Dovetail slots like the MicroJig MatchFit system. While they sell a fancy pair of bits for making th slots, they also say any 14* dovetail bit will work. They sell hardware packs, and a little searching on Thingiverse (or similar sites) will find printable alternatives.
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Wish I’d seen THOSE before. I don’t think i can rout a straight line, but I can cut a bevel on my table saw well enough. Cut some strips, nail them down with a spacer for the right gap, bada Bing bada boom, done in an afternoon. Took me a week to print all my t-track.
Or, get a dovetail bit that fits in your CNC and use it to make the grooves. Might want to run a straight groove first, then follow with the dovetail bit to reduce the load on the dovetail bit and provide for better chip evacuation.
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I always struggle with how to use the cnc to make a spoilboard bigger than the cut area of my cnc. After all, I want to be able to clamp from outside the area, too.
Now, using the big cnc to make a spoilboard for the small cnc…that is probable gonna happen now, because I’ve already got a crappy HF bit that fits the 611. Going to wait for the primo rebuild, so a couple months or a little more, but it’s gonna happen.
The table saw idea has now officially caught my attention.
As far as routing them. I’ve planned mine machine to have about an inch more travel in X and Y then my largest desired workpiece. Hopefully that will give me enough wiggle room to get them cut by the CNC itself. I’ve cut the rail tubes, but not built the table yet. Original plan is to have a reversible spoilboard - flat (and sealed) on one side for vacuum hold-down of foam sheets, and a grid of dovetails slots on the other for clamping.
Now I’m thinking that cutting on the tablesaw will be a lot faster, and I could either glue the dovetail pieces to a piece of 1/4" MDF, or just have a second spoilboard that laid over the slots…
Rats. Time do dive back into “thinking this through before committing to a table design.”
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I’m not sure if you deserve “you’re welcome” or “I’m sorry”
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Both work! Thanks for the good idea!
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