# routing cross cuts on 2x10 pine for a bookcase



## QuietIrishman (Aug 16, 2008)

Howdy. I'm a new guy to this forum so... be gentle with me. 
I'm making a bookcase for my daughter who has admired a nicknack shelf I made many years ago that still hangs in our family room. Sides were cut from a highly figured (but cheap!) 2x8 and the shelves are clear pine. Dark stained, not bad. I discovered how tough it is to cut a 16' 2x10 to two 6' verticals for the sides on my ancient (but solid) 10" Craftsman table saw, and now want to mortise out 1/2" deep grooves into which I plan to fit the shelves. I don't trust the table saw to give me tight-fitting mortises, and the 72" 2x10's are too awkward to cut on my Incra router table. Looking for suggestions on how to lay out the 6 mortise cuts, 90 degree true, without painstakingly clamping a straight-edge to the 2x10's for each of 12 cuts. Suggestions?


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## AxlMyk (Jun 13, 2006)

Welcome to the forums.

Use double sided tape to attach the outsides of the 2x10s side-by-side to some hardboard, thin plywood, or what you have on hand.

Put the router in a base, attach a fence (straight piece of scrap) to the 2x10s, and route the dados. That way you'll be making 6 cuts, and they will be aligned.


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## Check twice! (Feb 11, 2008)

Hi and welcome to the forums.

I like simple and to me I would likely clamp the two sides together outside down, and just make six cuts. That way the two sides are as true as the measurer. I am sure there are many other ways and I am sure one of the community will give another method.

Have a great day and welcome
John


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi QuietIrishman

They make a tool just for this type of job, plus it can be used it in many other ways as well...I made one (base plates) for the router and one for my power hand saw, once it's clamped in place it stays in place, plus you can use it over and over...

You can also buy the ready made base plates or use the guide without the base plates..but the guide type base plates work very well ,you almost don't need to hold it down in place or guide it ,all that's needed is to just push it just a bit.

Mike's way will work but you can eat up rolls of double sided tape and once it's stuck to the boards it's stuck in place.... 

All-In-One Clamp Guides
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16448&filter=clamps

OR
You can make the quick shop made jig to get the job done,see below 
http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/2711-dado-jig-plunge-router.html
http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/4371-details-dado-jig-please.html#post41464


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QuietIrishman said:


> Howdy. I'm a new guy to this forum so... be gentle with me.
> I'm making a bookcase for my daughter who has admired a nicknack shelf I made many years ago that still hangs in our family room. Sides were cut from a highly figured (but cheap!) 2x8 and the shelves are clear pine. Dark stained, not bad. I discovered how tough it is to cut a 16' 2x10 to two 6' verticals for the sides on my ancient (but solid) 10" Craftsman table saw, and now want to mortise out 1/2" deep grooves into which I plan to fit the shelves. I don't trust the table saw to give me tight-fitting mortises, and the 72" 2x10's are too awkward to cut on my Incra router table. Looking for suggestions on how to lay out the 6 mortise cuts, 90 degree true, without painstakingly clamping a straight-edge to the 2x10's for each of 12 cuts. Suggestions?


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## Dave in Md (Aug 6, 2008)

QuietIrishman said:


> Howdy. I'm a new guy to this forum so... be gentle with me.
> I'm making a bookcase for my daughter who has admired a nicknack shelf I made many years ago that still hangs in our family room. Sides were cut from a highly figured (but cheap!) 2x8 and the shelves are clear pine. Dark stained, not bad. I discovered how tough it is to cut a 16' 2x10 to two 6' verticals for the sides on my ancient (but solid) 10" Craftsman table saw, and now want to mortise out 1/2" deep grooves into which I plan to fit the shelves. I don't trust the table saw to give me tight-fitting mortises, and the 72" 2x10's are too awkward to cut on my Incra router table. Looking for suggestions on how to lay out the 6 mortise cuts, 90 degree true, without painstakingly clamping a straight-edge to the 2x10's for each of 12 cuts. Suggestions?


Quiet, here is a nice little jig at WOOD magazine Select woodworking plans then routing then Exact-Width Dado Jig I would just make parts A long enough to do both side pieces at the same time as John suggested


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## Mark (Aug 4, 2004)

Welcome


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## TWheels (May 26, 2006)

Mr. QuietIrishman, Welcome to the best woodworking forum on the web, and to the people, the administrators, moderators and "regular" members who make it so. 

I am (still) engaged in a similar project. How thick are your shelves? Do you really mean mortise cuts or dado cuts? My shelves are nominally 1 x 10's, actually 3/4 in thick.

I am making a jig that has a 1 in groove and on one side is of a length equal to the spacing between the shelves. That end of the jig has a piece that is the thickness of the shelves. The two sides, which are 2 x 10 inch, about 90 inch long, are clamped at or near both ends, and at least the bottom ends are even and absolutely square. The cuts are made with a hand held router fitted with a 1 in outer diameter guide bushing and a 3/4 in router bit. The cuts are 3/8 in deep. As each cut is completed, the jig is moved to the next position. 

I hope very much that I am being helpful. There are many ways to accomplish the same end. The way I described I derived from this forum. I also hope I am not being redundant.

My project involves shelves along walls so there are two outside and one to three internal vertical 2 x 10. This project is actually the raison d'etre for me owning a router in the first place, as explained to my spouse.


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