# Cutting parallel horizontal slots to duplicate this molding.



## mike72903 (Apr 19, 2012)

Hello everyone, been reading for a while, thanks for all the great information. Time for my first question and hope someone can help. I have some one-of-a-kind molding that I want to match. I need to route 2 inch long, 3/16 inch wide slots spaced the same with the approximate same depth in a board length of 6 feet. I'm rebuilding my wood windows and want to replace the modern casing around them with something similar to the picture which is on one of the doors in the living room. I envision a plunge router constrained by a bushing riding in a slot cut to the correct length and at right angles to the board being cut. But, how to index either the router or the wood in equal steps? Anyone have a clever idea how to accomplish this? The board being routed will be a flat board and the rest of the molding edges will be built up after. I'm going to need about 50 feet so a lot of work and I'm looking for anyway that will speed this up while allowing accuracy. 
BTW I did consider routing completely through a wide board and then cutting the correct width out and gluing strips to the edges but that would leave me with square ends to the slots and I would prefer the same rounded appearance.
Thanks so much, Mike
PS, the story that came with the house from a PO was the molding was brought back from England by the person who built the house. No idea if that's actually correct but someone did a LOT of work to accomplish this. House was built in 1925 so the molding is at least that old and perhaps older.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Mike,

You could make the jig with a pair of pins that index in the previous slot. Then it's a matter of indexing on the previous flute.

Just an idea,


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

Would be a great project for the ski jig,just drop and slot,with some cut up spacer blocks for the indexing..

===


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

My guess is that that was pressed into the wood with a rolling wheel.


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## mike72903 (Apr 19, 2012)

Doug, thanks for the suggestion. Under consideration
Bob, I had to look up what a ski jig was. Would work with indexing
Chuck, I have never heard of a rolling wheel so googled "embossing wood with rolling wheel" Interesting, thanks.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

I think I would get an 8' piece of peg board (probably the type with the slightly larger holes) and lay the stock on top of it. Then I would then make a square router base out of thin plywood or plastic so that the router would always stay parallel to the stock. Then put 2 "pegs" in the peg board, one on each side of the stock. The pegs would be set based on the what ever spacing I wanted the grooves in the stock to be. I would route one groove then pull the pegs and move them down a few holes and do it again. Probably a 3/16" core bit would work.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

mike72903 said:


> I envision a plunge router constrained by a bushing riding in a slot cut to the correct length and at right angles to the board being cut. But, how to index either the router or the wood in equal steps? Anyone have a clever idea how to accomplish this?
> BTW I did consider routing completely through a wide board and then cutting the correct width out and gluing strips to the edges but that would leave me with square ends to the slots and I would prefer the same rounded appearance.


Yep, that's basically how I would do it. 
Index them? No prob. Clever idea? Don't know if I'd go so far as to call it that.

Don't know how clearly I can get this part across. I'd rout the correct size slots, at least two slots, completely thru a piece of plywood, at least 1/2" thick. Gluing, nailing, or screwing, a guide strip under one edge, so that the slots would be centered on the work piece as I wanted. Position the jig so the first slot is exactly where you want to rout in the work piece, clamp in place, rout, then the second, or more, slots will also be in place so rout those too. Loosen your jig. Slide it along, until the last work slot is centered exactly under the thru first thru slot. If you wanted to get fancy, you could make a fixture that would fit in and align it just so, then clamp. Rout as many holes as you have free in the jig, repeat as needed. And that's how I do things like that, with not enough inaccuracy to be able to tell. Except instead of clamping my jigs down, I usually tack them down with slim nails, but that leaves nail holes, which I'm thinking you don't want to have.


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Plunge router that only slides in the same "track" back and forth. Under said track, slide the workpiece left or right and align (index) with accurate markings on the workpiece. This is a piece of cake project - all you really need is workbench length adequate for the sliding travel under [perpendicular] track. Do not continuously reposition the router - only the workpiece. This can be done in a two minutes per linear foot, no problem!


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## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Otis (OPG3) has a good method. I would do it his way, but possibly add a swinging stop that would be shaped to fit in one of the grooves. Each time you moved the work you could then swing down this stop to engage a previously cut groove. This would eliminate the need to measure and mark for each groove being cut.

Charley


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Charles, that is a very good idea! Those grooves look about the size of an ice cream stick - I'll eat the ice cream and you can glue on the sticks! Seriously that is a great suggestion! Anytime repetitive measuring, marking and aligning can be eliminated is good!


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## mike72903 (Apr 19, 2012)

Thanks everyone, all very helpful ideas. Marking and moving the stock is the simplest idea and probably the fastest with or without a swinging stop.


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## mike72903 (Apr 19, 2012)

Just an FYI. I built a simple jig that worked fine and purchased a new Amana 3/16 inch diameter core box bit. But when cutting across the grain the resulting grooves are just not smooth enough and there is a slight bit of tear out along the edges. I can sand the tear out but the roughness especially on the edges of the grooves is just too much to try and deal with. I'm not going to try and sand what I estimate 1800 small grooves 2 inches long. I tried poplar and the back side of a piece of nice clear pine molding. Both did about the same I'm assuming its because of cutting across the grain. RATS!:cray:


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

If it's gonna be painted, try mdf


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## mike72903 (Apr 19, 2012)

kp91 said:


> If it's gonna be painted, try mdf


DOH! thanks for the slap upside the head. I was trying to think of a synthetic material I could use that would route cleanly. Don't know why mdf didn't occur to me. Not sure how long the bit would hold up in mdf.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

mike72903 said:


> DOH! thanks for the slap upside the head. I was trying to think of a synthetic material I could use that would route cleanly. Don't know why mdf didn't occur to me. Not sure how long the bit would hold up in mdf.


You can always give it a quick hone if you notice the cutter start to get dull.


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