Project - "Making a Blanket Chest using the New Jessem router table and the Akeda Dovetail Jig"

Last week, Beth finished gluing up the two sections of the chest. This week she starts out preparing  to cut biscuit slots for the top and bottom sections.    She has used the Jessem Mast-R-Lift to crank the bit all the way up. At this point the lower wrench can be laid flat on the table. That is the highest this router will go which makes changing bits very easy indeed.
	With the lower wrench in place and resting on the table surface, she can position the 2nd wrench. The inset photo shows the typical way to handle two wrenches. And, as most woodworkers with two wrench routers know, this is a good way to mash your knuckles. I show Beth how to hold the two wrenches and squeeze them together to loosen or tighten the collet. She is installing a 5/32" slot cutter. This is a great size for cutting biscuit slots.
Beth lowers the router until it is at the halfway point of a piece of 3/4" stock.
	She puts in place the insert ring which fits over the slot cutter and locks it in place. She always brushes away any dust that has accumulated in the base so that the ring can be flush with the plate.
She adjusts the fence until it is aligned with the pattern bearing and locks it in that position.
	Beth has opened the two split fences to allow about 1/8" clearance on both sides. BUT, she always turns the bit one rotation by hand to double check the clearance.
As I said earlier, we were expecting to cut biscuits and join single boards rather than glued assemblies, but we plum forgot and went ahead and glued up the section. Beth handles this cutting easily. She says that the weight of the assembly takes care of keeping the board flat on the table.
	This graphic may help you to understand how Beth makes a correct biscuit cut. In picture 1, she moves the piece into the cutter so that her line is at the right edge of the bearing - 2. Then she moves the board to the left until it gets to the left side of the bearing - 3. In picture 4, she eases the board away from the cutter.  I find that this method of biscuit cutting is faster and more exact than using my biscuit cutter.
As before, this view always looks strange, but Beth says that once the section is on the table it is easy to make the cut.
	Beth sets the section in place over the biscuits. This is only a dry fitting. I don't usually dry fit with biscuits in place, but this time we thought it would be a good idea. It fit well, so next, the glue-up.