Had a cutoff jam in the insert yesterday and it caused a permanent pucker at the mouth that won't go flush with the table. RIDGID says my new one will be here in 10-14 days, so this AM I made one from 1/4" hardboard and thought I'd go back, take some pics and share this.
First, as with any small project under any router; do the routing from a large piece that can be clamped, then rough cut-out the part. Also, since the makers of hardboard (which is what I used here), subscribe to the definition of what a quarter inch really should measure, put out by the American Plywood Manufacturers. It's not .250", but .219".....currently............
I have to rout the waste to match the lip of the factory insert. So....
I need to create a 3/16" lip around the circumference of the insert and remove an area where the table ledge juts out.
What I did first was to drill a small hole in the base of this Dremel plunge base that results in the outer edge of my cut being equal to the diameter of my factory insert. I actually messed up and cut it a couple of thousandths too large. I think my hole in the base leans a little. I did drill it free-hand. Here's a pic showing the nail.
First, as with any small project under any router; do the routing from a large piece that can be clamped, then rough cut-out the part. Also, since the makers of hardboard (which is what I used here), subscribe to the definition of what a quarter inch really should measure, put out by the American Plywood Manufacturers. It's not .250", but .219".....currently............
I have to rout the waste to match the lip of the factory insert. So....
I need to create a 3/16" lip around the circumference of the insert and remove an area where the table ledge juts out.
What I did first was to drill a small hole in the base of this Dremel plunge base that results in the outer edge of my cut being equal to the diameter of my factory insert. I actually messed up and cut it a couple of thousandths too large. I think my hole in the base leans a little. I did drill it free-hand. Here's a pic showing the nail.
Next I need to find the thickness of the factory lip.
Now I know what I have to leave after routing the ledge. I subtract the .092 from the actual thickness of the hardboard of .219 and set the bit's max depth to .127. With this router, I can only set one depth stop so I just eyeball the incremental steps until I hit the stop. The bit I used is 1/4" HSS and smokes in this stuff.
After 3 passes I'm down to .127 and can cut the piece from the large blank. Then, I followed the outside wall of the groove with the bandsaw to free the insert.
Checking my resulting lip, I see I'm fairly close.
After 3 passes I'm down to .127 and can cut the piece from the large blank. Then, I followed the outside wall of the groove with the bandsaw to free the insert.
Checking my resulting lip, I see I'm fairly close.
My insert at this point is too large to pop into the table and requires some sanding to fit. I'll make a zero clearance insert later for those rare times when needed. Zero clearance inserts can ruin a blade very quickly due to heat buildup and the dulling effect of a blade always in contact with the insert.
