Replies

1. 
   cowtown | Apr 25, 2006 10:01am | #1

   this is exactly the kind of stuff that keeps me from selling my RAS.

   to make an index that keys into the previous dado, if it's got even a 1/64th inch error in alignment, will after 15 repetitive cuts, generate an error of up to 15/64ths, which is close enuf to 1/4" that most folks wouldn't equivocate.

   Personally, I'd make a stick with marks on it and transcribe the marks to the 2x4 with a knife or a pencil and cut the dados on the RAS or even a SMS set up for dados.

   I guess there might be some kinda carraige you could build to index the cuts on a RAS,or even a TS... so that the errors were consistent from piece to piece, but I've never seen such in use. Not to say it couldn't be done. There's a challenge in thinkitational ability for ya.

   If I had to make 4 or 8 or even 12, the story stick is likely the most efficient, if you had to make 40, 80 or 120, the carraige idea would be worth investigation.

   Eric in Cowntown

2. 
   herg | Apr 25, 2006 03:11pm | #2

   Joe:

   Couldn't you make your first cut then move your board to the area of the next cut and use a flip-up spacer that is affixed to the fence  drop that into that first cut?   The remaining cuts would be done in the same manner using the "flip-up spacer" as an indexing tool.  The spacer and hinge would have to be solid with virtually no lateral movement.

    

   Roger

3. 
   citrouille | Apr 25, 2006 06:15pm | #3

   In an other life, I used to make quite a few teak cockpit grates.
   I would cut dadoes like yours in a wide board and rip it into strips.
   For that I drilled and tapped two holes on my table saw's top which allowed me to fasten an aluminum bar of the width of the dado exactly the dimension of the space away from the blade.
   Slightly oval holes in the bar were necessary in order to adjust the space with calipers, so the error wouldn't be multiplied.
   Once the first dado is cut, you set it on the bar and cut the next and so on.

   C.