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Appreciation post: my old way to cut dados versus a router sled
I used to just stack plywood and run it through the table saw, which was fast but left a lot of tear-out. I built a simple router sled jig for a big built-in project and the dado bottoms came out glass smooth. Anyone have a favorite bit for this kind of clean up work?
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bettymiller5mo ago
Yeah, but a sharp stack still tears out the back of the plywood for me every single time, no matter how slow I feed it. That router sled is a game changer for getting that perfect finish on visible parts. I've had the best luck with a simple straight bit and just taking light passes, it's way more controlled. The extra setup time is totally worth it for how smooth it comes out.
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mason_murray84mo ago
Ngl, I gotta disagree with you here Betty. I've been running a sharp dado stack through plywood for years on my jobs and I barely get any tearout at all. Tbh, the trick is not just feed speed but making sure you've got a good backer board clamped tight behind the cut. I set up a simple plywood fence with a sacrificial backer and I've never needed to mess with a router sled for that. Plus, a full router sled setup takes forever to level and fiddle with, while I can rip through a whole sheet of plywood in like 5 minutes with a sharp stack. Honestly, for me the time lost setting up that sled just isn't worth the tiny improvement in smoothness on parts nobody's gonna run their fingers over anyway.
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