Routing Slots In Mdf

Posted on 4/9/2022by admin

What is a sacrificial bed and how does it help the cutting process?

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A sacrificial bed is a sheet of material that is placed on top of an aluminum vacuum deck. We recommend using general purpose Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) for the following reasons:

Low cost
Wide availability
Low wear on tooling
It’s porous allowing maximum airflow

Cut a continuous slot on boards thicker than 3/4 in. If you want to make biscuit joints, you don’t have to buy a biscuit joiner. In most cases, a router equipped with a 5/32-in. Slot bit can cut perfect slots to fit the biscuits. Mark the biscuit positions on both adjoining boards as you would with a biscuit joiner. MDF has been used in a number of recently built tracks, it produces a smoother surface and a smoother slot, it is better structurally. MDF is a little heavier, but perhaps thinner sheet can be used. The minimum thickness for the track surface is 12mm (1/2 inch), although if you are using chipboard, a greater thickness is an advantage. Routing a road course will require different sizes and/or strips. I mark off a 3/8' wide outer cushion. There is an extra slot being routed on the outside that will be used to mount our wall. I need at least 3/8' to give it strength at the very edges.

You can use almost any thickness of MDF, from ¼” (6mm) to 1” (25mm).

The sacrificial bed allows the machine to fully cut through material without permanently damaging the deck. When set correctly, the tool will very lightly mark the surface of the MDF which can be skimmed regularly to keep it smooth and flat and to minimize vacuum leakage.

What sacrificial bed options are available?

For routing operations, there are two ways to attach your MDF:

Option One: The MDF is placed loosely upon the machine and requires the strength of the vacuum pump or blower to hold it in place.

Option Two: The MDF is mechanically fixed to the machine vacuum deck using the t-slots. This ensures the bed is flat and allows the surface to be regularly skimmed, improving cutting efficiently and sacrificial bed lifespan.

In addition, for those CNC routers that have knife units, we provide additional solutions to protect the sacrificial bed. A self-healing rubber mat is normally used on the surface of the MDF and can be safely cut into be the knife blade without causing damage.

Why is fixed better?

A mechanically fixed sacrificial bed inevitably has a longer life span. A fixed bed allows operators to re-skim the surface after which they’ll be cutting in a new, clean working area. After skimming the bed, the accuracy of the Z axis is more reliable and therefore, provides high quality cutting and precision.

How do I maintain my fixed sacrificial bed?

Naturally, when processing material, you will mark the surface of the MDF. Unfortunately, this will eventually cause vacuum bleed. In order to counteract this process, AXYZ recommends skimming the MDF bed regularly.

If the surface is skimmed by 0.2mm on a weekly basis, we recommend the MDF bed is replaced after six months. However, this is largely dependent on the type of work you’re completing. The core of the MDF can become ‘furry’ making it difficult to hold smaller parts at the end of the cutting process. If the CNC router is predominately processing larger components, the hold down will be perfectly acceptable for a further six months.

Replacing your mechanically fixed sacrificial bed is relatively straight forward and should take no more than a few hours to complete, depending on the size of machine

If you are replacing your sacrificial bed, make sure there is no swarf or debris between the aluminum vacuum deck and your new piece of MDF. The same can be said when replacing the material for cutting.

A guide is available to customers who wish to know more.

Author: Ged Lodge is an Applications Specialist for AXYZ, a global manufacturer of CNC router and knife systems. Ged has over 10 years’ experience with AXYZ and over 25 years’ experience with CNC routers.

Best Router Table Reviews of 2020

Kreg PRS1045 Router Table

High-performance like no other

A solidly-built router table that’s made for even the most demanding projects.

1 Kreg PRS1045 Review

You get what you pay for, and the Kreg PRS1045 bundle is a glowing example of quality. This heavy-duty, expertly crafted table and kit is truly a “cut” above. The wide, smooth, flimsiness-free table is ideal for small hobby projects and large-scale professional endeavors alike.

Everything about this wood router table is geared toward precision, accuracy, and dependability. Kreg describes the tabletop as “high performance”, and we couldn’t agree more: it’s very stable and entirely vibration-free despite its MDF, laminate-coated construction.

What we really love is the adjustable steel stand—while its lack of a cabinet base makes the dust collection ports utterly crucial, the stand allows for a rarely seen kind of personalization. It’s easily adjustable and unerringly stable, and even includes smooth-rolling caster wheels. The fence is top-notch and equipped with bells and whistles that make any project easier.

With this particular Kreg model, you’re investing in not only one of the best router tables but a fully-functional, independent router system that leaves you wanting for nothing. It’s perfect for the passionate hobbyist investing in a long-term love or the professional woodworker with scrupulous tastes. Either way, this table is a win-win with very few drawbacks that makes it our top rated router table.

Pros

The micro-adjuster takes all of the guess-work out of fine-tuned fence adjustment.
The fence moves smoothly and locks securely in place.
The two-part fence is easily adjusted for dust collection and limitless project potential.
Kreg goes above and beyond with four plate levelers, which help ensure that the mounting plate and tabletop are perfectly flush.
Included jointing rods turn the fence into a jointer and edger.

Cons

You have to apply the fence’s measuring tape by hand (it’s adhesive), which can be difficult to get just right.

Bosch RA1181 Benchtop Router Table

Good value with great accessories

A well-crafted router table that comes with all the extra accessories you could need.

2 Bosch RA1181 Review

A name like Bosch is instinctively trust-inducing, and you aren’t wrong to trust this affordable, fully decked-out table. Not only is its construction solid—there are also no complaints about vibrations or instability from this time-tested table—but it’s equipped with just about all the extras you could expect from a high-end product without the price point.

The Bosch RA1181 includes a two-sided outlet setup, a convenient 6-foot chord, guards and starter pins, an easily-adjustable fence, and a variety of other mind-easing features that make this router table safe, affordable, and versatile.

Solid, rigid, high-quality parts and a price point to beat out most low-end router tables: what else could you want? These factors have earned it an uncontested spot as our best affordable router table.

Pros

It comes with several base plates that make it compatible with most routers.
The Bosch RA1181 comes with two easy-to-use, adjustable feather boards.
Its dust port is perfectly placed (and perfectly sized) along the fence, connecting to a regular wet/dry or shop vac.
Its two outfeed fence shims give you the ease of a one-piece fence with the versatility of a two-piece product.

Cons

Despite its variety of base plates, it doesn’t work with all routers, so you may need to custom-drill a plate for the right fit with a drill.
The aluminum top is a little rough, so more serious woodworkers may want to sand or polish it for a smoother finish.

Bench Dog 40-001 ProTop Contractor Benchtop Router Table

Cutting Slots In Mdf

Perfect for DIYers

The simple set up and compact design make this router table perfect for hobbyists.

3 Bench Dog 40-001 Review

The solidly reputed Bench Dog has created a quality router table in the Bench Dog 40-001 for the hobbyist or DIYer. The materials—like a laminate top and MDF with melamine base—are a little lacking, but still totally workable, compared to the Bosch.

What does it have that the Bosch doesn’t? This router is equipped with an accessory track for easy addition of miter gauges.

It’s also got a totally enclosed cabinet underneath, which serves to lessen noise, minimize the spread of debris, and increase storage space. It’s got other bells and whistles, too, like multiple fence slots, so you can accommodate a variety of wood sizes and work from several angles.

Its construction is comparatively simple and its setup a little more involved, both of which may make this router table less suitable for the serious woodworker. However, the Bench Dog 40-01 is still one of the best router tables available for the casual woodworker.

Pros

The fence is a high-quality, two-part fence, so the infeed and outfeed ends can be adjusted independently.
The face boards and accessory track are adjustable, so you can customize the table setup.
The dust collection feature is also moveable, so it’s easy to keep your workstation clean.
The adjustable fence slots are a huge boon for those who work on a variety of projects.

Cons

The material quality of the base plate—which holds your router—is a bit flimsy. It’s also not totally rigid, and is difficult to keep perfectly flush with the table itself.

Bosch RA1171 Cabinet Style Router Table

Best budget router table

This simplistic but sturdy router table is great for DIYers looking for a budget-friendly tool.

4 Bosch RA1171 Review

A nearly unbeatable price, a solid and carefully calculated construction, and an accessory slot capable of accommodating a growing range of tools for the expanding woodworker: all of these features make the Bosch RA1171 our pick as the best budget router table.

The wonderfully smooth table surface, top-notch router mounting plate, and convenient feather boards make this table an excellent choice for the hobbyist woodworker.

The Bosch RA1171 is a simple but versatile tool ideal for the hobbyist, although its simplicity may feel limiting for more experienced woodworkers.

However, its quality and the care taken in its construction are undeniable, making it one of the best cheap router tables available.

Pros

The aluminum base plate is rigid, sturdy, and reliable.
The cabinet-style base is ideal for noise reduction and dust-collection.
Two convenient dust collection ports make keeping your workstation clean easy.
It comes with everything you need to get started, including two feather boards, mounting plate rings, a starter pin, and fence shims for increased versatility.

Cons

The tabletop is made of laminated MDF, so it’s smooth but not nearly as durable as higher-end options.
The table’s size may limit serious woodworkers from taking on larger workpieces.

1. What are the benefits of a router table?

Chances are, if you’re in the market for a router table, you already own a wood router. Those are used to make cuts or designs in wood, including everything from joints and rabbeting to decorative patterns.

Router tables take things a step further for the serious woodworker by allowing for greater versatility, precision, stability, and safety. They’re not just surfaces: you actually mount the router to the table. The aforementioned qualities are key to a good router table:

Hands-free control

With handheld operation, you only have one hand free to turn and feed the wood. When you mount your router to the table, you no longer move the router by hand. Instead, you have both hands free to manipulate the wood itself, allowing for far greater control and more project options.

Precision

Speaking of control, having both hands free makes precision-oriented wood router tasks much easier: namely, edging, cutting designs, doing groove and trim work, and other intricate tasks.

Stability

Of course, you could argue that any surface can be cut upon, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But a well-crafted router table allows for a level of stability that can’t be obtained using an everyday table.

Other surfaces allow for irregularity, movement, and uneven surfaces; these risk errors, imperfections, or outright danger in your work.

Safety

Working on a large piece of wood for simple cuts without a router table is fine. However, some wood routing tasks can’t be completed safely without a high-quality surface to cut on.

If you’re working on small or narrow pieces, making slots, making joinery cuts, or creating panels in a door, however, there’s a lot of room for slippage that could both ruin your project, destroy your machine, or harm the operator (you) if you’re not careful. A routing table reduces or completely eliminates these risks and allows you to work with peace of mind.

2. When to use a router table

In a nutshell, router tables can be used for anything a free-standing router can, but with more safety and accuracy. They’re especially useful for projects involving:

Stopped cuts
Creation of molding or intricate design work
Slots and grooves
Joinery work
Small, thin, or narrow wood
Edging
Box joints

3. What to look for in a routing table’s surface

The foundation of a router table isn’t actually the foundation. It’s the top of the table. You need two main elements for a tabletop conducive to precise woodworking: a perfectly flat top and a perfectly firm top.

Flat-top router tables

If you’re doing anything other than cutting a straight line, the slightest irregularities in the top of your router table can lead to irregularities in your wood. Unnecessary grooves, imperfections in the material, bumps, and similar flaws in the tabletop can easily affect the quality of your cuts.

Imagine you’re drawing on your kitchen table. Your pencil encounters a crumb under the paper and jolts to the side, creating a tiny “bump” in the line you drew. That’s what happens when the bit of your router encounters an imperfection in the table.

Choose a firm-top router table

A firm tabletop is similarly important. You must apply pressure to feed wood into your wood router. If the material upon which you’re pressing gives under pressure, if will affect your cut—because both the wood and the router will move as the table does.

Imagine you’re drawing on a soft-cover book. The book is thick, but it bends slightly as you press down with your pencil. Is it possible to get a perfectly accurate line? No. The same is true of the firmness of your router table.

Firmness—as well as flatness, stability, and a range of other crucial features—are also affected by what the routing table is made of, we have listed the best materials in the next section.

4. Best tabletop materials

Router tables can be made from a range of different materials. The material you need, in part, will depend on the types of projects you’re doing and how much you’re willing to spend. Three main materials have moved to the forefront of router table construction:

1. Cast iron router tables

Iron router tables, just like many cabinet table saws are typically made of cast iron, an alloy of iron and carbon. It’s a top of the line material in many operations because of its firmness, stability, and superior flatness.

As a bonus, it’s also the best router table material for absorbing vibrations from your router, which reduces the possibility of those vibrations affecting your cuts.

Note that, while less high-end, other metals (like aluminum) are also solid, reliable choices.

2. MDF router tables

MDF (medium-density fiberboard) is the most cost-effective option for your router table material. That doesn’t mean it’s poor-quality; however, on its own, cutting wood on wood would leave too much room for bending and instability.

That’s why MDF tables must be finished with something—typically a laminate or melamine. Budget options typically use melamine, which provides basic protection and a functionally smooth surface.

Higher-end MDF tables will use a high-pressure laminate, or HPL, which is stronger and more resistant to damage than melamine-coated tables. HPL is a resin-based coating coated in melamine, so it provides an extra layer of protection and durability.

3. Resin router tables

If your budget is somewhere in the middle of MDF and cast-iron, resin router tables are an excellent choice. They are extremely rigid, offer more stability than MDF, and are highly resistant to impact, damage, and moisture.

5. A stable router table base is crucial

The slightest movement or unexpected jerk can ruin an entire woodworking project. Fluidity and control are key to getting a good cut. But, no matter how experienced a woodworker you are, it’s impossible to achieve this if your base moves. A stable routing table has a few basic qualities.

The base is attached securely to the tabletop:

Make sure there’s no give between the two when wiggled or pressed. They should feel inseparable, as movement between the two can cause vibrations and ruin your project.

The base itself should be immovable:

Even if it’s portable, it can’t move when you’re working. So, it either needs to be heavy and sturdy enough not to move with the pressure of you and your machine, or it needs to have a mechanism that allows you to fasten it down. If it moves unexpectedly, the sharp bit of your router could ruin your project, your router, or even your fingers!

6. The Best Router Tables in 2019 & 2020

7. Which router fence system to choose

The “fence” isn’t just the border to the main attraction in this case. The fence acts as a guide or a support for cutting straight. You’ll keep your wood pressed against the fence as you push it into the bit to avoid shaky lines that might otherwise result from movement.

Like router tables, the fence itself comes in a range of types and on a spectrum of quality. Some fences are immovable chunks of material that are just straight and firm enough to get the job done; others incorporate high-quality materials and state-of-the-art measuring systems for the serious, precise woodworker.

Regardless of quality and versatility, there are two main types of router fences:

Split router table fences, or two-piece fences, (predictably) come in two sections on either side of your router bit. That means that you can position them either offset or in-line with each other. You can also move them closer together or further apart around the bit.
However, while more sophisticated than one-piece fences, split router table fences come with one challenge: the two pieces must be in near-perfect alignment, or they’ll cause you to create an uneven cut because you’re pressing against an uneven surface.
One-piece router fences don’t have this problem. However, they can be less sophisticated: because they’re not adjustable, the clearance hole in the fence has to be large enough to accommodate your largest bit.
They can also be limiting in the kinds of projects they enable: for example, only split router table fences allow for joining two edges together, and one-piece fences don’t support zero-clearance work.

If you don’t want to deal with the alignment issue but do want to joint edges and complete zero-clearance work, some routing tables include (or can have added to them) fence faces that act as shims to offset two sections of a one-piece fence without requiring extensive alignment work.

8. What makes a high-quality base plate?

To use a routing table, you need to fix your wood router to the table. That’s done using the router table’s base plate. Several factors can determine whether the base plate makes your setup and routing experience smooth or nightmarish.

Material matters: Choose a base plate made of aluminum or resin. They’re the most strong and solid options.
Alignment is key in all things routing, and the base plate is no exception. Make sure your router table incorporates a leveling system for the base plate (usually, that consists of adjustable screws) to keep the base plate perfectly flush against the table surface.

9. Accessories for your router table

The wood router and the table themselves aren’t the only things that define your woodworking experience. Router tables come with (or can be upgraded with) a variety of awesome accessories to help you tailor your table to your needs.