Good afternoon,
I was just down in the workshop trying desperately to cut Chamfered shiplaps on the router table. I hope to master this so I can make a chamfered shiplap back for a small 3 drawer dresser.
One dimension of the cut is equal to 1/2 the thickness dimension.(I’m using 3/4″ lumber) odd scraps I have hanging around the shop. I didn’t want to get into planing any wood.
I want to cut chamfers on both the rabbet’s shoulder and the back edge of it’s tip so the assembled joint has a V-groove appearance.
Step #1 cut overlapping rabbets into opposite faces of the adjoining boards. I had no problem cutting the rabbets.
Step #2 cut a chamfer on the shoulder of one piece and the edge of it’s tip on the other board.
I can’t get it to work out. No problem cutting the chamfer on the “tongue” but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to adjust the router bit (chamfer bit) to cut the groove on the “shoulder” of the other board so that when the 2 boards are joined together you get a lovely V-groove. What could I be doing wrong here?????
How does one set up a chamfer bit on a router table to cut a chamfered shiplap joint?
Wanda
Replies
Just me and I am wrong often.. Wife told me that and she was a smart woman!
Your statement bothers me.. I didn't want to get into planing any wood.
If they are not all the same thickness, you will never get good results.
OR, Step #1 cut overlapping rabbets into opposite faces of the adjoining boards. I had no problem cutting the rabbets.
Mark each board (1, 2, 3, etc.) as you make them and cut the 'V' when they are mated together. I think that may work?
Hi WillGeorge,
I should have explained I'm using 3/4" thick dimentional lumber. Both pieces are of equal thickness. Otherwise I would have used my planer. I'm working on test pieces. The rabbets worked out well. put a ruler across those 2 pieces and they are absolutely level.
I found an article in the Aug. edition of Fine Woodworking magazine that will more than likely solve my problem. I will attach a "shiplap fence" to my router table. That way I won't have any problem cutting the chamfer on the shoulder of the workpiece. Only one set up required using the shiplap fence.
I'll give that a try tomorrow.
Wanda
You can't cut a chamfer on the shoulder of the "tongued" piece because there's no clearance for the bit's bearing.
Apart from making the tongue shorter, which has its own drawbacks, the only way I can think of to do it is with the board "on edge," as in the attached sketch.
-Steve
Wanda ,
You can do as Steve has suggested if your bit is large enough , or you can also get a V shaped bit with no bearing , I have one and find many uses for it .
dusty
Hello,
Yes, I could probably do it using a grooving bit. But I don't have one of those router bits in my collection. I'm going to try the method illustrated in the Fine Woodworking mag using the chamfering bit see how that works. I'll also give Steve's suggestion a try.
I should have thought to stand the piece on end. I had it's face flat against the fence and the edge facing the table.
Wanda
Have you considered the table-saw? If I understand the problem, it is a simple cross cut with the blade at 45 degrees.
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Hey Frosty ,
You could make the cut on the TS at 45° but it wouldn't be as clean a cut for a finished look as the router , unless you used a vee blade I have that's carbide and only has maybe a dozen teeth or so , but would not leave as much road rash as the regular saw blade .
dusty
Wanda,
Since you are only making a small amount boards, you could do it with a small block plane in far less time than it will take to set up a router table. Just take the same number of passes with the plane on each edge and all of the chamfers will come out at the same width.
John W.
Hi John,
Unfortunately, I don't own any hand planes. But I do own a router table. Instead of just nailing on a piece of pine plywood for the back of my next bookcase I'd like to do something a little different.
In the Aug. 2007 issue (#192) of Fine Woodworking magazine there was an excellent article by Steve Latta entitled, A Back for every Cabinet. He illustrates 3 options for slat backs. What caught my attention was the shiplap joint and edge details on page 50 & 51. He demonstrates the use of a shiplap fence. Using his method I should be able to chamfer the shoulder on one side of the workpiece and the tongue on the other side.
Would you happen to know if the shiplap fence he's using has a hole all ready cut out to fit the bit? I'm assuming it does. What type (size) bit does he use to chamfer the edges? I can't really tell by looking at the photograph in the magazine. Is it a 45, 25, 15 degree chamfering bit?
I"ll be using 1/2" thick material for the back slats... The rabbets will be cut 1/4" deep(1/2 the thickness of the material). So I figured a 15 degree chamfering bit might work out ok. I don't want the groove to look too deep.
Wanda
Looking at the photos at the top of p. 51, it appears that he's using a V-groove bit (as someone suggested previously in this thread), rather than a chamfering bit with a pilot bearing. There's just no place for the bearing to go when you're routing "on the flat" like that.
Also, it looks like he's using 45°.
-Steve
Hello Saschafer,
I should read my e-mails more carefully. Yes, Oldusty mentioned using a v-groove router bit.
I scrounged around my tool room this evening and found a small V-groove bit. One with a 45 degree angle. I attached a shiplap fence to the router table with c-clamps after cutting out a hole in the middle of the fence.
Perhaps the bit I was using wasn't up to scratch because it didn't cut a clean chamfer. A bit with a longer cutting edge would probably work better. A 45 degrees is way too steep an angle. I need to remove less material on the shoulder. Shallower grooves look better. If I decrease the length of the tongues that might a difference. My small v-groove bit might do the job.
Wanda
I think the angle of the chamfer doesn't matter so much as the depth of cut. A 45° chamfer that's about 1/16-3/32" deep (measured in the plane of the piece, rather than across the flat of the chamfer itself) looks about right to me. That would put the width of the flat of the chamfer in the 3/32-1/8" range or thereabouts.
-Steve
Hi Steve,
If only I could show you... hard to explain in words. I measured the flat edge of the chamfer on the piece I cut and it measures approx. 1/2" same as the length of the v-groove bit. In order for the bit to make contact with the shoulder it has to be raised up. so I am limited. It only produces a 1/2" flat chamfer.
I'll have to take some pictures and post them.
Wanda
"In order for the bit to make contact with the shoulder it has to be raised up. so I am limited."
That doesn't make sense. Can't you just move the fence over? You'll have to use two fence settings, one for the edge with a "back tongue," and one for the edge with a "front tongue." See attached sketch.
-Steve
Hi,
Ok Steve I'm going to give it another go tomorrow. Thank you so much for the cool visuals(diagrams).
Have you tried the method illustrated in the FW mag? I can't get that to work using the shiplap sled. Anyways I'm going to try your 2 step set up tomorrow. I'll Let you know how it turns out.
Wanda
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