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This is a sample of the leg/apron joint I will use. The oak leg measures 1 3/4"
square, and I have cut sample apron pieces of 3/4" oak stock in a 3" width.
I am positioning the sides so that I have a 1/8" setback, or reveal. At
this point, I am just butting them together to get an idea of how the reveal would look.
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I want to choose a dovetail
bit that will be appropriate for the corner. In my CMT Incra Set of bits, there are
several dovetails to choose from. The small ones (1/2" and under) have a higher
dovetail angle. This makes for great drawers where the stock is usually thin, but I want a
longer tail cut. The two larger bits have 7o cuts. The smaller angle makes
possible, a longer tail. I am holding the 5/8" - 7o cutter on the stock to
see what it looks like.
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I roughly outline
the bit to see where the two cuts will be.
This is a sample leg but from the actual stock. Actually, I cut this piece
long by 5" so that I can run this test. Once I get it right, I will cut the leg to
length and re-do the corner when I do the other legs. There will be no chance for minor
variations this way.
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With the router unplugged, I lock the
shaft and install the 5/8" 7o bit.
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I install as small
an insert plate that the bit will allow. The Rout-R-Lift insert plates are nicely
machined and fasten in place easily and positively.
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I use the Rout-R-Lift's
handcrank to adjust the bit to the height I want. I use my pencil marks to guide the
positioning. I do not want to use the full height of the dovetail bit. The board
isn't thick enough, and the two dovetails would leave very little wood in between. This is
why sketching the joint helps to position the dovetails to the best depth.
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To set the fence properly,
I first move it until the router bit is centered at the edge of the fence. This is what it
looks like:
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With the fence centered
over the dovetail bit, I move the template to read "0" under the cursor.
In this photo, I am using the middle scale. The upper scale is set for measuring
distance to the saw blade when the unit is shifted to the table saw position. The lower
scale is a centering scale used in drawer dovetailing and other operations.
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I now use a formula
for moving the fence so that the dovetail bit will cut the slot at the right place.
First, I take one half the thickness of the side stock (1/2 of
3/4" = 3/8") and to that, I add the 1/8" reveal that I want (1/8" +
3/8" = 1/2"). Having "zeroed" the fence over the
dovetail bit's center point, I can now move the fence to the 1/2" point on the scale.
And remember, this formula only works when the fence is centered on the bit.
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I next set the Incra Stop using a side piece to judge the
depth. I want to set the stop so that the dovetail bit makes a groove about 3/8"
short of the edge. This doesn't have to be accurate since we will be cutting a haunch in
the side pieces to match the groove.
It is time to make some cuts.
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