I have added a block
of 3/4" MDF ("A") to serve as a fence for holding the rail pieces. It is
mandatory that these pieces be at right angle to the guide rail, and they must be
clamped so that they cannot move. The clamp at the left is for fine adjustment of the
length.
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These are two
rail and stile bits offered by Festool. They have 8mm shanks and are reversible.
That means that I only need one and that I could disassemble the cutters and bearings and
change the order of them to cut the matching profile. I think I would rather have two and
use them as a matched set.
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I am holding the bit that
will cope the ends of the rails. Note that it has a bearing in the center — my way of
telling which is which.
The arrow points to the flat portion that will give me the top lip of the
profile. I will set the router bit height so that there is a 1/16" lip.
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I have to admit that
this is backwards to what I am used to and can be initially confusing. I have to keep
reminding myself that the bit is "upside down."
I am using my "4 chip spacer" to equal the thickness of the guide
rail and then a block of wood on top of that. I set the plunge so that 1/16" lip is
at the top of the block.
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Here is an even
closer look. I am using the small square to bridge the distance and make the setup more
exact.
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Next, I use a straight edge
to align the bearing with the fence.
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The arrow is pointing
at the piece of MDF that I have placed to serve as a fence. Even with all the various
clamps, it moved either by me clamping pieces against it or by the pressure exerted by the
routing.
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So, just as I did with the
base board, I will drill a couple of 3/4" holes and place dowels in them. I first
clamp the board and check for square and then drill starter holes from under the table.
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From on top, I drill the
holes so that they are about 1" deep, and then I cement dowels in place.
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I have chucked a small
sanding drum and am sanding the ends slightly so that it will find the table holes more
easily.
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The fence is installed and
at a perfect right angle to the front base board. The clamps laying around are what I had
tried — unsuccessfully.
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