Ⓕ Quick & Accurate Router Slots Trick - (ep94)

Laying out & cutting slots for shop projects or jigs can be a little tricky - I use a couple drill bits and a shop made spacer and after a little setup, I'm cutting more slots than Bob Ross had happy trees
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[@wb_finewoodworking]

Nick, it’s so comforting to know that someone’s shop is as disorganized as mine. I’d feel right at home there. 😄 Seriously this is a good technique that I’ll have to file away for when I need to rout a slot. I enjoy your practical tips and projects. Thanks.

[@NickFerry]

No problem - the shop is what it is and I’m sure we’re not alone

[@thegoodfight365]

i just wanted to tell you that I'm forever grateful for the drill bit measurement tip you shared in one of your earlier videos. I've even expanded the tip to using whatever i have around with a known size. For instance i have co-workers and cronies who will reach for a chisel (1/2 inch or 3/4 ) to check when the material is planned to proper thickness. And like the drill bits they're not like to ever be off enough to matter. I could go on for days with examples of the things we've used since your video. But when I first shared it, almost a year ago they all criticized me. Now I just smile when I see one of them using your tip. We get the last laugh. Thanks 👍🏾

[@NickFerry]

That’s awesome - and one of the better comments I’ve gotten in a while - thanks man and I’m glad I could help

[@deals360]

Nick it is great to see you uploading videos again, I have missed them. Your so great at your presentation and entertainment content.

[@NickFerry]

Thanks I genuinely appreciate that - makes me want to keep it going

[@blackemmons]

I always like a bench that looks like mine. It's comforting to know I'm not alone. Good tip. Thanks. Don't stay gone so long. JImE

[@NickFerry]

Thanks man - sterile shops are no fun - I have some more coming up and hopefully this time I don’t go months in between

[@deliawood1]

3 years ago so I’m a bit late but I need to make an adjustable fence. You have solved my problem so thank you and greetings from Australia 🇦🇺.

[@NickFerry]

Absolutely my pleasure - I spoke to a family from Victoria this past weekend - small world ✌🏼❤️

[@deliawood1]

@@NickFerry I’m from Sydney NSW. Victorians are our Mexicans. Just joking we love them but a lot of rivalry.

[@trumpingtonfanhurst694]

Clearly and well spoken with lots of great hints. Then humor to boot. Thanks for this.

[@NickFerry]

Thanks much

[@stormman8393]

Great idea. I will be trying this out.

[@tjacksonwoodworker3726]

Very clever idea and useful. I use set up blocks for almost all my tools..Repeatability is a nice quality..

[@NickFerry]

Exactly - I don’t know how people work without them

[@GNU_Linux_for_good]

04:40 OMG - Nick's beard has grown since the last time I was here.

[@NickFerry]

It has a mind of its own

[@GNU_Linux_for_good]

@@NickFerry ha.. ha..

[@DreidMusicalX]

Always like watching new woodworking videos to maybe learn new things. I like the drillbit trick. That will help me a bit better in making my pedal board slots for cables to run in and out of.

[@NickFerry]

Nice - pedal boards are always fun because if the unique nature of them never being the same setup

[@NH4Ukraine2]

I can't tell you how much good it did my heart to see your shop a mess. That's not a put down, I just feel a kinship with you now. Great video. BTW, I'd be interested to see how you carved the "Stacey" sign. Thanks, Nick.

[@NickFerry]

It always seems to be in a state of “progress” - I wouldn’t like a sterile shop - now as I type this, I’m re-reading your mentioning the sign - maybe it’s late or maybe I can think of a reason to show what I did to get to that point - the short of it? Maybe I’ll do a video on it - stay tuned

[@ric6142]

Damn man you've been missed. Looking good and great tip!

[@NickFerry]

thanks much man - always feels good to have a vid out

[@dannymurphy1779]

Great method for those of us who don't want to use the router table to cut slots.

[@NickFerry]

Yuppers - great for stop dados too

[@LordDecapo]

Thanks for this upload :D I have boards that are 10/16in wide and I only have a 1/2in router bit. To make slots for a bookshelf, I had an idea for a fence, but this makes it 10x easier to setup than what I was gonna do. Will just make 2 spacers, 1 for each side of the slot I need.

[@Eatingbusiness]

“It’s why I never put out videos” 😂😂😂 Great video, love the authenticity 👏

[@NickFerry]

👊🏼👊🏼

[@MelbourneAlan]

great to see a video from you. hope there will be more soon. nice idea for the slots. should work well for oddball sizes ect where its not worth building a jig. i do slots like that with a jig that has a 30mm slot in it. i made diferent length jogs with diferent length slots. then use a 30mm guide bush and cuttter,

[@NickFerry]

Very nice - guide bushings are very useful

[@BeInspiredwithDominic]

So simple once you have your mind wrapped around it, but only then. Thanks for sharing, Nick!

[@NickFerry]

you bet Dom - thanks!

[@eddiegrills3372]

Just found your channel, great example of good content and tips to make a project run a little smoother for someone with not much experience. Nice work man

[@NickFerry]

Thanks - there’s always multiple ways of doing things - its fun trying out different ways

[@RetchedKat]

Super helpful! Also, you sound shockingly like Seth Rogen.

[@NickFerry]

Thanks - yeah I get that a lot - wonder if he thinks so

[@mikesmicroshop4385]

I was just going back and watching some of you OLD STUFF!! I hope life lets you post to KZbin more often like the old days, miss your content and commentary!!!!!

[@NickFerry]

Thanks I appreciate that - motivates me to do some more editing

[@mikesmicroshop4385]

@@NickFerry :)

[@clemmcguinness1087]

Late ti the party again Nick. Another elegant solution 😃

[@NickFerry]

I was just about to take down the streamers and clean out the punch bowl but you know what I’ll leave them up for a little bit yet for ya 😂

[@collindavis2656]

Good stuff bro. I’ll put that in my tool kit for sure!!

[@NickFerry]

Right on

[@bunkie2100]

How about this? Assuming you want a 1/4” slot, just fit a 1/4” bit in the router, drop it in the first hole, mark the edge of the router, repeat the process with the other hole, and clamp a straightedge along the two marks. That give you the fence you need.

[@NickFerry]

It would - the time it takes to snag two drill bits for a positive stop where I don’t have to line anything up by eye tends to give me more repeatable results - someone had mentioned using smaller bits and holes and offsetting the spacer to accommodate and then routing the slot - that may be something I’m going to try

[@bunkie2100]

@@NickFerry - It was just a thought. Your clever idea of starting the slot with drilled holes is what gave me the idea. One safety-related comment: You were using a forstner bit in your hand-held drill. This is a practice I have abandoned after losing a thumbnail when the bit caught and kicked back out of the hole and found my left thumb as I was holding the work piece freehand. Keep up the nice work!

[@NickFerry]

thanks - yeah the bigger bits can be pretty torque-y

[@luisgonzalez7774]

Love ya, your work area looks like mine. no matter how much i clean it's still the same. keep up the good work never had a router till resent and i'm learning a lot from you. thanks

[@huwdavies5264]

Hi Nick, Great tips which are nice and simple to follow. Cheers, Huw

[@NickFerry]

Appreciated 👊🏻

[@commanderkeeno5552]

This is great! I started watching like wtf 😂 i was totally going to over complicate this, thank you

[@NickFerry]

Thanks - works great for slots on jigs too

[@adu1978]

Great tip mate missed watching your videos please don’t stop can’t wait for the next video. Got all my mates here in Australia watching and they love your channel

[@NickFerry]

awesome - I appreciate you sharing what I'm doing

[@eklevmyr]

Great tip. Thanks!

[@NickFerry]

Thank you

[@anyonecanbuildwoodshop1827]

Great tip, thanks for sharing. Missed you lately, glad to see you again and Rockin the beard!

[@NickFerry]

Much appreciated man

[@johannes.f.r.]

Great tip. If you use a smaller drill bit than the size of the slot, you can still mark the end of the slot with the holes, but won't have the slight bumps on the side. Obviously you have to make the spacer slightly wider. As long as you work consistently from the same side at least the spacing on the grooves stays correct, which is often most important.

[@NickFerry]

Exactly - I did similar in the tenon jig video - opposite but similar

[@GEO-GEORGE65]

great tips, THANKS

[@NickFerry]

My pleasure - ✌🏼

[@BDL090754]

Excellent video Nick, simple, but excellent, I will be doing this method for sure, much appreciated.

[@NickFerry]

Thanks - Glad you could take away something

[@TheMessyStudio]

Cool tip, Nick. Thanks for sharing. Billy

[@NickFerry]

No problem - thanks for watching Billy

[@jameslund221]

Hey your workbench looks oddly familiar. In fact it resembles my work space for every project I do. lol

[@NickFerry]

It does that all in its own too

[@MaximusMuleti]

This should help with my project. I'm trying to inlay a walnut piece and I need to route the place where the walnut is going. I should have did all the cutting and gluing from the start, but I didn't plan it out very well. I hsve a round bottomed router, so I plan on not making a perfect cut with the router, and finishing with chisels. Also, I want to inlay a bow tie on the other side. Wish me luck.

[@NickFerry]

Best of luck - you got this ✌🏼

[@BenMitro]

Nick, if you had just plunged the router while turned off in the holes you made and aligned the guide to the router plate and done away with the trimmed spacer block? Regardless, that was great you brought this slot making subject up - its good to think things through ahead of time :)!!!

[@NickFerry]

I showed that exact way in the tenoning video that I had mentioned however the repeatability on the spiral bits when the profile is presented to the wood the thinner woods see the profile as an oblique rather than a circular pattern so using a spiral bit to do that all of the alignment can be tricky - hopefully that made sense

[@BenMitro]

@@NickFerry Ahh...got it and a very good point (pun not intended) - thanks Nick.

[@Flannelcarpenter]

Awesome video, obviously. Your shop looks like a mad scientist laboratory.

[@NickFerry]

Exactly what it feels like

[@BAYFLYER26]

After I finish a bigger project both of my benches look like this, I clean it all up and organize it then begin the process of messing it up again.

[@NickFerry]

Haha the never ending cycle - mine see the light of day every 4 projects or so

[@panino04]

Really nice tip

[@NickFerry]

👍🏻

[@emilebourbeau9984]

I am convinced the first beard ever was grown by a plus sized guy like us

[@NickFerry]

Haha I have no idea

[@robnhannon]

Haven’t seen a Nick shop video in a while. Good seeing you on the youtubes again.

[@NickFerry]

Thanks Rob - I’m mixing things up a bit hoping I’ll be able to show more of what I’m working on - the other way was fine but it took too much time for me to do and I could never seem to find all that time - hopefully this way it’ll be a more frequent occasion

[@jasonbailey9139]

Three videos this year. You’re on fire! ;) Glad to see a video from you. Hope all is well!

[@NickFerry]

Actually laughed out loud on that one - all is good I hope they have a lot more out soon

[@jasonbailey9139]

As a community theater nerd, I think the video showing the thrust stage has been my favorite this year, but these quick tips are awesome. Hobbies are hard to add into the work life balance. You take as long as you need...especially if the hiatus is due to the set building. :)

[@NickFerry]

Jason Bailey and I just took on a theater build for the end of the year

[@jasonbailey9139]

That’s great! Which one? If you can say. I’m trying to figure out which play I want to try out for next season. I try to do tech, but they throw me on stage because it’s so hard to get male actors..and I don’t totally suck, but I’d rather work a lightboard or sound effects.

[@NickFerry]

Fruitcakes

[@RagsdaleCreek]

👍 Watching in Alabama

[@NickFerry]

I have family near Huntsville

[@RagsdaleCreek]

@@NickFerry i live on Tn. Line near Ardmore

[@mrkrause3]

Good tricks! Where did you get the red bench clamp.....? kinda looks like a destaco.

[@NickFerry]

these? amzn.to/38d4nSO

[@richardcranium5839]

it is alive great tip btw

[@NickFerry]

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!

[@bqqstin]

Love the tip! That's how I do it! FYI, need another live 'clean-up' hangout

[@NickFerry]

For sure - let me see what I can out together

[@Mearlyn11]

The beard's gettin pretty epic there Nick.

[@NickFerry]

The power of laziness sprinkled with lack of vanity

[@jeremyspecce]

Great to see a video from you even if the phone rang! Cool tip but when you started I thought you were going to do something else that I thought was brilliant. I'm gonna go try it out myself and if it works maybe I'll make my first ever KZbin video.

[@NickFerry]

Do it up - let me know how it goes

[@bijan4727]

Hi. This was an awesome technique. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. How do you make a t slot cut ?

[@NickFerry]

Thanks - plunge router is easiest for stopped t slots - but if they go all the way to the edge you can use a standard base router - using a straight bit on a first pass and then the T slot pit on a second pass eliminates a lot of stress on that rather thin T-slot bit - ✌🏼

[@thegeodude9461]

Great to see you! Thanks for the advice!

[@NickFerry]

Thanks 👊🏻

[@timhalcomb4041]

Appreciate your sharing Nick nice video you have a blessed day

[@NickFerry]

Thanks - you as well

[@KSFWG]

More slots than Bob Ross had happy trees? That's a LOT of slots!! lol

[@NickFerry]

What can I say? The man liked his trees

[@KSFWG]

@@NickFerry Ya made my day, Nick! It always brings a smile to my face when I see you've uploaded a video! Thanks again, my friend!

[@NickFerry]

Same here man - always good hearing from you

[@robharrod]

@@NickFerry ... And his clouds!

[@NickFerry]

Rob Harrod very true Rob - btw, Dave and I were just talking about hanging out next week - clear up your calendar!

[@myxology]

Nick, you're my hero. Please make more videos. :)

[@NickFerry]

thanks I will p.s. set your sights higher lol

[@myxology]

Nick Ferry Ha! 😆 Lowered expectations make for higher levels of happiness. 😁

[@NickFerry]

Under promise and over deliver

[@chrismatus4469]

Nice video Nick, I've been missing your content!

[@NickFerry]

Thanks Chris - been missing doing it

[@Douglas-hw8is]

perfect ! many thanks

[@NickFerry]

My pleasure ✌🏼

[@derekpeterson5123]

Great tip. Missed seeing your videos. What are you doing giving Jeremiah Johnson a run for the money on the beard? LOL keep smiling

[@NickFerry]

Haha - yeah I haven’t seen a razor in a bit

[@PrimalEdge]

what about piloting with a 7/32 drill bit and using the 1/4 router bit to bring it to final dimension? AWESOME TIP, BTW

[@NickFerry]

I am going to try that - and make the spacer split the difference of the enlargement keeping the slot centered on the original marks

[@xianshengxu998]

nick ，Thank you for your idea. Thank you for your video.

[@NickFerry]

No problem - thanks for watching!

[@TLFWorks]

Thank you for the video. It was timely. I am using this today.

[@NickFerry]

Worked out great then

[@brucelee3388]

1/4 inch is 6.35mm, so a 7mm drill is somewhat oversized, and will lead to dumbbell shaped slots if you use them to drill the end holes and a 1/4 inch router bit. Also watch out for some European router bits, they have a 6mm shank not 6.35mm and may be loose in the collet - conversely some routers made for the European market have 6mm collets, which are a PITA - DAMHIK

[@NickFerry]

Good to know - loose router bits are no fun

[@FredMcIntyre]

Thanks for the info Nick! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@NickFerry]

thanks for checking it out buddy!

[@MultiTom1956]

Thanks Nick 😊

[@NickFerry]

No problem

[@deadtreecarcasses9509]

the drought is over

[@NickFerry]

i hope it will be good soon

[@christofix]

Very interesting and useable! Thanks for sharing this man!

[@NickFerry]

No problem, glad you liked it

[@j.m.2506]

Nice job. Anyone ever tell u, u sound exactly like Seth Rogan, lol.

[@NickFerry]

A bigger question is, has anyone ever told him that he sounds like me?

[@Uncle_Buzz]

Good stuff dude! Cheers, Chris.

[@NickFerry]

👊🏻👊🏻 back at ya man

[@brianigielski9734]

huh, I always thought it was kattywampus. Oh well. Love your vids.

[@NickFerry]

Haha - kitty corner and katty corner too

[@TxStang]

good tip thanks !

[@NickFerry]

No problem

[@malfadors2]

Very nice :)

[@NickFerry]

🧢

[@JkCanvas]

Simple project.

[@NickFerry]

easy peasy

[@kevinsigler6747]

Thumbs up

[@NickFerry]

thanks

[@RozannaMYG]

Is it possible to make an angled slot? How would you suggest I do that? Thanks in advance.

[@NickFerry]

Anything is possible, other than me explaining that in a comment response - there’s a reason I make videos and don’t write articles

[@RozannaMYG]

@@NickFerry sorry I asked

[@NickFerry]

Why - ain’t no thang - I just articulate better in spoken word rather than written

[@RozannaMYG]

I'm having a hard time finding a tutorial on how to do an angled slot, would appreciate a video on that. I'm trying to add a slot for a removable ipad stand on a bath tray, not sure what tool to use.

[@NickFerry]

Table saw - angled the blade - move fence &make multiple passes for wider slot if needed - aspirin as needed - I thought you wanted it do be done as a router jig - table saw for 2 minutes & off to the BarcaLounger

[@MRrwmac]

Good idea! Thanks (bearded wonder).

[@NickFerry]

Thanks man

[@robharrod]

Great tip! You're right, it does seem less complicated in practice than trying to 'splain it! Oh My God!! The Hair, THE HAIR!!!

[@NickFerry]

I think I’m due for a cut - the hats not hiding it enough - screw it, I’m switching to a sombrero

[@janeceeytchison6469]

I don't think a sombrero could even hide that hair

[@KSFWG]

@@NickFerry lol Senor Nick...

[@donjohnson24]

Neat!

[@NickFerry]

Thanks Don

[@MrKking33]

say it good to see you doing some videos, and having that cave man look lol. say is the next shop tour?

[@NickFerry]

I just did a shop tour what seemed like only a couple months ago

[@robthewaywardwoodworker9956]

NICKY!

[@NickFerry]

In the house!!!

[@TedAlexander24]

There are a few holes in this project.

[@NickFerry]

stay tuned for part 2 where I have half of whole hole halves

[@TedAlexander24]

Nick Ferry Whole holes? Holy smoke!

[@giovannipetitti1588]

Ho Nick,👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@NickFerry]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉👊🏻👊🏻

[@user-dw6ri6kr5l]

🤗👍

[@NickFerry]

👊🏻👊🏻