# Routing shallow recess over large area



## sigshane (Dec 28, 2012)

Hi all. I am building a LEGO table for my son's 7th birthday, and plan to attach four 10" by 10" LEGO baseplates to the "work" surface, and want to route a shallow square in the surface for this purpose. The recess would be no more than 1/8", or whatever the thickness of the plates' square base is (they are ordered, but not yet received).

I thought I had seen somewhere advertised a large diameter blade router bit for this purpose, but I can't for the life of me remember where, or even what the bit was called.

Does this ring any bells out there?


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

sigshane said:


> Hi all. I am building a LEGO table for my son's 7th birthday, and plan to attach four 10" by 10" LEGO baseplates to the "work" surface, and want to route a shallow square in the surface for this purpose. The recess would be no more than 1/8", or whatever the thickness of the plates' square base is (they are ordered, but not yet received).
> 
> I thought I had seen somewhere advertised a large diameter blade router bit for this purpose, but I can't for the life of me remember where, or even what the bit was called.
> 
> Does this ring any bells out there?


Flat bottom, large diameter with shallow cut depth router bits can be found by looking for dado clean out bits or spoil board surfacing bits. The spoil board bits will tend to a little larger and a lot pricier. 
Here is one that is an inch and a half wide and I have had decent luck with this supplier. 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bottom-Clea...981143082?pt=Routers_Bits&hash=item566033022a
:smile:

I think your bigger challenge on this project will be supporting the router independent of the surface you are routing. I would suggest maybe a really wide base plate that would bridge the 10" wide hole or a set of router skiis that would bridge the entire board and reference the table surface.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

this is similar in concept to using a router as a planer. A large sled on rails over the work surface, but with stops for the edges.

While thats a fine plan that can work... wouldnt it be easier to make it 2 pieces? a solid sheet of MDF or whatever, and then a frame border that sits 1/8" up?


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

If it were me, I would wait until the plates arrive. Then you can position them and attach some boards around the edges with double sided tape and get a good fit.

Check this video out. Maybe it will help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvLrfxxevYo

A wide baseplate will be needed.
Good luck. Post pics for us to see.
Mike


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## sigshane (Dec 28, 2012)

Thanks a lot to all who contributed. Considering that I am doing all this in plywood, I may be able to just score the intended perimeter area for the plates with a razor knife, and peel the top veneer layer away, to make the required recess. I think those LEGO baseplates have pretty thin base surfaces anyway - 1/16" is probably closer to actual required thickness.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

it is 1/8" which I speculate will be well into, but not through the first "layer". Not that it would be particularly easy to "peel" a whole layer out anyway. they are glued together quite well (ideally).

This concept will work, itll just take a while depending how big this area is. need to chisel out the corners or put a radus on the lego plates.


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## PhilBa (Jun 30, 2014)

I dunno, a router sled sounds like a lot of work, noise,time and mess. 

Similar to what Bauerbach suggested, I would just build a frame with a rabbeted inside edge that would fit your 20x20 plywood base with additional 1/8" depth (or what ever the lego baseplate needs). I'm assuming you are making a frame anyway to cover up the plywood edges.

This would be a lot faster to make.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

PhilBa said:


> I dunno, a router sled sounds like a lot of work, noise,time and mess. I would just build a frame with a rabbeted inside edge that would fit your 20x20 plywood base with additional 1/8" depth (or what ever the plate needs). I'm assuming you are making a frame anyway to cover up the plywood edges.
> 
> This would be a lot faster to make.


agreed.:thumbsup:


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## jschaben (Apr 1, 2010)

I will also cast my vote with bauerbach. Frame really makes more sense to me. In addition to eliminating the need to levitate the router above a sizable workpiece, the corner radius (radii?) will also present some issues.


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## bandman (Jan 15, 2009)

*Lego board*

I have made more than one of these boards and have a couple of suggestions:
#1..make a frame like others have suggested instead of using a router.
#2.._*very important.*_ Although the separate Lego base boards seem to want to go together flush right up next to each other don't do it that way!! You need to keep a small amount of space between the separate boards for the Lego blocks to fit. I would recommend that you take the boards and place a Lego block on all of the boards binding them together and you will see a small space between the boards, you need to keep that space there or your blocks will not fit and you will not only have a piece of furniture that will not function you will also be out a lot of work, and those bases are not cheap. On the upside, the kids will love them. I have made some in my house that are tables of different heights so the older and younger grandkids can use them, they get used all the time.

Good Luck,

Bandman


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

bandman said:


> I have made more than one of these boards and have a couple of suggestions:
> #1..make a frame like others have suggested instead of using a router.
> #2.._*very important.*_ Although the separate Lego base boards seem to want to go together flush right up next to each other don't do it that way!! You need to keep a small amount of space between the separate boards for the Lego blocks to fit. I would recommend that you take the boards and place a Lego block on all of the boards binding them together and you will see a small space between the boards, you need to keep that space there or your blocks will not fit and you will not only have a piece of furniture that will not function you will also be out a lot of work, and those bases are not cheap. On the upside, the kids will love them. I have made some in my house that are tables of different heights so the older and younger grandkids can use them, they get used all the time.
> 
> ...


Got any pics? We have grandkids galore - all ages from 4 to 22. :yes:
and another one on the way.


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## Wendel17 (Apr 20, 2009)

Here's one I made at work for a day care center. They wanted to be able to move the boards around, so no recess. This was a few months back, so I imagine they've hit the floor a few times by now.











There are earth magnets routed into the top and the underside of the boards to hold them in place, but they're easilly moved.


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Danno said:


> Here's one I made at work for a day care center. They wanted to be able to move the boards around, so no recess. This was a few months back, so I imagine they've hit the floor a few times by now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks. I need to do some Googling. I might have to make something portable that can be set up and taken down.


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