How to cut slot in board with hand tools?

[Gilberto de Piento]

This is hard to describe so bear with me. See the link below for pics. Imagine you have a 2x4 that has been cut to 18" long. You want to cut a slot in it along the length of the board, maybe 1/2" deep and 1/8" wide. Exact dimensions of the slot aren't critical.

If you have a table saw you can set the blade to 1/2" above the table and run the board through the table saw. Very easy.

How do you do this with hand tools? Is clamping the board to bench and carefully cutting the slot by eyeballing it the best way to do it?

I want to make something like this but 18" long https://www.instructables.com/Playing-C ... -for-Kids/

[theanimal]

You can use a ripsaw. Make one or 2 cuts along the length of the board, stopping at your desired depth and chisel out anything that remains.

Alternatively, you could do it with a utility/marking knife and chisel. Make a cut lengthwise with the utility knife, then make another cut along the length next to the first just inside the waste portion but angle the utility knife at a 45 deg angle. This creates a knife wall and a you can remove the remaining portion with a chisel without big risk of tear out. Repeat as necessary until you reach desired depth.

[black_son_of_gray]

@animal beat me to it!

1) Cut two saw kerfs with a guide, then clean it up with a chisel/router plane - (@animal beat me to it! )

2) Don't cut a groove in the board at all - rip the 18" board lengthwise, if you have a rabbet/rebate plane cut a rabbet/rebate on one edge (this will become your groove), then re-glue the two halves together. If you don't have the plane, it can still be done with a chisel and some patience.

3) Rip the 18" board lengthwise, cut a different strip of wood that is smaller (maybe even a different color for contrast), make a sandwich glue-up of 1st half-strip-2nd half. The offset and thickness of the strip gives you your groove.

good luck!

[jacob]

+1

Since this is easier said than done, here's a process. You draw three lines: front, back, and top. The problem is that when sawing you can only see two at a time (front/top or top/back)---unless you have very wide-set eyes Therefore, first saw e.g. front/top, that is, all the way down at the front + all the way back at the top. You now sawed out a triangle of the square of wood you'll eventually remove.

Now flip the wood. Then, using the grove (kerf) you already made to guide you. Saw all the way down at the back while using the existing groove to guide the saw (keeping the front of the saw down at the front of the groove---the wide part of the triangle you just cut). Read carefully. It's much easier shown that written

This is also a way to cut perfect dovetails. There are different methods. This is mine.

Also, this is why owning a slim bench chisel is nice. Unless your groove is exactly the width of your chisel or wider, that is, your chisel fits into the slot, you're SOL. The alternative is to use a coping saw or redesign the problem. Therein lies the fun of translating projects between powertools and handtools. The respective designs often presume the respective solutions.

Add: If the slot is wide, it's easier to saw multiple times (like 3 or 4) than just doing either side and trying to chisel out a wide area. Sawing (and drilling) is much easier and cleaner than chiseling. The complication here is that you're doing it at an angle. A redesign may include assembling 2 or 3 different pieces to /create/ the grooves instead of cutting them out.

[theanimal]

This is also a way to cut perfect dovetails. There are different methods. This is mine.

Neat, I hadn't thought of doing it that way. I have a bunch to cut Monday and will try that out.

[ffj]

Are you cutting those slots at an angle? As in the instructable? That's going to be a challenge if so.

Just for contrast, you could also make a push plane out of a chisel with a block of wood. Even put a fence guide on it to maintain parallel.

Turn the chisel upside down and mount it to the wood at a 30 degree angle.

[jacob]

Just for contrast, you could also make a push plane out of a chisel with a block of wood. Even put a fence guide on it to maintain parallel.
Turn the chisel upside down and mount it to the wood at a 30 degree angle.

These are surprisingly good. I sold my router plane when I learned this trick.

[jacob]

Actually, I have a possibly better idea. Instead of sawing and chiseling out the bottom of the slot, use a drill bit with the same diameter as the slot (1/8" or what?) and drill in [horizontally] from both sides at the bottom of the slot. (It's almost always better to drill accurate holes going halfway in from each side rather than all the way through from one side. You don't even need to be all that accurate with the angle for that to work. Think about it, you're cutting the error by 2 by only going halfway twice.)

Then saw down to the perimeter of the hole you just made using the triangle technique I described above. Presto. The slot now has a clean/nice bottom.

[Gilberto de Piento]

Thanks for all the ideas! I will try to make one work and let you know what happens. Finding time is the real challenge.