Replies

1. 
   Spalted | May 01, 2006 08:10pm | #1

   I would have used a router table too...But i wold have wasted the bulk of it (5/16 X 5/16) on the Table Saw first. Or you could do the whole rabbit with the TS and finsh with a hand plane to remove the saw marks.

1. 
   Cobwebs | May 02, 2006 04:03pm | #3

   Spalted,

   Thanks.  Never occurred to me to use the TS.  With part of the dado blade I suppose.    Ahhh!  Live and learn.   

   Here's the door (pre-rabbet).  It occurs to me that I could just shrink the whole thing by 1/8" all around to clean up the chips.

   Thanks again,

   Cobwebs.

    

   
1. 
   Spalted | May 03, 2006 03:44pm | #7

   You don't need to use your dado set, just make two cuts: one on the edge and tone on the back face, It will waste a piece instead of making sawdust and unnecessary wear on your dado set. Any sharp router bit should be able to clean up the cut if you haven't left more than 1/16" to finsh your detail. If you get your TS setup nearly right on, then you could finsh the rabbit with a seipe or two from the hand plane.

2. 
   splintergroupie | May 02, 2006 03:22am | #2

   You may have been taking too heavy of cuts, too. This isn't something you do in one pass in figured hard maple. Another way to deal with brittle woods' blowout tendency is to use a straight fluted bit cutting from the face side, instead of a rabbeting bit cutting from the side, to remove the waste left after the TS cut.

1. 
   Cobwebs | May 02, 2006 04:06pm | #4

   Thanks SG.  I took way too big a bite (i.e. all at once).  It may not be too late to fix it properly (with the TS!).

   Cheers,

   Cobwebs.

3. 
   gb93433 | May 02, 2006 06:57pm | #5

   When I do those kind of operation I always climb mill the ends and sides first so that no tear out will occur on the face or ends.

4. 
   hammer1 | May 02, 2006 07:39pm | #6

   Grain direction is always an important factor when making many types of cuts. The dado blades on a saw are much less susceptible to grain direction than a router bit. The router bit will normally give you a better finish on the exposed cut. A combination of dadoing on the saw and cleaning up with a router works well.

   When you cut the perimeter rabbet, start on one end and work your way around the piece counterclockwise. Cross grain cuts will leave a little blow out, as you turn the work, the next cut will remove this. The last cut finishes up with a long grain cut. The size of the rabbet is critical to the hinges fitting properly. For 3/8" rabetted doors, the door should be 1/2" wider than the opening, 1/4" each side. The 3/8" rabbet allows for hinge plate clearance and the necessary space around the inside perimeter of the door. You can't arbitrarily cut an extra little bit without affecting the fit of the door and, perhaps, function of the hinges.

   A professional would most likely be using a shaper with a specialized cutter. The edge of the rabbet would not be 90°, it would be slightly beveled, and the cut would be made in a single pass. Many of the cutters also put a profile on the front of the door at the same time.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match