, or just edge butted. Not crazy about the look of battens in this situation; edge butted wouldn't give a very good seal, and T&G would be more difficult.
Don,
A lot depends on what else you are going to do to process the wood. Are you going to straight line rip the edge? That would give you a straight edge to start with. How long are the boards?
Burt
The boards are mostly 12' - the actual coverage needs to be a bit over 10 on most of the surface, shorter of course at doors, windows & gables.
I'm hoping to not have to rip the edges, but I'll have to see just how straight they are first. With any luck, I can use the not-so-straight ones as short pieces.
Here's what it'll be going on - currently I've got used fiberglass roofing panels keeping most of the wind out.
View Image
Edited 1/15/2007 8:20 pm ET by DonNH
Edited 1/15/2007 8:22 pm ET by DonNH
Don,
That information helps. You're dealing with white pine which is rather soft, so I'd recommend a router the rabbits.
If you should have to straight line rip the boards, the EZ Smart setup would be an easy and inexpensive way to go.
Someone mentioned the Hydra system and in case you have to rip both edges and place a rabbit in the board, it would be ideal. The hydra system simply positions a number of tools so they can cut, route, plane, etc as a board is pushed thru. In this case, using an ez rail, a srk and a circular saw with the ez base, you could straighten the second edge and do a rabbitt in one pass. And yes, adding a stock feeder would make that even nicer.
Burt
Got a sawmill nearby who can do it? 4000 feet's a lot to do by yourself.
Pete
I did about a 1000 lineal feet of 1 x8 pine boards for a cabin floor using a dado blade, feather board and a Craftsman contractor's saw. It went pretty quickly and the results were great. I initially tried using a 3 hp Makita router and a rabbeting bit, but realized pretty quickly it would have taken a lot more time and effort. One thing, the boards I started with were already surfaced on all 4 sides, so you're going to have more work either way you go.
Stan
My vote is router. My house, shop and barn all have pine siding (some white and some red). Between the three buildings there is about 3 miles of siding and it was all done with a router. It takes less than a minute to do both sides of a 12' white pine board (red is splintery and takes longer).
Definitely go with the dado if you want to cut it quickly. I recommend a 6" stacked since the smaller diameter will be easier for the saw to turn and positive hook angles for easier feed. The Freud SD306 would fill the bill nicely. A router and router bit would be slow and likely require two or more passes.
Freud America, Inc.
Well, the consensus seems to be definitive: one or the other ;)
Guess I'll have to play around with both options & see which works better for me. Still a good opportunity to buy a new tool or two.
Thanks
Don
Jointer...... with a power feeder.
Paul
I vote for the router too. First it will be a royal pain on a table saw if for 1: If you don't have an infeed or an outfeed table to support your work. and 2: the weight of the boards at those dimensions may be about 45-50 lbs each. and the thought of a new tool for the workshop is always at the top of every woodworkers list. just buy a good quality router bit for the job you will need it.
4000 lineal feet?! And the lumber isn't straight either?! Board and batten looks really good to me!
Board on batten. Exactly right.
Lataxe the lazy
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