# Regarding dado jigs



## DGrant (Jan 22, 2011)

My name is Don Grant and I own a music shop that does orchestra instrument repair in Hesperia CA.

We are needing to repair a xylophone where the end pieces have sustained quit a bit of damage. The cross braces that support the tone bars are farther apart on the left where the low note tone bars are suspended and closer together on the right where the high bone bars are suspended. The joint of these cross bars requires a even depth dado at the center of the xylophone and and an angled depth dado on the outer edges of the xylophone.

Is there a reference in the recommendation for a setup jig to cut angled depth dado's?

Thanks


----------



## xplorx4 (Dec 1, 2008)

Greetings Don and welcome to the router forum. Thank you for joining us, and remember to have fun, build well and above all be safe.


----------



## DGrant (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks for the the warm welcome Jerry. Look forward to the sharing among us.

Don


----------



## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

G'day Don

Welcome to the router forum. 

Thank you for joining us


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Don

If you have a Dremel tool the item below will work for you I think.

Milescraft - Universal Power Tool Attachments & Accessories - Rotary Tools - Angle Plunge

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ools&field-keywords=milescraft+1001&x=16&y=15

========



DGrant said:


> My name is Don Grant and I own a music shop that does orchestra instrument repair in Hesperia CA.
> 
> We are needing to repair a xylophone where the end pieces have sustained quit a bit of damage. The cross braces that support the tone bars are farther apart on the left where the low note tone bars are suspended and closer together on the right where the high bone bars are suspended. The joint of these cross bars requires a even depth dado at the center of the xylophone and and an angled depth dado on the outer edges of the xylophone.
> 
> ...


----------



## DGrant (Jan 22, 2011)

I'm thinking of creating a typical dado jig that I would raise up on one side of the jig to allow the bit to cut the dado across the board on an angle. Has anyone done that with success?


----------



## solodotcom (Apr 3, 2010)

Hi Don,
I've done it when making flutes on a piece by attaching a wedge to lift the router base at the end of a cut. You might be able to get the angle from the existing piece by lay a piece of material on top and scribing the existing dado onto it.
Steve


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Don

The jig below will put in angle dado's all day long..just need to lock in place with the knobs. 
You can use the router table or the hand router.

OR buy one like below
http://mlcswoodworking.com/orderstatus/html/smarthtml/pages/crosscut_sled.html
=====


----------



## DGrant (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions on my question.

The angle of the dado is not the angle across the plank but the uneven or angled depth of the dado itself. For instance, the cut is perpendicular to the edge of the plank and the cut is consistent across the plank, however the bottom of the dado is higher on one side of the groove and lower on the other.

I believe the answer is to create a jig that holds one side of the router higher which tilts the bit at the desired angle while making the cut across the plank.


----------



## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

You can make your own hill jig like below..
Video | Woodhaven

You don't need the high end Alum track just some 3/4" thick MDF will do the trick..for the hill..
=========



DGrant said:


> Thanks for the suggestions on my question.
> 
> The angle of the dado is not the angle across the plank but the uneven or angled depth of the dado itself. For instance, the cut is perpendicular to the edge of the plank and the cut is consistent across the plank, however the bottom of the dado is higher on one side of the groove and lower on the other.
> 
> I believe the answer is to create a jig that holds one side of the router higher which tilts the bit at the desired angle while making the cut across the plank.


----------



## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

If the dado you are trying to make is like the green one in my pic then you can just make a base for the router that is higher on one side than the other and run this through your dado jig or along a straight edge to make the cut.
If it's like the red dado, you won't be able to do that with an electric router.


----------



## Ralph Barker (Dec 15, 2008)

Hi, Don. Although I'm confident that the xylophone manufacturers either use CNC machines, or have their own (proprietary) jigs, I'm guessing there may be little consistency between instruments made by different manufacturers. Thus, any jig you would use for repair would probably need to be fairly general, and adjustable. 

If my mental image of the xylophone is correct, all of the tone bars are parallel, in a straight line. But, I can't tell from pictures whether some are tilted. If so, is that the reason for the varying depth on the dado in the frame? 

I could see something like a mortising jig for use with a guide bushing that has variable stops for length and width, and also height adjustment on one end to create the angle. To keep the height/angle adjustment out of the way, perhaps pinned bars, like shelf/lid supports could be used on the side, with wing nuts to hold the angle. The construction of the jig base, however, would have to be adaptable to the instrument frames of different manufacturers. 

"lid support" example:
Solid Brass Hardware - Rockler Woodworking Tools

essentially, just two strips pinned together in the middle.


----------



## Dr.Zook (Sep 10, 2004)

Welcome to the RouterForums Don.


----------



## DGrant (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks bobj3! I'm going to use that as a reference. I'll let you know how it goes. I will not get to cutting some time until next week. Again, thanks for the link.

DGrant


----------



## DGrant (Jan 22, 2011)

It would be like the green dado in your picture. If I attach a shim on the router base to create the same angle as the dado offset I believe I will need to have the bit be the exact width of the the finished dado. I can alter the depth to make several passes but not the width. A shim that protrudes slightly from the base to create a straight edge so as not to turn the router and change the angle of the cut.


----------



## gav (Oct 12, 2009)

Sounds like you've got it sorted in your head, now practice a bit on some scrap wood.
Let us know how it goes.


----------

