So we have four sides and all sides have a dado in the inside so that the floor of the box can slide into the sides. As it turns out, with the joints I want to use, two of the sides are routed on a single side but the other two are routed on both sides.
How would you deal with the panels that have features on both sides? Do I have any options other than hand routing or taking a crash course on how to do double sided jobs?
I have used this kind of a joint before and I really like it and would prefer to stick with it but I am open to suggestions.
The workaround is hand routing the two panels that are double sided after you done the dados on all 4. The question is are you in it to workaround or using that shiny new tool that has you in awe. We all know the answer to that question. So lock up the palm routers and any other tool that can help you do this task, and throw away the key.
The crux is having the same xy zero with every board. Create a fence to snuck them against, use spacers to give you some room to runout your mill, or create a removable fence that can be returned at the same spot.
A double sided job is just two single sided jobs if you can use the same xy0.
As far as two sided jobs go this one is fairly simple because the second side only has to be aligned correctly for one axis.
The difficult part of most two sided jobs is that without doing the holes and dowels method it is very difficult to get both sides aligned correctly in X and Y. The problem is if you use the bottom left corner for zero and then flip the piece the bottom left corner is now a different corner of the board. If your board dimensions differ from what was entered in the design or your machine calibration is off then things wonât align perfectly.
With this job you only need one axis aligned. Lets assume that you will cut each board with the dado for the floor aligned with the X axis. You can then use a fence as @Spamming_Eddie suggested and do the non-dado side. Then you flip the board horizontally to do the second side. Because the dado goes all the way across the board the X zero can be off, you only need the Y to be correct. Because you have a horizontal fence and flip horizontal the âbottomâ stays the bottom.
I hope this made some sense. A cut that goes all the way across the board is easier than than say drilling both sides of a thick board with a short bit and having it line up do the one vs two axis alignment requirement.
EDIT: Just wanted to add that you donât need to zero again for the second side. Also the fact that you could just do it with a router table or palm router is because of the âone axis requirementâ. When you canât do it on the router table is when is gets interesting!
Thanks guys! I guess I was over-thinking things. I am sure thatâs all part of the âdeer-in-the-headlightsâ thing that we are all experiencing in the beginning
Double sided jobs in Vectric are not difficult. Just keep the Flip Direction and Z Zero Position in mind.
When you setup Double Sided the jobs in Vectric the Flip Direction Box appears below the XY Datum Position. I generally flip in the X Axis - edge closest to me becomes the further away. I do this because I focus on getting my blank with two edges parallel and one edge perpendicular to them. The 4th edgeâs parallelism or perpendicularism (is that a real word?) does not matter. The only difficulty becomes that the Bottom will be upside down. Flipping on the Y Axis removes this upside down issue.
There is also an additional setting in the Z Zero box to Zero Off Same Side. This check box makes the Z Zero on Side 2 (Bottom) the opposite of which selection is made for Side 1 (Top). If Side 1 is Material Surface - Side 2 will become Machine Bed and vise versa. The icons will update to reflect what is going on.
