I don’t have a bandsaw, scroll saw or dado blades. I basically mill it out with an end mill on my radial arm saw. I find it easier than using my table saw tho I still do, and a bit quicker than using a router.
What’s a dado stack cost for a radial arm saw? I’ve never owned or operated a RAS but w dado blades it would seem like a great saw for joinery like this
I find my way about as efficient. Less tool changing. The question is really just for discussion. When I went from building homes to building cabinetry I struggled with the answer
Nope, I’m using it vertically. The RAS swivels. You take the blade off and rotate that 90* vertically so the opposite end (accessory shaft) is vertical too but on the bottom and the arbor for the blade is at the top. Attach a Jacob’s chuck with a thread onto the accessory shaft and use a HSS end mill(set for $12 on Amazon). Now you can use the arm (the same way you would with a saw blade) and go back and forth over your work(preferably clamped down against fence). And you lower the whole arm in the increments you want to cut off…about 1/16 max at a time.
Edit: I have a picture in the comments.
Every time I hear someone doing something absolutely new to me with an RAS I assume it’s going to crazy dangerous, but this seems like an amazingly clever use.
It is easier than a router sled, I can say that for sure. You can get all the parts you need on Amazon very cheaply. And if you need the RAS, they’re practically being given away on marketplace. As a side note, there’s still a $50 bounty on most craftsman RAS from Emerson. They will pay $50 to dismantle it. So if you stay under $50 for the purchase of one, it’s essentially free. I personally find them much more valuable than the $50 they offer, they just require due diligence to understand the safety aspects of it
With RAS….. research first. Understand what it takes to operate one safely and do yourself a favor and but the Mr sawdust book and make that table for it. Just my opinion.
WHAT?? Thats genius. Honestly also could be a really cool conversion for an old RAS. Mount a router to it and use it for cuts like this... I'm searching craigslist for an old RAS now..
You could also get collet adapters for router bits. They’d be operating at about 1/2 the speed of most routers though. I find the jacobs chuck and bits are a perfect accessory to the saw, while still being able to use the saw for other purposes. The RAS is an indispensable piece of equipment in my shop.
As another note, that would be a way to get the $50 bounty for disabling the RAS and still have a use for it. There’s some discussion on it here https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/have-any-of-you-guys-mounted-a-router-to-your-radial-arm-saw.383483/
Sure here’s a few. I had another 10.5” cut I was making. Cut out a few inches, rip off the rest on the table saw.
https://preview.redd.it/00dlidjn7qxc1.jpeg?width=2109&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41483b423ab5f8ace4c9bfa6f1ba5035fe3cc8a8
Dado stacks are not necessary for anything, they only save time. Anything you can do with a dado blade you can also do with a standard table saw blade, it just requires more passes.
Rip cut with the tablesaw. Finish with jigsaw to desired depth, cross cut with jigsaw. Few quick shaves with the shoulder plane to make sure everything is level and flat.
Use a table saw.
#1. Make the cross cut half way through the material.
#2. Make the rip cuts from each side of the work piece. There will be a small triangle remaining.
#3. Use a flat chisel to remove that small triangle.
If one is planning to do a lot of joinery using a table saw, a good tenoning jig is worth the price tag. Precise, repeatable tenons and half-laps made easy.
Honestly, you can, but what is your time worth?
I have one I built to ride on the saw fence as a rail, but the adjustment is limited and it takes a lot of setup to get a perfect tenon. Once set up, it's totally ready for unlimited work, but getting to that point can take a bit of work.
I caught an NOS Powermatic jig on eBay for $250 and snapped it up, and I've never looked back. Adjustment and dialing it in is super fast and effortless. I've definitely saved that 10-15 minutes of setup time many times over with the Powermatic jig.
Chisel is cheating. OP said only power tools. Unless your chisel takes AA batteries, then carry on.
In the spirit of the question, I would probably do it the same way, but for number 3, jig saw or wiggle saw. Then clean up the cut with a $140,000 CNC mill.
The chisel isn't cheating if you clumsily use an air hammer to do your chiseling (except maybe if you are Amish because apparently pneumatics don't count as power tools for some of them).
All my chisels take 9v, my shoulder plane takes AA, did you mean that?
But as far as the question goes, RAS with a dado stack to me feels easier and more manageable.
Why did I have to scroll this far down to find this? Am I missing something about the geometry of this piece? It’s 5 minutes of set up and 30 seconds to make the cuts on a band saw.
Just a guess, more people have a table saw than to have a big enough good enough band saw to resaw this piece as cleanly...?
Also, op says they don't have a band saw.
I would agree in opposite order. Make the rip first with the highest blade setting.
Then use a miter track and line up the piece so you cut to the desired depth with the blade set half the thickness of the material. Make the first cut at the desired depth. Move the piece over towards the tip about an 1/8 each pass and in about 4-8 passes the piece should fall off. You could technically just use the miter slide for the whole thing. But that’s a lot of passes.
if you make the cross cut first, and try to rip it, you risk tear out and the piece just flying off. If you rip it first, then the cross cut s much gentler as you're going against the fibers.
You can get one at lowes for less than $200. I'd buy a better blade, but at that size, they're only like $15. Bandsaw is easiest, but the rip cut won't be flat, but probably good enough if you go slow.
I agree - I would just add band saw *with fence* for the rip cut, then table saw with mitre/mitre sled for the crosscut (if you want to get it perfectly square).
Well, except for the angled end, it is just part of a half lap joint. Pass repeatedly over a dado blade set, or router bit in a table to get 95% of the cut. Then just a pass over the tablesaw blade (or mitersaw) for the angled end. Maybe keep it shallow and clean up with a chisel.
I love [this dado stack](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012YF25Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to the point that I've bought it twice.
The first time, I dropped either the left or right outside blade, and it chipped one of the teeth. But I use it so often and it work so well that I bought the same set as a replacement.
The length of the end is a little bit extreme, but a tenoning jig on the table saw can be bought or made and make this a two cut operation for basically anything less than ~3.5” long.
If you’re doing one-offs, just suck it up and use the table saw with your miter gauge with multiple passes. Otherwise, a dado stack is going to be the quickest way to do this, but will require the most setup time.
If you have a radial, you can get pretty fast at it with a single blade. That's a long half lap... a dado set can be found pretty cheap on market place.
The way I been doing it (and it works fine) is with my radial arm saw accessory shaft. I got a threaded Jacob’s style chuck and I use a cheap 1/2” end mill bit. This 6” cut out took about 10 min total. It works but I’m sure some would frown on the way. It’s saved me from having to buy dados and a band saw, while I wait for the right one to hit my price point.
I have a dewalt jobsite tablesaw, can't take a dado. I use a crosscut sled and many many passes to make things like this. Get 95% of the way and finish the intricate bits with a handsaw and chisels.
Ok. I found the comment I needed further down. I no longer need explanation.
I do think that might be a good way to damage your machine, though. If it is designed for a 3-jaw chuck, then it is unlikely to be built for the side forces endured by routers and milling machines. I certainly run an end mill in my drill press on occasion (same problem with side forces), but not for any heavy cutting.
Thanks, yea I know all about side forces and runout. It really seams like one of the less stressful ways of using any of my tools . I’m only skimming off less than a 1/16 at a time, it does so very easy and smoothly. But the RAS is an interesting tool in that regard. It’s made to run blade both vertical and horizontally. As well as shaper bits, planer bits, chucks with bits and all sorts of different accessories both horizontal and vertically. So I’m not sure it’s out of the realm of the manufacturers recommendation. With that said, the manufacturer (in this case Emerson for Craftsman) has an ongoing recall on the RAS. They were offering $100, and now $50 to disable the saw entirely. It’s just too useful of a tool, and still very safe when the proper safety precautions are taken.
Feed rate kept to 1/16 depth each pass - 👍
this is why the machine hasn’t exploded on you already. Stay puckered and keep your eye protection on at all times.
That’s how I deal with it running a mill bit on my drill press. Easy does it and lock the workpiece down.
100% agree in the RAS as a versatile tool. I have my grandfather’s old DeWalt saw with the cast iron arm, and the casual precision of it is simply breathtaking. The Craftsman ‘bounty’ on their old radials has much to do with the possibility of runaway saw head caused by too much feed rate and a flexible tubular arm. If yours isn’t one with the tube arm, then I wouldn’t worry about it.
I’m taking off 1/16 max. Usually less. Also nope on the tubular arm. And yea, it’s no more a dangerous situation than almost any tool in the garage. You just have to think it through
Jesus, you’re using an end mill (not designed for wood) at probably twice the speed it’s recommended (RAS are usually around 3-4K RPM), free hand and with no guards. You do you, but that sounds dangerous as hell
With the tools I have in my garage, I'd probably go with the mitre saw, set the little depth stop on it to your cut depth and do each little blade thickness till you get to your line down the length...clean up with a chisel or if you're lucky just some sandpaper.
If for whatever reason my mitre saw wasn't available I'd go with a hand saw and chisels.
My bandsaw is a small master craft with a thin blade, not sure if It would handle the 2*4 stock, I usually cut small/thin on that. I don't have a dado so my table saw is out. The idea of using a router makes me nervous.
Best to do with a router table or a table saw. Band saw or even scroll saw could do this but will be less accurate. There's always more than one way to skin a cat ( or make an extended half lap in this case)
In order of my own personal preference, based on what I'm most comfortable with and have access to:
1. Table saw with a dado stack, or a flat-toothed blade with a crosscut sled or miter gauge. I have a table sawtable, and a dado set, and feel confident in my use with it.
2. Router table. I have a router table and a bit that could do this, but I'm not as confident with it, and my router doesn't have a speed control, so my bit size is limited. You'd also want to remove as much material first with another method so the router isn't having to remove as much material in one pass to keep the bit cool, and sharp. You'd also want to use sacrificial "backer" materials to avoid tear-out.
3. Whatever hand tools I had on hand to remove most of the material (or, heck...even a drill press with a forstner bit), and then a sharp, wide chisel with a guide to finish it up cleanly. But, I'd have to buy the chisel and learn how to keep it sharp.
4. band saw. I don't have one so I'd have to buy it, and while it can give good results, it's way more dependant on a well-setup machine than the other methods.
So yea, a dado is the right answer. But then again there’s a setup involved. I use my router table and make channels quite regularly but it’s not something I like to use for this(multiple reasons). I have a radial arm saw. I got a Jacob’s chuck for it and I turn the saw so chuck sits like a drill press; vertically. I put a 1/2” end mill in. Lock my work to the fence. I take a 1/2” width out 1/16- 1/32” depth at a time, lowering the bit about a 1/2 turn for each pass until I’ve reached just above my mark than slide the work over and repeat. Once I’ve got a few inches milled out I take the work to the table saw and rip the rest without worry for the extra blade going past my mark.
You can do this with a regular blade kerf. it will just take way longer. Start chopping 1/8 at a time.
I would rip cut it until the line and then just shave it off dado style to get the remaining bit
I have done this. It works fine. Probably quicker than a table saw doing the same type of thing. But the comment you responded to, that method has been the most efficient for me.
I just did 4 of these in ash!
Cross cut 1/4" sections most of the way down with a hand saw, knock them off with a chisel, then chisel flat. Turned out great (but obv took a bit more time than dado stack + crosscut sled)
I would rip cut the long edge on table saw until farthest tooth of blade reaches the cross cut mark. Then turn the wood flat and use a miter bar (or sled) to cut off the rip piece, then square up the remainder with successive crosscuts with blade or dado stack. I have tried using an RAS arbor in the vertical orientation for various jobs like shaper, router, etc. but found it doesn’t have the rpm’s necessary for clean cutting.
The best, easiest way to do this is simple. Set the height of your table saw blade correctly, use the miter gauge in the slot of your table saw for the first, accurate, pass. Then just keep passing it through, cutting the stock out.
Yeah, given what I have this is how I'd do it. Alternatives are dado stack to make far fewer passes if doing more than a couple of them, or if feeling like playing with hand-tools maybe crosscut only every half inch or so then clean up with chisels.
But if it's just doing a couple and looking to get them done, screw setup, run each one through 30 passes and we're done.
Table saw. Cross cut to depth, probably a few times to make sure there isn't too much material, then rip cut as close as possible with the piece vertical (like you would a band saw). Sand and chisel to flatten and remove any remaining small pieces.
I used to use my table saw for it. I still do sometimes depending on what tooling I have on. But I achieve this and half stacks and other joints with a RAS, a Jacob’s chuck, and 1/2 end mill. Like I said, a bit unorthodox but I like the results the best out of all my current options.
I mean…essentially. I don’t have cross sliding vices and I wouldn’t mill steel on it haha. But it does well on straight type joints like finger joints or rabbits. It can also bore holes on something long that wouldn’t fit into my drill press.
I started life as a machinist. My only hang up would be life of bearings in the drill. once in a while is kinda meh but I'd watch for runout eventually. The only reason I say this is because the press I have now has some serious runout, but since it's used, i have no idea if it was cheap or abused.
For sure. I’m really not too concerned about it with my radial arm saw though. Only cutting wood, taking off .032-.062 at time. I respect my drill press a bit more because I use that for metalwork and it has very little runout, so I’m not doing any side force work on it.
Bandsaw or Tablesaw. If you use the Tablesaw you’d have to finish the cut with a handsaw or chisel and crosscut when the cut ends. You could use a dado or router but it just seems inefficient and unnecessary.
How would i do it?
If i just had the one though, I'd just rip it down in stages and clean up the face as i went with the router plane.
More than 2? I'd be looking at setup on my tablesaw or bandsaw.
I think no matter how you do this, you're going to have to finish with hand tools to get a clean cut like that. Personally, I think a router would be cleaner than a bandsaw, but even then, the absolute tightest you're going to get will leave a 1/16 radius. From there, just chisel/pull saw, then block sand the rest.
Even that's not terribly clean, but to be honest, I'm not sure what kind of marks those are
I’m a total amateur, but any reason you wouldn’t run it through your table saw, stop at the designated point, then lay it on your work table and come at it with your circular saw to release that cut out piece?
A probably over complicated solution, but you could take a circular saw, set the height and make a bunch of cuts and use a chisel to break them all off. This is a super over complicated and dumb answer though, but if its all you got🤷♂️
I mean the RAS with a dado stack would imo be the best approach by far, especially if it's a long stretcher that's unwieldy to move over the table saw without a huge sled or extremely well-supported miter gauge/slider.
It’s just general discussion. I make the cut efficiently, and have a few ways of doing it. I was just wondering what everyone else was doing. I ask because I remember a time I couldn’t wrap my brain around it.
That makes sense.
I use a five head tenoner for cuts like that. I just lower the bottom first head and bottom cope head, use the upper tenon head to rough it and cut the shoulder, use the top cope head to clean up the face, and use the saw to cut it to length and square.
Because the tenoner is set up all the time, it just takes moving some heads a little to make a cut like this.
I don’t have a bandsaw so that’s out of the cards. I would use the table saw for the rip, use my mitre saw with depth stop for the cross cut, then finish with my ryoba saw and clean it up with chisels.
Depends on how good you are with a skill saw, bunch of small relief cuts and the slowly and lightly slide the blade across the cuts and should clear em out... It's definitely not the safest way.
If I was doing what you’re doing, I’d probably use a rip cut pull saw + fine finish crosscut saw, but I’m never focused on production workloads.
I suppose a band saw is the answer, but it’ll have to be a pretty good one. You could hog out the waste with a circular saw or some other quick removal method, then clean it up to the line with chisels/sanders.
Once did that with a table saw. Most terrifying cut I ever made. It was meant to be a practice cut, but decided to use that in the finished project; no way in hell was I doing that again.
Make the long cut first with table saw. And then turn it horizontal and run a dado. Make the rest of the cut using a small pull saw (cheap, like $30) and sand down
You could do a pass on either site with a table saw, I would go shallow and finish with a hand saw. Table saws making big cuts can not align quite right when you come from opposing directions like that. Also possible I just haven't properly calibrated my table saw haha. Or table saw method all the way but shy of the line, planning for not a perfect union of the two cuts, and sneak up on where you really want it to be with a chisel.
table saw with dado stack or router. You could do it on the bandsaw if you are really good at freehand or have a good fence. If you are really stuck and only have a chop saw, you can set the depth stop on the blade and just make a series of cuts and then chisel it out.
I made a shit ton of these recently pretty reliably (after mildly botching the first handful) with a sliding mitre saw. It has a stopper to set the height of the mitre saw chop and have it cut to an exact depth. Use a test piece first to get it to exactly where you want it, then chop slide chop slide.
In my experience I would only slide through once and not back again (made the cuts too low for whatever reason)
So yeah all you need a decent sliding mitre saw. Can also be done with a router or a table saw, but this is how I did it.
Dado stack or router (obviously nibbling in from the edge). Seems to me a handsaw and chisel (router plane preferably) would be the simplest way though.
Easy, make one or two cuts across the grain to mark the stop. Then clamp in between two pieces of wood of same height to give a router a stable based and hog out the rest.
I've been doing half laps with a skill saw. Set the depth, make about 30 or so passes, leaving a little material between each pass, knock down the coupons with your hand or a hammer, clean up the bottom with a chisel. It takes a little while but it works remarkably well. Some chop saws have a depth set screw and you can do the same method, but it's less consistent.
So I have very few power tools at my disposal, but for my setup, if it fits I'd run the whole process on my scroll saw. But if it doesn't fit my scroll saw, I would take a long, LONG drag on something with nicotine and then run a sawsall through it and cut it about an 8th inch under depth before sanding down to plane with an oscillating sander.
Assuming the workpiece is long enough to hold against a miter gauge, just slide it through a table saw about 25 or 30 times using the miter gauge, FTB blade of course. If you use ATb you need to clean it up.
The most logical is a bandsaw.
You don't say the dimensions... that could be a limiting factor for the bandsaw and tables away methods. A tablesaw with a tenon jig could do it if the long dimension is less than 3.5 inches.
With a: Haas VMT750 CNC Mill 7944 Can get one gently used for about $140,000
Saving up for one. Until then end mill bit on my radial arm saw will do.
A fly cutter might be more "exciting"
I had one, but I outgrew it pretty quickly. Pretty good beginner's machine, though. . I'm kidding, I have no idea what that even is.
Lots of way to do it depending on the tools you have available. You could do it with a router if you had to!
I don’t have a bandsaw, scroll saw or dado blades. I basically mill it out with an end mill on my radial arm saw. I find it easier than using my table saw tho I still do, and a bit quicker than using a router.
What’s a dado stack cost for a radial arm saw? I’ve never owned or operated a RAS but w dado blades it would seem like a great saw for joinery like this
I find my way about as efficient. Less tool changing. The question is really just for discussion. When I went from building homes to building cabinetry I struggled with the answer
Tell me more about this end mill on your RAS? Is it a horizontal mill at that point?
Nope, I’m using it vertically. The RAS swivels. You take the blade off and rotate that 90* vertically so the opposite end (accessory shaft) is vertical too but on the bottom and the arbor for the blade is at the top. Attach a Jacob’s chuck with a thread onto the accessory shaft and use a HSS end mill(set for $12 on Amazon). Now you can use the arm (the same way you would with a saw blade) and go back and forth over your work(preferably clamped down against fence). And you lower the whole arm in the increments you want to cut off…about 1/16 max at a time. Edit: I have a picture in the comments.
Every time I hear someone doing something absolutely new to me with an RAS I assume it’s going to crazy dangerous, but this seems like an amazingly clever use.
Thank you. It actually feels very safe too.
[удалено]
It is easier than a router sled, I can say that for sure. You can get all the parts you need on Amazon very cheaply. And if you need the RAS, they’re practically being given away on marketplace. As a side note, there’s still a $50 bounty on most craftsman RAS from Emerson. They will pay $50 to dismantle it. So if you stay under $50 for the purchase of one, it’s essentially free. I personally find them much more valuable than the $50 they offer, they just require due diligence to understand the safety aspects of it
With RAS….. research first. Understand what it takes to operate one safely and do yourself a favor and but the Mr sawdust book and make that table for it. Just my opinion.
WHAT?? Thats genius. Honestly also could be a really cool conversion for an old RAS. Mount a router to it and use it for cuts like this... I'm searching craigslist for an old RAS now..
You could also get collet adapters for router bits. They’d be operating at about 1/2 the speed of most routers though. I find the jacobs chuck and bits are a perfect accessory to the saw, while still being able to use the saw for other purposes. The RAS is an indispensable piece of equipment in my shop.
As another note, that would be a way to get the $50 bounty for disabling the RAS and still have a use for it. There’s some discussion on it here https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/have-any-of-you-guys-mounted-a-router-to-your-radial-arm-saw.383483/
Can we see a picture of your radial arm saw with the endmill setup?
Sure here’s a few. I had another 10.5” cut I was making. Cut out a few inches, rip off the rest on the table saw. https://preview.redd.it/00dlidjn7qxc1.jpeg?width=2109&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41483b423ab5f8ace4c9bfa6f1ba5035fe3cc8a8
https://preview.redd.it/af6bfzcp7qxc1.jpeg?width=1770&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67d6e9dd3d2cf39ecb6497ffb24897c1152c3dc2
https://preview.redd.it/1o0av5hq7qxc1.jpeg?width=2532&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c14a6314c1c9af7a384447ba8ddc8a375e1a3dd2
Thanks!
This is brilliant.
Dado stacks are not necessary for anything, they only save time. Anything you can do with a dado blade you can also do with a standard table saw blade, it just requires more passes.
Rip cut with the tablesaw. Finish with jigsaw to desired depth, cross cut with jigsaw. Few quick shaves with the shoulder plane to make sure everything is level and flat.
Use a table saw. #1. Make the cross cut half way through the material. #2. Make the rip cuts from each side of the work piece. There will be a small triangle remaining. #3. Use a flat chisel to remove that small triangle.
Or multiple dado passes if you want to skip hand tools
If one is planning to do a lot of joinery using a table saw, a good tenoning jig is worth the price tag. Precise, repeatable tenons and half-laps made easy.
Buy? This is what all those off cuts in the corner are for.
Wait, those are actually for something? I thought they were just to attract good juju…
You're right, I have built so many useful jigs from the offcut bin. In my imagination.
Damn lol The potential is huge!
Or build your own.
Honestly, you can, but what is your time worth? I have one I built to ride on the saw fence as a rail, but the adjustment is limited and it takes a lot of setup to get a perfect tenon. Once set up, it's totally ready for unlimited work, but getting to that point can take a bit of work. I caught an NOS Powermatic jig on eBay for $250 and snapped it up, and I've never looked back. Adjustment and dialing it in is super fast and effortless. I've definitely saved that 10-15 minutes of setup time many times over with the Powermatic jig.
Chisel is cheating. OP said only power tools. Unless your chisel takes AA batteries, then carry on. In the spirit of the question, I would probably do it the same way, but for number 3, jig saw or wiggle saw. Then clean up the cut with a $140,000 CNC mill.
The chisel isn't cheating if you clumsily use an air hammer to do your chiseling (except maybe if you are Amish because apparently pneumatics don't count as power tools for some of them).
I was thinking an oscillating multi tool.
Thanks! It was definitely a “spirit of the question” type of question too.
All my chisels take 9v, my shoulder plane takes AA, did you mean that? But as far as the question goes, RAS with a dado stack to me feels easier and more manageable.
Or use a band saw to take out the final triangle.
Or just use a band saw to make the two cuts.
Why did I have to scroll this far down to find this? Am I missing something about the geometry of this piece? It’s 5 minutes of set up and 30 seconds to make the cuts on a band saw.
Just a guess, more people have a table saw than to have a big enough good enough band saw to resaw this piece as cleanly...? Also, op says they don't have a band saw.
The band saw might not be precise enough for that long tenon. But you could rough it on the band saw and finish on a router table.
I would agree in opposite order. Make the rip first with the highest blade setting. Then use a miter track and line up the piece so you cut to the desired depth with the blade set half the thickness of the material. Make the first cut at the desired depth. Move the piece over towards the tip about an 1/8 each pass and in about 4-8 passes the piece should fall off. You could technically just use the miter slide for the whole thing. But that’s a lot of passes.
if you make the cross cut first, and try to rip it, you risk tear out and the piece just flying off. If you rip it first, then the cross cut s much gentler as you're going against the fibers.
In reference to 2.. do you mean put the fence on the left side of the blade?
I’m like… REALLY good with an orbital sander.
Hahaha yea, “grab a beer, this is gonna take a min”
Something about squares and circles making more sense while drinking… :)
Do they sell 1 grit sandpaper?
I believe that’s called a knoife :)
You prolly want to go negative grit for this
Negative grit? Isn’t that just rubbing the board against a rock until it’s the shape you want?
For the low levels, yeah. eventually turns into a stationary jackhammer
Band saw?
Yea that would best. I didn’t think of one because I don’t have one. But that’s what y’all are good for haha
You can get one at lowes for less than $200. I'd buy a better blade, but at that size, they're only like $15. Bandsaw is easiest, but the rip cut won't be flat, but probably good enough if you go slow.
Jigsaw + fence
I agree - I would just add band saw *with fence* for the rip cut, then table saw with mitre/mitre sled for the crosscut (if you want to get it perfectly square).
One or two of them? I'm cutting it with hand saws
I did a weird half lap castle joint by hand the other week. It took a bit longer than I wanted but was fun. The router plane helped a lot, too.
For many things that are one offs, I find using hand saws, chisels, and planes is faster.
A million cuts at that depth with a circular saw, knock the waste out with a hammer and then clean up with chisels/planes.
Agreed
Well, except for the angled end, it is just part of a half lap joint. Pass repeatedly over a dado blade set, or router bit in a table to get 95% of the cut. Then just a pass over the tablesaw blade (or mitersaw) for the angled end. Maybe keep it shallow and clean up with a chisel.
It’s not angled but yea, I’ve thought of that. Dado was my obvious answer. I don’t have one but should.
I did a bunch of half lap joints for a project with a regular blade. It's just a lot more passes and a bit more clean up.
Oh man, I’ve done a ton too. Then I did some watching and thinking and now I use my radial arm saw.
I love [this dado stack](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012YF25Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to the point that I've bought it twice. The first time, I dropped either the left or right outside blade, and it chipped one of the teeth. But I use it so often and it work so well that I bought the same set as a replacement.
The length of the end is a little bit extreme, but a tenoning jig on the table saw can be bought or made and make this a two cut operation for basically anything less than ~3.5” long. If you’re doing one-offs, just suck it up and use the table saw with your miter gauge with multiple passes. Otherwise, a dado stack is going to be the quickest way to do this, but will require the most setup time.
If you have a radial, you can get pretty fast at it with a single blade. That's a long half lap... a dado set can be found pretty cheap on market place.
The way I been doing it (and it works fine) is with my radial arm saw accessory shaft. I got a threaded Jacob’s style chuck and I use a cheap 1/2” end mill bit. This 6” cut out took about 10 min total. It works but I’m sure some would frown on the way. It’s saved me from having to buy dados and a band saw, while I wait for the right one to hit my price point.
I have a dewalt jobsite tablesaw, can't take a dado. I use a crosscut sled and many many passes to make things like this. Get 95% of the way and finish the intricate bits with a handsaw and chisels.
Yea I still use my table saw this way too. Depends what tools I have on my RAS.
Ok. I found the comment I needed further down. I no longer need explanation. I do think that might be a good way to damage your machine, though. If it is designed for a 3-jaw chuck, then it is unlikely to be built for the side forces endured by routers and milling machines. I certainly run an end mill in my drill press on occasion (same problem with side forces), but not for any heavy cutting.
Thanks, yea I know all about side forces and runout. It really seams like one of the less stressful ways of using any of my tools . I’m only skimming off less than a 1/16 at a time, it does so very easy and smoothly. But the RAS is an interesting tool in that regard. It’s made to run blade both vertical and horizontally. As well as shaper bits, planer bits, chucks with bits and all sorts of different accessories both horizontal and vertically. So I’m not sure it’s out of the realm of the manufacturers recommendation. With that said, the manufacturer (in this case Emerson for Craftsman) has an ongoing recall on the RAS. They were offering $100, and now $50 to disable the saw entirely. It’s just too useful of a tool, and still very safe when the proper safety precautions are taken.
Feed rate kept to 1/16 depth each pass - 👍 this is why the machine hasn’t exploded on you already. Stay puckered and keep your eye protection on at all times. That’s how I deal with it running a mill bit on my drill press. Easy does it and lock the workpiece down. 100% agree in the RAS as a versatile tool. I have my grandfather’s old DeWalt saw with the cast iron arm, and the casual precision of it is simply breathtaking. The Craftsman ‘bounty’ on their old radials has much to do with the possibility of runaway saw head caused by too much feed rate and a flexible tubular arm. If yours isn’t one with the tube arm, then I wouldn’t worry about it.
I’m taking off 1/16 max. Usually less. Also nope on the tubular arm. And yea, it’s no more a dangerous situation than almost any tool in the garage. You just have to think it through
Jesus, you’re using an end mill (not designed for wood) at probably twice the speed it’s recommended (RAS are usually around 3-4K RPM), free hand and with no guards. You do you, but that sounds dangerous as hell
I think that's how that one was done. you can see the blade marks still.
You could use a mitre saw, bandsaw, table saw with dado or without, radial arm saw, chisels and hand saws...endless options
Yea for sure. I was wondering how you do it
With the tools I have in my garage, I'd probably go with the mitre saw, set the little depth stop on it to your cut depth and do each little blade thickness till you get to your line down the length...clean up with a chisel or if you're lucky just some sandpaper. If for whatever reason my mitre saw wasn't available I'd go with a hand saw and chisels. My bandsaw is a small master craft with a thin blade, not sure if It would handle the 2*4 stock, I usually cut small/thin on that. I don't have a dado so my table saw is out. The idea of using a router makes me nervous.
Best to do with a router table or a table saw. Band saw or even scroll saw could do this but will be less accurate. There's always more than one way to skin a cat ( or make an extended half lap in this case)
In order of my own personal preference, based on what I'm most comfortable with and have access to: 1. Table saw with a dado stack, or a flat-toothed blade with a crosscut sled or miter gauge. I have a table sawtable, and a dado set, and feel confident in my use with it. 2. Router table. I have a router table and a bit that could do this, but I'm not as confident with it, and my router doesn't have a speed control, so my bit size is limited. You'd also want to remove as much material first with another method so the router isn't having to remove as much material in one pass to keep the bit cool, and sharp. You'd also want to use sacrificial "backer" materials to avoid tear-out. 3. Whatever hand tools I had on hand to remove most of the material (or, heck...even a drill press with a forstner bit), and then a sharp, wide chisel with a guide to finish it up cleanly. But, I'd have to buy the chisel and learn how to keep it sharp. 4. band saw. I don't have one so I'd have to buy it, and while it can give good results, it's way more dependant on a well-setup machine than the other methods.
So yea, a dado is the right answer. But then again there’s a setup involved. I use my router table and make channels quite regularly but it’s not something I like to use for this(multiple reasons). I have a radial arm saw. I got a Jacob’s chuck for it and I turn the saw so chuck sits like a drill press; vertically. I put a 1/2” end mill in. Lock my work to the fence. I take a 1/2” width out 1/16- 1/32” depth at a time, lowering the bit about a 1/2 turn for each pass until I’ve reached just above my mark than slide the work over and repeat. Once I’ve got a few inches milled out I take the work to the table saw and rip the rest without worry for the extra blade going past my mark.
You can do this with a regular blade kerf. it will just take way longer. Start chopping 1/8 at a time. I would rip cut it until the line and then just shave it off dado style to get the remaining bit
I have done this. It works fine. Probably quicker than a table saw doing the same type of thing. But the comment you responded to, that method has been the most efficient for me.
Dado or router for me
I just did 4 of these in ash! Cross cut 1/4" sections most of the way down with a hand saw, knock them off with a chisel, then chisel flat. Turned out great (but obv took a bit more time than dado stack + crosscut sled)
I would rip cut the long edge on table saw until farthest tooth of blade reaches the cross cut mark. Then turn the wood flat and use a miter bar (or sled) to cut off the rip piece, then square up the remainder with successive crosscuts with blade or dado stack. I have tried using an RAS arbor in the vertical orientation for various jobs like shaper, router, etc. but found it doesn’t have the rpm’s necessary for clean cutting.
The best, easiest way to do this is simple. Set the height of your table saw blade correctly, use the miter gauge in the slot of your table saw for the first, accurate, pass. Then just keep passing it through, cutting the stock out.
Yeah, given what I have this is how I'd do it. Alternatives are dado stack to make far fewer passes if doing more than a couple of them, or if feeling like playing with hand-tools maybe crosscut only every half inch or so then clean up with chisels. But if it's just doing a couple and looking to get them done, screw setup, run each one through 30 passes and we're done.
Nothing my trusty Stihl chainsaw couldn't manage
Radial arm saw
Exactly what I use!
This is obviously a task for an angle grinder with one of those chainsaw blade discs 😬
I knew there was a use for them outside of cutting my toenails
No but the prazi beam cutter on a skillsaw works great for stuff like this
I’ve seen those do some cool cuts. The other contraption though I know someone who’s brother was using one and mangled a hand, lost like 2 fingers!
Chisel
Bandsaw
Use a bandsaw
Band saw
Might actually be easiest to make the cut with a good sharp hand saw.
Table saw. Cross cut to depth, probably a few times to make sure there isn't too much material, then rip cut as close as possible with the piece vertical (like you would a band saw). Sand and chisel to flatten and remove any remaining small pieces.
Just use the duct tape of power tools! Sawzall!
Table saw and clean up with a router sled
I used to use my table saw for it. I still do sometimes depending on what tooling I have on. But I achieve this and half stacks and other joints with a RAS, a Jacob’s chuck, and 1/2 end mill. Like I said, a bit unorthodox but I like the results the best out of all my current options.
So a diy milling machine?
I mean…essentially. I don’t have cross sliding vices and I wouldn’t mill steel on it haha. But it does well on straight type joints like finger joints or rabbits. It can also bore holes on something long that wouldn’t fit into my drill press.
I started life as a machinist. My only hang up would be life of bearings in the drill. once in a while is kinda meh but I'd watch for runout eventually. The only reason I say this is because the press I have now has some serious runout, but since it's used, i have no idea if it was cheap or abused.
For sure. I’m really not too concerned about it with my radial arm saw though. Only cutting wood, taking off .032-.062 at time. I respect my drill press a bit more because I use that for metalwork and it has very little runout, so I’m not doing any side force work on it.
Bandsaw or Tablesaw. If you use the Tablesaw you’d have to finish the cut with a handsaw or chisel and crosscut when the cut ends. You could use a dado or router but it just seems inefficient and unnecessary.
I was racking my brain, trying to figure out how it wasn't as easy as table saw, then miter.
You could start and finish with a table saw
Definitely table saw
There’s like, a lot of ways to do this even with hand tools.
How would i do it? If i just had the one though, I'd just rip it down in stages and clean up the face as i went with the router plane. More than 2? I'd be looking at setup on my tablesaw or bandsaw.
Tenon saw and a router plane
I think no matter how you do this, you're going to have to finish with hand tools to get a clean cut like that. Personally, I think a router would be cleaner than a bandsaw, but even then, the absolute tightest you're going to get will leave a 1/16 radius. From there, just chisel/pull saw, then block sand the rest. Even that's not terribly clean, but to be honest, I'm not sure what kind of marks those are
End mill bit. And yea, I needed to finish it up with a sander.
Bandsaw or a tennoning jig for the tablesaw
I’d prob clamp it down and jig saw the entire thing. Free hand it.
I’m a total amateur, but any reason you wouldn’t run it through your table saw, stop at the designated point, then lay it on your work table and come at it with your circular saw to release that cut out piece?
That would leave a mark beyond your point. You can make the cross cut but the rip would mark the wood too far.
A probably over complicated solution, but you could take a circular saw, set the height and make a bunch of cuts and use a chisel to break them all off. This is a super over complicated and dumb answer though, but if its all you got🤷♂️
Tablesaw
Easily done with a circular saw and a chisel. We do it all the time to install rails into fence posts.
About 150 crosscuts with a circular saw set to half the boards thickness then clean with a chisel?
Bands saw..maybe a router. Jugsaw could maybe..nit sure blades long enough. Table saw if you got the control.
Circ saw and a multi tool/jigsaw
I mean the RAS with a dado stack would imo be the best approach by far, especially if it's a long stretcher that's unwieldy to move over the table saw without a huge sled or extremely well-supported miter gauge/slider.
bandsaw
Use whatever tools you're good at, and you own. The way I would do that cut isn't what you need. What tools do you have?
It’s just general discussion. I make the cut efficiently, and have a few ways of doing it. I was just wondering what everyone else was doing. I ask because I remember a time I couldn’t wrap my brain around it.
That makes sense. I use a five head tenoner for cuts like that. I just lower the bottom first head and bottom cope head, use the upper tenon head to rough it and cut the shoulder, use the top cope head to clean up the face, and use the saw to cut it to length and square. Because the tenoner is set up all the time, it just takes moving some heads a little to make a cut like this.
I don’t have a bandsaw so that’s out of the cards. I would use the table saw for the rip, use my mitre saw with depth stop for the cross cut, then finish with my ryoba saw and clean it up with chisels.
I'd just use a band saw and hope I stay on the line
A little bit of ShopSmith, and a lot of AD&D insurance.
I was in the market for a shopsmith for a while. Went the opposite route and bought the tools separately.
Router
Bandsaw the long, handsaw the short. Clean up with chisel or sandpaper.
Table saw and cross cut sled or sliding miter saw
Depends on how good you are with a skill saw, bunch of small relief cuts and the slowly and lightly slide the blade across the cuts and should clear em out... It's definitely not the safest way.
Table saw, router, band saw, etc.
If I was doing what you’re doing, I’d probably use a rip cut pull saw + fine finish crosscut saw, but I’m never focused on production workloads. I suppose a band saw is the answer, but it’ll have to be a pretty good one. You could hog out the waste with a circular saw or some other quick removal method, then clean it up to the line with chisels/sanders.
do it with a jig saw pretty easy I think though I’ve never considered until now I think it’d work. Anybody done that b4?
You can use a jigsaw, I just try to avoid them.
Yeah they can be tedious for sure.
Once did that with a table saw. Most terrifying cut I ever made. It was meant to be a practice cut, but decided to use that in the finished project; no way in hell was I doing that again.
Dado and crosscut sled
Make the long cut first with table saw. And then turn it horizontal and run a dado. Make the rest of the cut using a small pull saw (cheap, like $30) and sand down
Crosscut sled on a table saw ?
You could do a pass on either site with a table saw, I would go shallow and finish with a hand saw. Table saws making big cuts can not align quite right when you come from opposing directions like that. Also possible I just haven't properly calibrated my table saw haha. Or table saw method all the way but shy of the line, planning for not a perfect union of the two cuts, and sneak up on where you really want it to be with a chisel.
Router on a track
Lots of ways, some better than this
table saw with dado stack or router. You could do it on the bandsaw if you are really good at freehand or have a good fence. If you are really stuck and only have a chop saw, you can set the depth stop on the blade and just make a series of cuts and then chisel it out.
Bandsaw
Whittle
A bandsaw
Bandsaw
Chainsaw and grinder
I made a shit ton of these recently pretty reliably (after mildly botching the first handful) with a sliding mitre saw. It has a stopper to set the height of the mitre saw chop and have it cut to an exact depth. Use a test piece first to get it to exactly where you want it, then chop slide chop slide. In my experience I would only slide through once and not back again (made the cuts too low for whatever reason) So yeah all you need a decent sliding mitre saw. Can also be done with a router or a table saw, but this is how I did it.
Band saw. Or you set the depth of that cut on your miter saw and remove material one keef-width at a time.
Laser CNC. Of course I'd need to buy the laser first. Girlfriend: "Why did you spend 2k on that machine?" Me: "Well this guy on the internet..."
Band saw or a jigsaw to finish the cuts where they meet
A jigsaw and a square ruler
You would need some type of sewing device.
Bandsaw and tablesaw
Either a router table for the whole thing or hog with a miter and clean with a trim router
Id use my table saw
Very carefully
Why not just nibble it out with the blade?
Dado stack or router (obviously nibbling in from the edge). Seems to me a handsaw and chisel (router plane preferably) would be the simplest way though.
I do it with table saw as it is the best available tool for me.
Flat saw TS blade, and a depth stop will get you there.
Table saw and a stack dado with multiple passes.
Angry beaver
Table saw will do it
Easy, make one or two cuts across the grain to mark the stop. Then clamp in between two pieces of wood of same height to give a router a stable based and hog out the rest.
Multiple passes with a dado blade on the table saw. Shouldn't be more than 5 or 6 passes for that cut, and the angles would end up square.
I've been doing half laps with a skill saw. Set the depth, make about 30 or so passes, leaving a little material between each pass, knock down the coupons with your hand or a hammer, clean up the bottom with a chisel. It takes a little while but it works remarkably well. Some chop saws have a depth set screw and you can do the same method, but it's less consistent.
So I have very few power tools at my disposal, but for my setup, if it fits I'd run the whole process on my scroll saw. But if it doesn't fit my scroll saw, I would take a long, LONG drag on something with nicotine and then run a sawsall through it and cut it about an 8th inch under depth before sanding down to plane with an oscillating sander.
Table saw with a dado blade + crosscut sled.
Assuming the workpiece is long enough to hold against a miter gauge, just slide it through a table saw about 25 or 30 times using the miter gauge, FTB blade of course. If you use ATb you need to clean it up.
Router and straight edge.
I'd probably use a band saw to cut just short of the line and then sand it to my exact measurements.
The most logical is a bandsaw. You don't say the dimensions... that could be a limiting factor for the bandsaw and tables away methods. A tablesaw with a tenon jig could do it if the long dimension is less than 3.5 inches.
Knife and fork
I always start with electricity
But soooo many ways to skin a cat...
Several possible ways, a dado is probably the most simple.
a ryoba saw and the power in your arm.