"The New CMT Router Table/Fence" Page 1

The New CMT Router Table/Fence
You know that I love my CMT/Sommerfeld Router
Table. In the few months since I got it all together, it has
proven to be a beauty of a shop tool.
So when I heard that CMT was going to improve on it, I
was puzzled. How could anyone improve on something so
perfect?
First, the name of the new product is "CMT Industrio
Routing System Designed by Marc Sommerfeld."
Well, if it is Marc's design and CMT's manufacture, it
has great promise.
A few weeks ago, I received a pre-production copy of
the new table. These are my first impressions.
If you recall, I made the oak base for the CMT/
Sommerfeld table using the plans and raised panel
construction that Marc showed in his step-by-step video.
The new CMT table came in a heavy (68#) box of
orange panels. As a woodworker, I am not real fond of
knock-down (KD) cabinets. I prefer the real wood look of
frame and panel construction. But, I have put KD units
together before, and I know there are good and bad KD
kits.
The KD hardware that makes up most of the joiners
was new to me, but it was very easy to see how it was
meant to work.
This screw post is key to the system. All the flat
components come accurately drilled with threaded studs
inserted where these little posts go. So the first step is to
screw the studs in every hole that has a threaded insert.
They are hand tightened and then backed out until the
flat side of the hole faces the flat of the panel which it will
hold. In other words, you orient this stud to receive the
itty-bitty hex screw that you can see in my hand above.
On the pieces that mate with the panels with the posts
(sides mainly), you tap the barrel into the pre-drilled
holes. They fit in easily and snugly.
I found it easier to start those tiny little screws before
the panel is put in place. This way, when they fall out, you
know where they are.
Then, you line up the board to the posts and slide into
place. They can slide in easily, or they can be real tough
to put together. I found that it paid to use an awl in the
hole where the post is to fit, and use the awl to make sure
that the barrel is aligned correctly to receive the post.
When you do this first, the panel slides on smoothly.
Lastly, with the piece in place, you can tighten the small
screws and they will cinch the piece tight to the mating
board.
Once you understand the geometry of the little
connectors, the assembly with them is easy and quite fast.
They are different than what I am used to, but they work
well.
With the case all assembled, it is time to add the top.
The router table can be purchased by itself for use with
any base, but the CMT cabinet, that is made for it, is predrilled so that adding the top is quick and very secure.
The barrel that is in my hand is inserted in a pre-drilled
hole and the tall screw is threaded down from the
tabletop. That's all there is to it.
Here you can see all the screws in place. Like tightening
the lug nuts on tires, I found it makes sense to get all the
screws started before tightening them. They did match up
with the base unit very precisely.
Once I had fixed the top on the base, I undid it all in
order to mount the Hitachi M12V router. There are a
number of things I have done to this router in preparing
it for the table. I will not repeat them here, but instead
give the URL that explains this in detail - click here to go
to that page now.
I have placed the router's sub-base centered in the
opening, clamped it and am now drilling holes for the
mounting screws.
Having flipped the top over, I am now countersinking
for the screw heads. This table is very flat. I want to be
sure that the heads are at, or below, the surface.
Here is one of the better uses for a credit card. I use it to
"feel" the top of the router table. I want to smooth out
any and all roughness before I go any further.
Before I mount the router, I spend a few minutes
cleaning and lubing the router posts.
"A tour with Beth of the features and benefits."
Beth finally gets to use the new router table for routing.
She uses the push pad method that she has used before
guiding against the fence. Having the miter track means
that we can use it when it makes sense, but it doesn't
mean that it makes sense for every cut.
The zero clearance insert proves a great help in cutting
the small rail pieces.
She inspects the cut it is a perfect coped end. Now she
can switch cutters, cut a new insert and do the other
profile.
We skipped to the final cutting of this mating profile,
but for information sake, it took less than five minutes to
make the whole change, including cutting the new insert.
Here Beth is making the profile cut on the rail and stiles.
As an aside, we get so caught up with doing things the
same way, time after time, that we forget that there are
other ways. I have watched Marc's demonstrations and
have always liked this simple holddown block. It just fits
this one piece, but is so simple, it would make sense to
have a number of sizes around.
On ours, I have added a piece of 120 grit sandpaper to
have a more positive hold on the work piece now, back to
the story.
The pieces match perfectly, as they should with such a
really great set-up as this.
I said a minute ago that we would be using the miter
slot when it made sense to use it. Beth and I have gotten
very skilled using small holddown jigs that guide against
the fence.
Here, she tries out a standard miter gauge to which we
have added the hold-down accessory (Delta).
Beth sets up to make a cut and decides that using the
fence will work better. This miter gauge just doesn't have
the support where it counts.
When I heard that the new table would have a miter
track, this Delta Sliding Shaper Jig (photo from the Delta
website) came to mind. I have seen it used on shaper
tables, and it seems like it would work well.
There are two problems that I found: 1) it is around
$100 and 2) it has a 1/2" thick base plate which means the
router bit has to come up that much further. This is easy
to do on a shaper; not easy with a router.
Beth is looking over my shopmade "equivalent." It uses
an Incra miter slide. I like these because they are
adjustable to the miter slot you can make then travel
easily or with a push...you can even lock them in place.
I have adjusted this one to slide smoothly in the table's
miter slot but with no play. I may trim off the length. It
isn't necessary for use of this jig, but right now I will
leave it long until I settle on the design.
I have used a piece of 3/4" white melamine for this
prototype. Once I have it "refined", I will use phenolic it
machines better and will keep its shape. The white
melamine jig will probably warp in time
Beth's left hand it at the area that will hold the
workpiece. I have dadoed this area to about 1/4"
thickness and have added sandpaper to hold the wood.
I dadoed a groove for the adjustable clamp bar and
attached that with machine screws that are countersunk
from the bottom.
It works and it works well, but we use the fence set up
most of the time. It is a good jig to have, and the phenolic
version will be better.
I am going to close up this presentation...time is running
out. I do have some hold downs that are in the works that
will make great use of the T-tracks. I will add those soon.
I also have some Board Buddies that I need to convert for
use here.
I can say, that both Beth and I are eager to get started
using this really fine table/fence system on some real
woodworking projects. All this, and more, will be added
next time.
"A tour with Beth of the features and benefits."
A step-by-step of changing bits...continued
With the bit "bottomed", she pushes in on the shaft
lock knob and turns the bent wrench until the bit is
locked in the collet.
She places the smallest insert that will give the bit
proper clearance.
Question: can you identify what the bent rod in the
foreground is for?
Beth starts to change router height. She turns the
remote height adjustment lock 1/4-turn. The rod with the
white knob is the adjustment crank for the RouterRaizer
that I installed last week. (Click here to go to that section.)
This is how easy it is. With the shaft unlocked, she uses
the crank to adjust the height of the bit to match the
sample that she has been using. When it is right, she
simply turns her right hand, and locks the shaft.
The RouterRaizer has a small metal dust cover which
fits into a hole over the access to the height adjustment
screw. The crank has a small magnet which is used to
remove the dust cover for easy access. It stays in place on
the magnet until the height adjustment is complete, and it
can be "swiped" off as easy as it was to pick it up a very
neat and workable device.
With the bit changed and the height set, Beth doublechecks to see that the shaft lock is disengaged. She now
unhooks the plug from the knob.
She plugs the router cord back into the switch box.
Note that the power cord for the dust collector is also
attached and is switched on and off with the router.
She places a brand new insert into the fence slot. The
junior raised panel bits are ones that benefit from using a
zero clearance insert plate, so it is worth the effort to
make one.
She starts to cut the profile in the fence by easing the
fence into the router with the router spinning. She is
careful to stay behind the fence for this operation. The
fence is pivoting on the end with the adjustment screw.
The pivot pin is retracted for this cut.
With the router stopped, she marks where a space for
the bearing and top nut must be cut.
Cutting the insert to her marks is quick and easy.
With the insert cut to allow for the bearing and top nut,
she can complete routing the zero clearance fence.
She will loosen the entire fence slightly and move it and
re-cut to widen the opening. The insert should be loose
around the bit. I prefer to cut it until I have about 1/8" all
the way around the cutter.
[Note: before turning on the router, always be sure to
rotate the bit by hand to ensure that the cutter clears the
insert.]
Beth brings the fence forward until the bearing is
absolutely aligned with the fence and locks the fence in
place.
She is ready to make her cut. On the last two pages, I
have presented the step-by-step in great detail. In real
time, changing of the bits takes about 1 minute, even with
following all the safety rules. Cutting a new insert takes a
couple of minutes longer, but only has to be done for a
new bit and then only if you want a zero clearance insert
for that bit.
"A tour with Beth of the features and benefits."
A step-by-step of changing bits.
Beth was familiar with procedures for changing bits on
the other table. She asked to be guided through the
procedures for this new table.
[ Note: If you are a "pro", this SOP may be too
simplistic and detailed; you may want to just go to the
next page.]
She starts by unplugging the router.
She uses the little hook I taped to the plug and hangs the
router cord on the shaft lock knob.
She pulls up the fence's pivot pin knob and rotates the
handle to keep it in the up position. This allows her to
move the fence back a bit.
She lifts the insert from the table.
She gets the bent wrench from its storage place. [What
would you do? Would you have hung this on a hook on
the side of the cabinet?]
With her right hand pushing in on the shaft lock knob,
she can use the bent wrench to loosen the collet. [I don't
know any router other than the Hitachi M12V that allows
you to loosen, or tighten, the collet with 1/4 turn that
makes it very special for the router table.]
She places the bit in the bit drawer.
From the bottom storage compartment, she brings out
the CMT/Sommerfeld Junior Raised Panel Set. So far,
that is her favorite, and we just got some new plans for
desk accessories using these, so she wants to get them set
up with the new system.
She uses finger pressure to bottom the bit in the collet.
[Important note: only do this when you have a rubber
spacer in the bottom to prevent the bit shaft from touching
the router shaft. If you want to read more on using Orings to serve as a spacer, click here.]
"A tour with Beth of the features and benefits."
Router used as jointer it's built in...
While we are discussing the fence, there is something
really neat designed into it spacer bars. These bars are of
two different thicknessses and can be inserted in the track
between the fence and the outfeed side.
This allows the outfeed fence to be "proud" by a
fraction of an inch (1/32" or 1/16") what this really
means is that the router can be set up to edge/joint boards.
Let's watch Beth set this up.
Beth has installed a trim bit in the router. It has a
pattern bearing the exact size as the diameter of the bit,
itself.
She loosens the 2 screws on the outfeed side fence.
She places two spacer bars in the slots of the fence.
Since there are two different sizes, she makes sure that
the two spacers are of the same thickness. In this
example, she is using the thinner bars that will allow a
thickness of 1/16" to be removed. It may take several
passes, but since she is jointing white oak, removing less
will be easier on the router and will give a smoother end
finish.
Now, she tightens the outfeed fence.
Beth adjusts the fence until the outfeed side lines up
with the pattern bearing exactly.
This is a birds-eye view of the setup. You can see the the
pattern bearing and outfeed fence are aligned, and the
infeed fence is back a fraction.
Now she can route a board and have an edge that is
ready to glue up with other edged boards.
I found two boards that had rough edges good ones to
try out the "router-as-jointer" system. She is inspecting
these boards and sees that they are pretty good but are
not ready for gluing. They both have rough sawn edges.
Beth, keeps the board moving with gentle pressure
against the fences. This is heavy, white oak, so she makes
the pass slowly.
It took two passes, but she ends up with a nice edge...at
least, it looks nice.
This it where it counts. Beth now has a very tight joint
one that will glue up nicely.
"A tour with Beth of the features and benefits."
Router used as jointer it's built in...
While we are discussing the fence, there is something
really neat designed into it spacer bars. These bars are of
two different thicknessses and can be inserted in the track
between the fence and the outfeed side.
This allows the outfeed fence to be "proud" by a
fraction of an inch (1/32" or 1/16") what this really
means is that the router can be set up to edge/joint boards.
Let's watch Beth set this up.
Beth has installed a trim bit in the router. It has a
pattern bearing the exact size as the diameter of the bit,
itself.
She loosens the 2 screws on the outfeed side fence.
She places two spacer bars in the slots of the fence.
Since there are two different sizes, she makes sure that
the two spacers are of the same thickness. In this
example, she is using the thinner bars that will allow a
thickness of 1/16" to be removed. It may take several
passes, but since she is jointing white oak, removing less
will be easier on the router and will give a smoother end
finish.
Now, she tightens the outfeed fence.
Beth adjusts the fence until the outfeed side lines up
with the pattern bearing exactly.
This is a birds-eye view of the setup. You can see the the
pattern bearing and outfeed fence are aligned, and the
infeed fence is back a fraction.
Now she can route a board and have an edge that is
ready to glue up with other edged boards.
I found two boards that had rough edges good ones to
try out the "router-as-jointer" system. She is inspecting
these boards and sees that they are pretty good but are
not ready for gluing. They both have rough sawn edges.
Beth, keeps the board moving with gentle pressure
against the fences. This is heavy, white oak, so she makes
the pass slowly.
It took two passes, but she ends up with a nice edge...at
least, it looks nice.
This it where it counts. Beth now has a very tight joint
one that will glue up nicely.
"A tour with Beth of the features and benefits."
While I have been working on the cabinet for a week, I
have not really used the router, so with Beth's visit, I
decided to go through each of the new unit's features and
benefits.
We start with looking at the top. The hole is off center.
That can be useful, particularly since the fence is
reversible. You can use the "shallow" side with the miter
slot and T-track or the "deep" side that is plain.
This may show the difference better. Which side we will
use will depend on what we are doing. For most of what
we do, we will probably use the track side. The distances
shown are measured from the centerline of the router to
the edge of the table.
For running large panels, the large side (13½") will be a
great help. The table is drilled so that the fence can be
turned around to work either side.
We take a close look at how the fence is set-up.
Like the original design, the fence pivots. One end can
move back and forth for depth of cut. The inset shows
more clearly the "L" shape of the slot. The short
direction is for adjusting the fence for depth of cut; the
long direction allows the fence to be moved over the table
edge for insert replacement we will show that in a minute.
At the other end of the fence, there is the pivot pin. The
pin can be retracted and turned to lock it in the up
position.
This is how easy it is to use the "L" shape slot and
retractable pin to move the fence so that the insert can be
changed or just to move the fence out of the way.
First, Beth loosens the ratchet wrench (arrow) on the
far end and moves the fence back. With her other hand,
she pulls up the retractable pin.
Second, she swivels the fence until the insert is over the
edge of the table.
Third, she eases the insert from its slot. She can now
install a new insert.
What is nice about this method is that it takes so little
time, and the fence can be returned to use without having
to reset anything.
While the use of zero clearance inserts is great, there
are many bits that do not need them or times when you
want to make a quick cut and not make, or use, an insert.
This new fence, allows the end segments to close the gap,
so no insert is needed.
These two large knobs allow the fence screws to be
loosened and the section to be slid to fit the router bit.
While "zero clearance" inserts are nice to have for some
cutters, many times, adjusting the fence will suffice.
Finishing Up...continued
I am making the front door. I am trying to make a "bifold" door out of the inexpensive hardboard they sell for
bathroom surrounds. I have a large piece that I have cut
down into two strips to fit.
It is too thin to use screws, so I am using Pop-Rivets and
a piano hinge. The bottom is pop riveted to the hinge and
then attached with screws to a piece of 1/2" MDF which
will be the base of the unit.
Here is how it will work. The base is actually the top to
the router bit storage drawer.
Well it works well, but I do not like the look of all those
little rivets. It reminds me of a VW bus that I made into a
camper in 1963 I didn't like their looks then, either, but
they sure held well.
I will leave it like this until I can come up with a better
idea email me your suggestions, other than "toss it."
Ah, yes, short sleeve shirt time and a welcome change.
The Rockler Sliding Table works well cutting the 10
pieces of 1/2" MDF for the storage shelves that I am now
making.
MDF is not great for using screws, brads, or nails. I
will cut rabbets and a groove to hold the mating pieces.
I have installed my stacked dado cutter with blades to
cut a 1/2" width. I am adjusting the height to cut about
1/2 the thickness of the material.
I rabbet the two long edges and cut a groove down the
center.
I spread glue in the grooves and rabbets. I find that
polyurethane glue works better with MDF, but the
carpenter's glue will be plenty strong for this application
and is much easier to clean up.
I use the narrow crown stapler to pop in 1 1/4" staples
to hold while the glue sets. As I have said many times,
brads and finish nails don't hold well in this material. The
narrow crown staple has great holding power, and I try to
use it when it doesn't matter if the head shows.
One screw in each case holds these shelf units in
position.
At each end, I staple some window insulation to restrict
the air flow. I will add one magnetic catch in the top of
the center section to hold the bi-fold door closed.
Well, I am done with my "additions" to the new table.
It is time to use it. Beth is here first thing tomorrow for
her first look at it it is on the next page.
Finishing Up
I mentioned before, you have to remember to unlock
and lock the height adjustment lock when using the
RouterRaizer. It is easy to forget this step.
It is relatively easy to lean over and reach in and do it,
but I want to close up the top compartment so that I can
connect the dust collector and use the top cabinet space as
a downdraft chamber to be used when the fence is not in
use.
At right, is my new locking lever, at least a part of it..
Here is how I made the locking lever. Arrow "A" is
pointing to the screw that is a part of the Hitachi M12V
router. I have removed it and have extracted the locking
lever and the retainer clips. A 6-point 5/8" socket wrench
("B") fits over the head of this piece.
Here, I have mixed up some epoxy and have "welded"
the socket to the Hitachi part. The swivel is attached just
to keep the assembly from rolling around while the epoxy
cures.
The part is cured (far left). Here are the rest of the
pieces all standard 3/8" wrench parts except for the
"handle." I found a large Allen wrench that was too
large, and I filed one end square until it fit into the socket
extension.
When I found the right combination of lengths and
swivels, I epoxied the handle into the last socket. The
other parts are not glued but stay together by their ball
catch mechanism.
I have drilled a 3/4" hole and elongated it so that the
shaft of the extension can move up and down with the
movement of the router.
It works, and it works well. With the combination of
the bent wrench, RouterRaizer and this remote lock, I
can use this router table exactly as I would a shaper
working from above the table. I like that.
The speed control still has to be set on the router by
reaching in I haven't been able to make that "remote"
yet. But in use, the speed control isn't adjusted that often.
Next, I want to add a port for the dust collector. From
the inside, I have drilled a 3/4" hole to indicate where I
want the DC port to be. Now, on the back, I have used the
dust port to draw the inside diameter which I am now
cutting out..
Four 3/4" sheet metal screws hold the port in place. I
am ready to use this port, almost.
Just a few more things to do. Here, I have mounted a
switched receptacle box to the side of the cabinet.
The shiney "U" is a pegboard hook that I have taped to
the router's electrical cord not elegant, but it works.
This is the reason for the hook. When I am changing
bits, I can unplug and hang the hook over the rod that
goes to the shaft lock. This also reminds me to be sure
that the shaft is unlocked before I plug the router back in.
With previous routers, I have left the router cord loose
inside or let it dangle (and get tangled) on the outside.
Two 75-cent coat hooks are installed here to wrap the
cord around. A reusable cord wrap helps keep in place.
I still have a few things to do, and it will take a day or
two to get them done, so I will stop right now so that I can
post what I have. Coming next is the finishing of the
lower downdraft cabinet and some jigs for using the Ttracks and miter slot and using it.
I have taken more time doing the little extras and for a
good reason this router table promises to be all the great
tool that it is cracked up to be.
See you next week with a finished router table in action.
Installing the RouterRaizer
The RouterRaizer has been the hit of the wood shows
in the past month for an obvious reason: it makes height
adjustment of a plunge router as simple as turning the
crank. It is meant for use either with the router in manual
use or in a table.
I will install it in the new CMT Router Table. I start by
reading the operating instructions
My very first impression was that the manufacturer
really thought the system out. There are step-by-step
installation instructions for each of the routers that it can
fit.
I have turned to the one for Hitachi M12V. All the
photos and instructions apply just to that make router
very nice indeed.
Here, I am removing the height adjustment screw that
came with the router.
There are a lot of parts in the sealed bag. I wanted to
lay them out just the way they are in the instructions.
Note, that some of the parts (upper right corner) are
colored blue, yellow, green and red. You can't see it, but
some of the tiny set screws are also colored. This is the
company's way of helping you find the correct part.
Different routers use different colors very neat indeed.
I am installing the drive nut assembly in the space
where the old adjustment screw went.
It is always scary for me to start messing with a
product, but the instructions are clear I have to widen
the hole that use to hold the height adjustment screw.
Fact is, that hole was easy to widen. It was 1/4". Now it
is 5/16". It did take a little blocking to work around the
router's posts.
The main shaft is one size and has to be cut down to
length, per the router 8 3/4" for the Hitachi M12V.
Do you remember the painted parts. This little green
piece is included to push the retainer clip into place. If
you have ever had to install these clips, you know that
they have a habit of being launched into space and the
woodchip pile. There were three such clips. All of them
were installed without incident.
Before going further, I add a lubricant to the lead
screw so that it will work smoothly.
It's starting to look like a router again. At this point, I
have the router all together, and I have to fit the new unit
on to the table. One new hole has to be drilled. My heart
rate is increasing.
Just as there was one page dedicated to the Hitachi for
assembly of the parts, there is one template page for each
of the routers.
While I do not use the plastic sub-base in the table
installation, I will use it to help me drill the new hole in
the right place.
I first use an awl to punch the centers of the mounting
screw holes in the template. This will allow me to turn the
sheet of paper over to match it to the base.
Sighting straight down, I have centered the sub-base on
the template using just the punch holes. I carefully tape it
in place so that the template will not move on the subbase.
Now, I can use the template to drill a 1/2" hole in the
sub-base. A 1/2" hole is drilled if this will be a router
table installation. Otherwise, a 5/16" hole will do.
I try the sub-base in place on the router just for
orientation. I want to be sure that I drill the router table
hole in the right place.
I am using the sub-base now to guide my hand drill for
making a 1/2" hole through the router table top.
It is hard to see, but I am using the black router subbase as a guide to cut the black gasket material that
comes with the kit. Once cut, this will fit between the
router and the table top. It serves as a spacer to allow for
the unit's bottom nut that protrudes slightly.
I have all the screws tightened, and I am using the
RouterRaizer for the first time. The crank handle fits
down through the new hole and mates with the hex nut in
the new assembly.
Of course you have to remember to lock and unlock the
router's height adjustment lock. [Stay tuned I have done
something there too.)
The last installation step is to tap the dust cover insert
into place.
The RouterRaizer is a hit for the ease that it brings to
router bit height adjustment. But this little feature is a
"show stopper." The crank handle has a small magnet
that picks up the metal dust cover. You just slide the
handle over the hole, and the dust cover is in place. You
slide the handle over again and the magnet will pick the
dust cover up and hold it while you adjust the height.
There it is sticking to the magnet while I crank up the
height. Slide it across the hole, and it falls into place,
keeping dust out of the hole just plain clever.
There's a bit more to do, but using this new table is very
near.
The New CMT Router Table/Fence
This is the completed table with fence installed. Before I
show you all the great design features, there are a number
of things I want to do to this table that I think will make it
even more useable in my shop. They are:
●
add a mobile base,
●
add a drawer for router bits,
●
add shelves for storage of jigs,
●
install a router elevator (RouterRaizer)
and a remote height adjustment lock lever,
●
enclose the router and add DC outlet,
●
make some fences and jigs, and
●
USE IT!!!.
First, I want to make the whole unit mobile. I have
upended the unit and am starting to add a mobile base
[available from Rockler.] I find that this unit is the easiest
to install and use.
I start by ripping some pieces of 3/4" hardwood ply into
1 1/2" strips. I have glued two strips together and am now
stapling them. These 1 1/2" square pieces will be cut into
lengths to tie the four corner sections of the mobile base
together.
I have cut one of the sides to the right length and am
bolting it to the corners. I add a drop of Thread Lock on
each bolt to keep the nuts from loosening in use.
A half an hour later, and the unit is turned back to its
right position and is now mobile.
The two doors are part of the base cabinet and are
quickly mounted in the pre-drilled holes. This bottom
section will prove to be an invaluable storage area.
Take a look at the section that holds the router. With
the router all the way lowered, there is a lot of room going
to waste 3 1/2" in this case. So, my next task will be to
add a shallow drawer for router bits. They will be more
convenient here, than in the lower area. This space will
vary depending on the router used.
The space is 24 1/2" by 18 1/2" that will give me quite
a bit of storage. Since it is too late for me to cut dadoes in
the base cabinet, I will build the drawer as a complete
unit which can be slid into this section.
I have had this glued up piece of 5/4" pine here
forever. It will be the perfect bottom for the drawer. I
want something thick enough so that the bits can stand
upright. [Note, the new Rockler Sliding Table it is
working out very well.]
With the wood cut to size, I double check the width so
that it will fit the slides exactly. As I have demonstrated
before, I use the 1" width of my straight edge to check the
width. This allows for the 1/2" that is required for the two
slides. To the right of the ruler are the sides which I have
cut from 1/2" MDF.
I draw lines 1 1/2" apart.
I use a 1/2" brad point bit to drill the holes at each
intersection. I have tested this bit and found the size to be
just right. It allows a 1/2" shank to be inserted and
removed easily.
I drill all the way through. I will add a bottom in a
minute.
I add beads of glue onto the bottom [I did not need to
spread so much it is so nice to have warm days where
glue can flow at all, I got carried away. Spring is good.]
I use 3/4" narrow crown stapler to tack a piece of 1/4"
ply in place. I will trim it flush to the wood base next.
I attach the slides to the wood base. By the way, I
sanded off my pencil grid marks. It looks much better
now and will give me a clean surface to add labels.
Now I screw the slide into the side. Note that I have
placed the straight edge under the drawer. This will give
me 1/8" space between the drawer and the case in the
final assembly.
I screw the whole drawer/slide unit to the cabinet.
Well, all the bits will fit nicely except for the few taller
ones like this 2" trim bit.
I set the router to cut two grooves for the long bits. I
have set the small spring clamps on the fence to give me
an indication of the start and stop points for this plunge
cut.
They will work fine.