Widening a rebate - best method?

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Jag62
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Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by Jag62 »

I need to widen the rebate on a moulding by 4mm on a large frame. I'm not sure which is the best method to use to avoid damage to the outer faces.

1. Table saw, multiple passes with front face of moulding facing upwards.
2. Table saw with 2 cuts - 1 pass as 1 above & one pass in line with inner rebate edge
3. Router (not sure which orientation to cut from (inner frame edge facing down or rear of frame facing down)?

Any advice gratefully received.

Kind regards,
Neil
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by vintage frames »

If I was doing this I would clamp the moulding upside down on the edge of the bench.
Then use a rebating router bit with a suitable dia. roller bearing guided along the sight edge.
Does that confuse?
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by Not your average framer »

I would not be greatly motivated to use any of these methods which you have listed as I prefer to use something less agresive and with a greater degree of feeling how the wood is cutting. I am fortunate enough to possess a couple of old fashioned fillister planes, on which the blade depth is very precisely adjustable and they both have adjustable side fences as well. Unless you are going to dismantle the frame first and then re-assemble it after machining using a table saw, is at best risky and if you are using a router accurately plunging in a the start of cut and accurately existing the router at the end of cut might be a problem.

You can only safely cut in one diection with a router and to go the opposite direction is highly dangerous, so not a great idea! Drilled a relief hole in each corner a using a fillister plane, of a rebate plane and cutting the rebate depth down in stages and carefully stopping in the relief hole at the end of cut is not a difficult thing to do. To be honest, I have never done anything like this and both safety and the ability to complete this in easily controlled stages would be of particular importance to me. Having said all this, enlarging the rebate in an existing frame is not a job that I would be overly keen to take on. It's not and quick and easy thing to do, nor is it likely to be a job which can be done at a sensible price either.

I would seriously question whether there is a worthwhile profit in taking this job on at all!
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by Jag62 »

Thanks both.

I'll be cutting the mouldings before building the frame. It's a frame approx 1600 x 1100 and has existing rabbet width of 7.5mm which I think needs to be at least 10-12mm to allow for expansion / contraction of 5mm acrylic.

I do have an inherited rabbet/fillister plane but that scares me more than using a router. I think I'll take the router roller bearing guide approach as I can use that upside down on the router table & see how close it's getting to the sight edge.

You're right, by the time I've finished the job there won't be much profit in it for me but I need to take all jobs on (within reason) to get the necessary experience. At least it might teach me to say a firm 'no' next time (or find a more appropriate moulding) !

Cheers,

Neil
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by prospero »

A router is your best option. It's possible with a table saw, but it's a bit iffy.

If you have a router mounted in a table with all the guides, etc then it's fairly simple. The main thing is to get the height
set spot on to avoid chewing the sight-edge.

If you haven't got a router table but have a router then it's fairly easy to knock up a jig.

Here's one I did earlier. :lol:
arouterdemo001.jpg
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by Steve N »

What I have done in the past , for exactly the same reason , was to glue in a slip to widen the existing rebate, I have used the plain wood version
https://www.wessexpictures.com/A046.html
As the frame was a hand finished in black, so cut and joined frame, cut and guled and pinned in the plain wood slip, then painted the whole lot, the frame was over 2 metres long by around 75cm High.
As the acrylic glazing was going to be spaced off the work by about 3cm, I didn't want the acrylic bending and Popping out of the frame, so needed a wide rebate, this worked a treat.
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by Not your average framer »

Sorry I thought this was enlarging the rebate on an existing frame. Now realising that is not the case, I would go for gluing in a slip to increase the effective rebate width as Steve has already suggested. It's so much easier, less difficulty and also better from the point of profitability!
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by fusionframer »

From your original post, you have a router and table saw you can use for the job. Given you want to do it as simply and quickly to maintain profitability, i would go (in order)

1 router, but only in you have a router table. Set up and pass each through, job done.

2. Table saw- you are only taking 3 - 5 mm off. As a blade will have a thickness (kerf) if 3mm, once set up, 1 or 2 passes will have the job done. Only thing to check with this method is how good your fence on the table saw is. Some cheaper table saws do have a bit of flex in the fence. But otherwise, simple to use a small off cut to get blade right.

3, router with flush trim bit - like vintage frames said, this is simple to do, and again, as you are only taking a few mm off, will be quick. Only issue with this is you will need a "dirty" area to work. Even taking a few mm off with a router will create plenty of dust, whereas with table saws and router tables dust extractors can be used.

4. Adding a slip - a good clean way to increase rebate, but for me, would be more costly and take longer than above 3 methods.

All methods mentioned are good ways to do it and this is only my order of doing it. It will depend how comfortable you are with using routers and table saws, and also if you have a space to create dust. I use woodworking machines every day. I did it a while back as first option as i was taking 3mm off. In fact, i chose it above using a rebate block on a spindle moulder because it was quicker than changing the block and setting it up.

At the end of the day, these are all good methods, so it is a case of going with what you feel most comfortable to do.

Good luck

Nick
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by Jag62 »

Thanks all for the advice.
I'd like the idea of inserting a slip but it would interrupt the simple lines of the frame.
Router table it is.

Regards,

Neil
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by JFeig »

There is nothing better than a RIGID SETUP with a table saw or a router table. Both will do a great job.

The caveat is that you have proper safety hold down accessories for safety and non-scuffing of the prefinished moulding. I prefer to use feather boards made from polypropylene with sanded and polished fingers.

amazon.com/POWERTEC-71553-Table-Fence-Featherboard/dp/B084ZFLM9Y/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=table+saw+fingerboard&qid=1628512596&sr=8-12
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Re: Widening a rebate - best method?

Post by fusionframer »

I agree re. Featherboards and also that the powertec ones are excellent. I use their push blocks too which are very good too.

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